Impact of Haskap Berries on Recovery From High Intensity Resistance Training

The purpose of this clinical trial is to determine how certain food items affect oxidative stress, inflammation, and performance recovery from exercise induced muscle damage in a resistance trained population. The main questions The investigators aim to answer are the following:

• Do Haskaps speed the recovery of oxidative stress and inflammation markers after an intense lower body workout in resistance trained adults?
• Do Haskaps speed the recovery of performance measures after an intense lower body workout in resistance trained adults?
• The data collected in this investigation may also be used to ask additional questions not yet identified. For example, the investigators may use the stored samples to evaluate how the blood metabolites of participants differ before and after intense exercise. These additional questions are called secondary analyses. Please note that no genetic analysis will be conducted and racial and ethnic differences among participants will not be used in any secondary analyses.

Researches will compare Haskap juice to a color, flavor and carbohydrate matched placebo to see if Haskaps speed recovery in inflammation, oxidative stress and performance.

• Participants will be asked to drink either Haskap juice or placebo and follow a low polyphenolic diet
• Participants will perform an intense resistance workout
• Participants will have their blood drawn before and after the workout
• Performance will be analyzed at 24, 48 and 72 hours after the workout

Study Overview

• Status: Recruiting
• Conditions: Inflammation; Recovery; Oxidative Stress; Resistance Exercise; Exercise Performance Recovery
• Intervention / Treatment: Dietary supplement: Haskap berry smoothie; Dietary supplement: Placebo Comparator

Detailed Description

The main goal of the clinical trial is to learn more about how the haskap berry impacts the recovery process form intense resistance training. Haskap berries are very high in several compounds that function as antioxidants, such as polyphenols and vitamin C, which have many health promoting effects. For example, antioxidants lower inflammation and oxidative stress, which is known to cause damage to cells, proteins, and DNA. Oxidative stress is a result of excess free radicals, which are unstable molecules that can be created, along with inflammation, during intense exercise. This combination of excessive harmful byproducts in the body can cause soreness and decrease muscle performance experienced after a workout. However, the antioxidants in foods have the ability to neutralize free radicals that are produced and may reduce the time to recover from exercise.

To do this, a parallel, randomized, double blind, placebo controlled clinical trial of Haskap versus a placebo on resistance trained individuals will be completed. Participants will complete an intense workout consisting of barbell back squats and leg extension. Participants will drink either Haskap juice or placebo and follow a low polyphenolic diet for a total of 11 days. Participants will have their blood drawn before supplementation, before, immediately after and 8, 24, 48, and 72 hours after the workout to track recovery of blood markers. Performance will be analyzed via vertical jumps on force plates, maximal voluntary contraction of the quadriceps on a biodex, and speed of the squat at 24, 48, and 72 hours post workout.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Estimated): 30
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

• Study Contact: Name: Bryce Peterson; Phone Number: 40666975460; Email: brycepeterson@montana.edu
• Study Contact Backup: Name: Adrianna Yeats; Phone Number: 3864516656; Email: adriannayeats@montana.edu

Study Locations

• United States
  • Montana
    • Bozeman, Montana, United States, 59715
      • Recruiting
      • Montana State University
      • Contact: Mary P Miles; Phone Number: 406-994-6678; Email: mmiles@montana.edu
      • Contact: Bryce Peterson; Phone Number: 4066975460

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• 2+ years of barbell squat experience
• Currently squatting at least once a week

Exclusion Criteria:

• BMI <18 or > 40 kg/m^2
• potential allergy to Haskap or placebo ingredients
• anti-inflammatory, weight loss, anabolic steroids, testosterone, or other drugs that may interfere with the measures of the study or any other medications that may interfere with study measures
• pregnant or lactating woman
• diagnosis with type 1 or type 2 diabetes, hypo-/hyperthyroidism or any other condition that may interfere with study measures
• smoke cigarettes
• lower extremity injury within the last year
• currently following a special diet including vegan, vegetarian, low carbohydrate, or ketogenic.
• currently consuming any of the following products: tart cherry juice, pomegranate juice, or 1 or more cups of acai or other berries per day.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Supportive Care
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: Double

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Placebo Comparator: Placebo Control; The placebo supplement will have no polyphenol content and will be carbohydrate-matched to the experimental group. A twice daily dose (10-12 hours apart) will be consumed for 11 days.	Dietary supplement: Placebo Comparator; A smoothie with no polyphenolic content and matched in carbohydrate composition to the experimental haskap smoothie
Experimental: Haskap; The haskap supplement will consist of a haskap berry smoothie. A twice daily dose (10-12) hours apart will be consumed for 11 days.	Dietary supplement: Haskap berry smoothie; A smoothie blend of berries and water

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Force Production	Maximal Voluntary Contraction (MVC) to assess force production of knee extensors at 60 degrees.	72 hours
Barbell Velocity	Barbell velocity will be measure to determine how squat velocity recovers over the course of the study.	72 hours
Vertical Jump	Force plates will be used to evaluate vertical jump height.	72 hours
Inflammation (pg/mL)	Serum interleukin (IL) IL-6, IL-10, IL-1ra, tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha),	11 days
Lipid peroxidation	Plasma Malondialdehyde (MDA)	11 days
Creatine Kinase	Plasma	11 days
C-Reactive Protein	Plasma	11 days
Protein Carbonyls	Plasma	11 days

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Acute Diet	24-hour dietary recall using the Automated Self-Administered 24-hour Dietary. Assessment Tool (ASA24). Outcome is macronutrient and micronutrient composition of food entry.	9 days
Soreness	Soreness will be evaluated objectively by participants drawing a line on a scale of 0-10 of how sore their legs are. 0 represents no soreness at all and 10 represents the most muscular soreness the participant has felt. A lower number could indicate less inflammation and muscular damage.	72 hours
Sleep Questionnaire	Participants report information on the previous night's sleep. What time they went to sleep, how long it took them to fall asleep, how many hours they slept, whether these were normal sleep and wake times and how restful they perceive their sleep to be on a scale of 1 to 10. 1 indicates their sleep was not restful at all and 10 indicates their sleep was as restful as possible.	11 days

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Montana State University
• Collaborators: Montana State Agricultural Experiment Station
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Mary P Miles, Montana State University

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): October 21, 2025
• Primary Completion (Estimated): March 1, 2026
• Study Completion (Estimated): May 1, 2026

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: January 7, 2026
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: January 7, 2026
• First Posted (Actual): January 15, 2026

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): January 21, 2026
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: January 19, 2026
• Last Verified: January 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: recovery; resistance exercise; inflammation; oxidative stress; exercise performance
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Pathologic Processes; Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms; Inflammation
• Other Study ID Numbers: 2025-2138

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No