Juçara (Euterpe Edulis Martius) Supplementation Effect in Muscle Protection, Performance and Soreness in Lower Limbs After Exercise-Induced Muscle Damage

Juçara (Euterpe Edulis Martius) Supplementation Effect in Muscle Protection, Performance and Soreness in Lower Limbs After Exercise-Induced Muscle Damage: A Six-Week Randomized, Triple-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Clinical Trial

The purpose of this study is to find out if taking a natural supplement made from the Juçara fruit (a Brazilian berry rich in antioxidants called anthocyanins) can help the body recover faster after damage caused by exercise. Researchers want to see if Juçara can reduce muscle soreness and help muscles regain their strength and quality more quickly compared to a placebo (a "dummy" pill with no active ingredients).

What happens during the study? The study included 24 healthy, active men. It was a "crossover" study, meaning every participant tried both the Juçara supplement and the placebo at different times.

Supplement Phase: Participants took 12 capsules a day for 7 days.

Muscle Damage Test: To cause temporary muscle damage, participants performed a specific jumping protocol (100 maximal jumps).

Recovery Monitoring: Researchers tracked the participants for 72 hours after the jumps to measure:

How high they could jump (strength/performance).

Muscle soreness (using a pain scale).

Muscle "quality" and stiffness (using ultrasound imaging).

Wait Period: After the first phase, participants waited 14 days (washout) before switching to the other supplement to repeat the process.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Juçara Supplementatios After Muscle Damage
• Intervention / Treatment: Dietary supplement: Juçara; Dietary supplement: Placebo group

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 24
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• Brazil
  • Rio Grande do Sul
    • Santa Maria, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, 97105900
      • Centro de Educação Física e Desportos

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Males
• Aged 18-40 years
• Physically active, defined as performing at least three exercise sessions per week according to IPAQ questionnaire
• No history at lower-limb within the previous six months
• No medical restrictions for maximal exercise testing
• No allergy to red fruits
• No physical, cognitive and/or psychological limitations affecting the execution or understanding of the protocol
• No history of lower-limb surgery
• No use nutritional supplements within 30 days prior to study initiation
• Abstention from caffeine, cacao, yerba mate tea, and soft drinks during the study protocol.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Individuals younger than 18 or older than 40 years
• Not physically active, defined as performing fewer than three exercise sessions per week according to IPAQ questionnaire
• Presence of history at lower-limb injury within the previous six months
• Presence of medical restrictions for maximal exercise testing
• Known allergy to red fruits
• Presence of physical, cognitive and/or psychological limitations affecting the execution or understanding of the protocol
• History of lower-limb surgery
• Use of nutritional supplements within 30 days prior to study initiation
• Inability to abstain from caffeine, cacao, yerba mate tea, and soft drinks during the study protocol

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Other
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Crossover Assignment
• Masking: Quadruple

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Juçara group; The sample consisted of 24 healthy, physically active men with any kind of experience in any physical exercise modality. Eligibility criteria were as follows: (1) male, aged 18-40 years; (2) physically active, defined as performing at least three exercise sessions per week according to IPAQ questionnaire; (3) no history at lower-limb within the previous six months; (4) no medical restrictions for maximal exercise testing; (5) no allergy to red fruits; (6) no physical, cognitive and/or psychological limitations affecting the execution or understanding of the protocol; (7) no history of lower-limb surgery; (8) no use nutritional supplements within 30 days prior to study initiation; and (9) abstention from caffeine, cacao, yerba mate tea, and soft drinks during the study protocol.	Dietary supplement: Juçara; Total of 11 separate occasions under the Juçara condition. A familiarization session of CMJ and EIMD protocol (10 sets of CMJ repetitions with 1-minute rest between sets) was performed, followed by a 14-day washout period. During this visit, volunteers' descriptive data were assessed. On day 1 of this condition (72h pre EIMD), body mass was obtained, and participants received the supplementation (Juçara) to be consumed for 7 days (one capsule every 12 h). On day 2, the CSA from QUAD and HAMS, elastography from vastus lateralis (VL) and biceps femoris long head (BFlh) of the dominant limb, and the CMJ performance were assessed. After that, participants performed the EIMD protocol. Follow-up assessments were conducted at 24 h (day 3), 48 h (day 4), and 72 h (day 5) post-EIMD, repeating the same measurements. A 14-day washout period separated the two interventions.
Placebo Comparator: Placebo Group; The sample consisted of 24 healthy, physically active men with any kind of experience in any physical exercise modality. Eligibility criteria were as follows: (1) male, aged 18-40 years; (2) physically active, defined as performing at least three exercise sessions per week according to IPAQ questionnaire; (3) no history at lower-limb within the previous six months; (4) no medical restrictions for maximal exercise testing; (5) no allergy to red fruits; (6) no physical, cognitive and/or psychological limitations affecting the execution or understanding of the protocol; (7) no history of lower-limb surgery; (8) no use nutritional supplements within 30 days prior to study initiation; and (9) abstention from caffeine, cacao, yerba mate tea, and soft drinks during the study protocol.	Dietary supplement: Placebo group; Total of 11 separate occasions under the placebo condition. A familiarization session of CMJ and EIMD protocol (10 sets of CMJ repetitions with 1-minute rest between sets) was performed, followed by a 14-day washout period. During this visit, volunteers' descriptive data were assessed. On day 1 of this condition (72h pre EIMD), body mass was obtained, and participants received the supplementation (placebo) to be consumed for 7 days (one capsule every 12 h). On day 2, the CSA from QUAD and HAMS, elastography from vastus lateralis (VL) and biceps femoris long head (BFlh) of the dominant limb, and the CMJ performance were assessed. After that, participants performed the EIMD protocol. Follow-up assessments were conducted at 24 h (day 3), 48 h (day 4), and 72 h (day 5) post-EIMD, repeating the same measurements. A 14-day washout period separated the two interventions.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Countermovement Jump Height	Countermovement Jump (CMJ) hieght will be measured to assess using two force plates (AMTI OR6-6-2000; 1000 Hz). Measurements will be obtained at Baseline (Pre), and at 24, 48, and 72 hours following the exercise induced muscle damage (EIMD) protocol. Data will be expressed in centimeters (cm). Jump height will be calculated using take-off velocity and projectile motion principles.	From pre Exercise Induced Muscle Damage protocol to Post-72h Exercise Induced Muscle Damage protocol.
Contermovement jump power	Countermovement Jump (CMJ) power will be evaluated using two force plates (AMTI OR6-6-2000; 1000 Hz). Peak power will be calculated based on the jump flight time or force-time curve. Assessments will be performed at Baseline (Pre), 24h, 48h, and 72h post exercise induced muscle damage. Data will be expressed in Watts (W). Power during the concentric phase (i.e., the propulsive phase; interval between the onset of propulsion and take-off) will be calculated by multiplying force by velocity.	From pre Exercise Induced Muscle Damage protocol to Post-72h Exercise Induced Muscle Damage protocol.
Quadriceps and hamstrings Echointensity	Quadriceps and Hamstrings muscle echointensity will be assessed using ultrasonography to evaluate muscle damage. Images will be analyzed through gray-scale histogram analysis using ImageJ software. Assessments will be performed at Baseline (Pre-exercise), and at 24 hours, 48 hours, and 72 hours following the exercise-induced muscle damage (EIMD) protocol. Data will be expressed in arbitrary units (AU).	From pre Exercise Induced Muscle Damage protocol to Post-72h Exercise Induced Muscle Damage protocol.
Quadriceps and Hamstrings Cross-Sectional Area	Muscle Cross-Sectional Area from Quadriceps and Hamstrings will be assessed using an ultrasound with extended field of view mode at 50% of limb length. Quadriceps and Hamstrings Cros-Sectional areas will be expressed in cm².	From pre Exercise Induced Muscle Damage protocol to Post-72h Exercise Induced Muscle Damage protocol
Vastus Lateralis and Biceps Femoris Long Head stiffness	Vastus Lateralis and Biceps Femoris Long Head muscle stiffness will be assessed using Shear Wave Elastography mode from an ultrasound. Muscle stiffness will be expressed in kilopascal (kPa).	From pre Exercise Muscle Damage Protocol to Post-72h Exercise Induced Muscle Damage protocol.
Quadriceps and Hamstrings muscle soreness	Muscle soreness of the quadriceps will be assessed using a Visual Analogue Scale (VAS). Measurements will be obtained at Baseline (Pre-exercise), Immediately Post-exercise, 24 hours, 48 hours, and 72 hours following the Exercise Induced Muscle Damage (EIMD) protocol. Data will be expressed on a scale from 0 (no soreness) to 30 centimeters (worst possible soreness).	From pre Exercise Induced Muscle Damage protocol to Post-72h Exercise Induced Muscle Damage protocol.

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Universidade Federal de Santa Maria

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): June 3, 2024
• Primary Completion (Actual): October 3, 2024
• Study Completion (Actual): December 2, 2024

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: April 30, 2026
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: May 7, 2026
• First Posted (Actual): May 13, 2026

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): May 13, 2026
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: May 7, 2026
• Last Verified: May 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Performance; Jump; Muscle damage; Juçara; Echointensity
• Other Study ID Numbers: 6.753.984; UFSM (Other Identifier: UFSM)

Drug and device information, study documents

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