Effects of the Flavonoid Diosmin on Post Exercise Muscle Soreness – A Randomized Controlled Trial

Delayed-onset muscle soreness (DOMS) is hypothesized to be due to reversible damage at the cellular level, affecting both recreational and professional athletes. For elite athletes, the prevalence of DOMS is more pronounced during the beginning of the sports season, when they return to the reality of exercise training after a period of inactivity, thus potentially having a negative impact on performance. Era evaluate the effects of supplementation with the flavonoid diosmin (DSM) on athletic performance and DOMS-related symptoms in the pre-season of a futsal team from the Brazilian women's league. A randomized, double‑blind and placebo‑controlled crossover trial was conducted in 15 professional futsal female athletes. They received one daily capsule of DSM or placebo (750 mg) for 3 days as a preventive regimen, and an intense dynamic exercise protocol (concentric/eccentric actions) was applied to the lower limbs. Evaluations on the effects of DSM on athletic performance and DOMS‑related muscle soreness, blood oxidative stress, recovery of strength capacity, and postural balance were performed during a 48 h‑period. Although DSM had no greater effect than placebo on athletic performance, it presented trivial‑to‑moderate effects in other parameters without statistical significance, with the best effects including containing oxidative damage (through reduction in lipid peroxidation) (<i>p</i> = 0.3857, EF = 0.72) and muscle soreness upon climbing stairs (<i>p</i> = 0.7136, EF = 0.50) at the 48^th hour, and in preventing the reduction of muscle strength (<i>p</i> = 0.6784, EF = 0.61) and improving unipedal postural balance in contralateral leg (<i>p</i> = 0.7446, EF = 0.69) at the 24th hour. Althought not significant in the ANOVA, the flavonoid DSM seems effective for futsal athletes as a dietary supplement for some variables evaluated. These include preventing muscle soreness, oxidative stress, impairment of muscle strength, and postural balance postexercise, which is desirable to promote better results in sporting terms. Clinical trial registry number: NCT06125002.