Purpose: Delayed onset of muscle soreness (DOMS) is one of the common conditions that is gaining
popularity and attention among the fitness and rehabilitation experts. Various modalities ranging from
supplementation, stretches, cryotherapy etc are proposed to deal with this condition. However, there are
no substantial reports available on the effectiveness of these therapies over DOMS. The present study
evaluates the role of beetroot, pineapple and turmeric cocktail on alleviating the inflammatory response
and perceived pain in newly recruited sports students.
Methods: A total of 60 subjects were randomly recruited into experimental group (n=30) and control
group (n=30) who received 200 ml of beetroot, pineapple and turmeric cocktail and neutral water
respectively twice daily for 10 days. Assessments were done through C-reactive protein (CRP) and
visual analog scale (VAS) score measured at the baseline and at the end of 10th day.
Results: A paired T-test has shown statistically significant change both in the experimental group and
control group (P=0.00) when compared against pre and post values within the group. An independent T
test return a significant change in the VAS scores (P=0.000), however the results are not significant in
the CRP levels (P=0.05). However, the magnitude of the change measured by the mean value was more
in the experimental group.
Conclusion: The results of the study indicate that combination of beetroot, pineapple and turmeric
cocktail is beneficial in alleviating the symptoms of DOMS and may be used effectively in postworkout recovery programs. However large scale studies are warranted to generalize these results.