THE EFFECT OF BCAA SUPPLEMENTATION ON THE SUPPRESSION OF DOMS: A META-ANALYSIS
S. SPENCE Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research 2016 S114
Delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) is a symptom of
exercise-induced muscle damage that occurs following exercise.
Feelings of pain, stiffness, and discomfort begin hours
after exercise and may last for days, gradually decreasing as
the muscle recovers. Previous research has indicated that
branched-chain amino acid (BCAA) supplementation may
attenuate exercise-induced muscle damage that causes delayed
onset muscle soreness, however the results are inconsistent.
Purpose: The primary aim of this study was to examine
the previous literature assessing the effect of BCAA supplementation
on DOMS after exercise, and to provide a quantitative
estimate of effect on recovery status. Methods: This
review was conducted in accordance with PRISMA guidelines
(Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Metaanalyses),
and identified peer-reviewed articles comparing
a BCAA supplement to a placebo non-BCAA supplement following
an acute bout of exercise. An electronic search of 3
databases (EbscoHost, Web of Science, and SPORTDiscus)
yielded 39 articles after duplicates were removed. All studies
included in the current analysis were: (a) peer-reviewed publications;
(b) available in English; (c) utilized a random control
design that compared a BCAA group to a placebo control
group following exercise; (d) and assessed soreness of muscle
tissue during recovery. Data were extracted and coded by 3
authors. Data are presented as mean (M), standard deviation
(SD), and 95% confidence interval (CI). A negative effect is
interpreted as a decrease in DOMS.
Results: Data from 93
participants (22.3 6 2.7 years, 87% male, 18.6 6 2.3 per
study) were included in the analysis. The cumulative results
of 26 effects gathered from 5 studies published between 2007
and 2013 indicated that DOMS decreased following BCAA
supplementation (ES = 20.90, 95% CI: 21.10 to 20.68; p
, 0.001). The number of effects per study ranged from 2 to 8
(5.2 6 1.1). Conclusions: A large decrease in DOMS occurs
following BCAA supplementation after exercise compared to
a placebo supplement.
Practical Applications: BCAA supplementation
can reduce muscle soreness following exercise,
which allows for faster recovery. Faster recovery time will inherently
lead to greater frequency of exercise.