This randomized, crossover trial aimed to investigate the effect of juçara (Euterpe edulis Mart.) fruit juice (JFJ) consumption on the inflammatory response to high-intensity intermittent exercise (HIIE) in physically active subjects (n = 15). Participants were allocated to drink 250 mL of either JFJ or water (control) 1 h before a cycling HIIE session. Results showed that IL-6 level were higher after HIIE in control but were unaffected in the JFJ group. The intervention group showed a higher level of IL-10 (vs control) and a lower level of TNFα (vs. baseline). The cortisol levels were significantly higher (p = 0.022 vs. baseline) in the JFJ group. Performance during sprints test was higher in the JFJ group than in the control (p = 0.002). Authors concluded that JFJ intake attenuated the anti-inflammatory response to HIIE, possibly resulting from a lower degree of muscle stress.

Mendes BC, Copetti CLK, Panza VSP, Orssatto LBR, da Rosa JS, Diefenthaeler F, Dalmarco EM, Pietro PFD, Rieger DK. Effects of Euterpe edulis Martius on inflammatory responses to high-intensity intermittent exercise: Crossover randomized trial. Nutrition. 2021 May 28;91-92:111344. doi: 10.1016/j.nut.2021.111344. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 34273682.

Alex Popovkin, Bahia, Brazil from Brazil, CC BY 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0, via Wikimedia Commons