DigeZyme Enzyme Complex Alleviates Muscle Soreness After Exercise, Study Suggests

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DigeZyme, a multi-enzyme complex from Sabinsa (East Windsor, NJ), may be best known for its place on the digestive-health market, but a new study suggests the complex may also help athletes recover from strenuous exercise. Researchers found that healthy athletes supplementing with DigeZyme showed significant improvements to pain and muscle tenderness following eccentric exercise-measures suggesting improvements to delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS).

The prospective, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial included 20 healthy men with no known musculoskeletal pathology. At baseline, subjects participated in an eccentric exercise session that included running on a treadmill at a speed to achieve 80% of predicted maximal heart rate for five minutes, followed by 30 minutes of running at a treadmill grade of 10%. Then, for the subsequent three days, subjects were randomized to consume either a placebo or 50 mg of DigeZyme three times per day, which consists of the enzymes amylase, protease, lipase, cellulose, and lactase.

On each day of the study, subjects visited a clinic so researchers could assess markers of DOMS. That included muscle-soreness questionnaires, in which participants rated their general soreness in response to an algometer that applied direct pressure over muscles.  Researchers also asked participants to use a hand-held dynamometer to measure muscle strength during maximal voluntary isometric contractions, and the McGill pain questionnaire was used with an algometer to assess muscle tenderness. Additionally, researchers assessed serum biomarkers creatine kinase and lactate dehydrogenase before exercise and 72 hour after exercise.

Researchers found that the DigeZyme group experienced significant improvements to algometer readings of thigh muscle, as well as decrements in the McGill pain questionnaire with “high statistical significance.” A reducing trend was observed for the serum biomarkers of muscle damage, creatine kinase and lactate dehydrogenase, but no statistically significant changes were observed for muscle power or grip strength as measured by the hand-held dynamometer.

“The study results suggest that compared to placebo, multi-enzyme complex supplementation improves the outcome measures related to DOMS induced by standardized eccentric exercise,” researchers conclude.

“This new study gives a new twist to a classic product of ours, DigeZyme,” says Shaheen Majeed, marketing director for Sabinsa. “Well known for use in digestive health, we have now studied DigeZyme for this specific sports indication. Enzymes have been part of the sports-supplements category, and DigeZyme has enjoyed its place in many sports products, mainly to have enzyme break down proteins and carbohydrates. Sabinsa has now given an additional clinical indication that no other enzyme blend has done before-DOMS. Our blend for this indication is now patent pending.”

Read more:

Enzymes Broaden Reach Beyond Digestive Health

Probiotic with Protein May Reduce Muscle Damage, Enhance Recovery

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Michael Crane
Associate Editor
Nutritional Outlook Magazine
michael.crane@ubm.com

References:

Majeed M et al., “Multi-enzyme complex for the management of delayed onset muscle soreness after eccentric exercise: a randomized, double blind, placebo controlled study,” Sports Nutrition and Therapy. Published online November 11, 2016.