Effect of melatonin ingestion on physical performance, metabolic responses, and recovery after an intermittent training session

Abstract

Objectives Fatigue is a limiting factor for sport performance. For this reason, optimal recovery after training is just as critical as the training program itself, if not more. Indeed, there is a need for strategies that can facilitate recovery after training, and one such strategy is the ingestion of supplements like melatonin (MEL). This study aimed to evaluate if MEL intake could improve recovery of athletes after an intermittent training session (ITS). Methods Fifteen elite female athletes (17.4 ± 0.4 years, 76.4 ± 5.6 kg, 1.76 ± 0.04 m; mean ± standard deviation) participated in two testing campaigns. During each period, they performed a battery of physical and cognitive tests before and after an ITS, as well as after ingesting MEL (6 mg tablet) or placebo in a randomized design. The ITS comprised the modified agility T-test, squat jump, counter movement jump, maximum standing ball-throw velocity test, maximum jump ball-throw velocity test, and 20-m sprint. Oral temperature (OT) and vigilance were evaluated before and after the ITS. Rating of perceived exertion (RPE), blood lactate [La], and glucose [Gl] were recorded after each ITS. Results Short-term performance, recovery of physical performance, and OT were not affected by MEL ingestion after the ITS. Moreover, MEL did not affect cognitive performance or RPE scores after the ITS. However, [La] and [Gl] (p < 0.05 for both) were decreased after MEL ingestion. Conclusion MEL has no effect on the recovery of physical performance but may affect glucose utilization and lactate metabolism during the team-handball training session.

Melatonin supplementation alleviates cellular damage and physical performance decline induced by an intensive training period in professional soccer players

“…However, previous investigations did not show any impact of diurnal MEL ingestion on short-term physical performance after an exhaustive training session [16,41]. In these studies, a single dose of 6 mg of MEL was provided before the training session, whereas in the present study, a daily dose of 5 mg of MEL was applied throughout the training period.…”

“…The testing battery was performed in the following order: squat jump (SJ), countermovement jump (CMJ), five-jump test (5-JT), modified agility T-test (MAT) and 20-m sprint (20m-Sp). Physical tests were performed as described by Farjallah et al [16] and Cheikh et al [13].…”

Influence of Acute Melatonin Administration on Human Physical Performance: A Systematic Review

“…After screening by title, abstract, and full text, 10 studies met the eligibility criteria (Table 2). 4,6,10,19,20,23,24,29,37,43 The included studies were published between the years 2005 and 2021 and conducted in 6 countries: the United Kingdom, 4 Finland, 37 Tunisia, 19,20,23,24 the United States, 10 Brazil, 6 and Iran. 29,43 The mean and standard deviation of the PEDro score among the studies was 9.80 ± 0.42.…”

“…The mean and standard deviation of age (21.40 ± 3.37 years), body mass (73.57 ± 7.03 kg), height (1.77 ± 0.02 m), and fat % (13.02 ± 2.98%) of the participants were calculated from available data. The average sample size was 11 ± 1, with a minimum of 10 and a maximum of 15 people per study; 3 studies examined adolescents, 19,20,24 whereas the other 7 evaluated only adults (people aged >18 years), 4,6,10,23,29,37,43 of which 6 were performed with men (n = 63), 4,6,10,29,37,43 1 exclusively with women (n = 15), 20 and 3 did not clearly report the sex of the participants (n = 37). 19,23,24 All participants were considered trained, except in 1 study, in which they were considered moderately active.…”

“…Nonetheless, the results of the squat jump, countermovement jump, and medicine ball throw tests revealed a reduced power performance in melatonin-treated participants, 23,24 while the remaining studies indicated no significant change between people treated with melatonin and placebo. 20,23,24,29,37,43…”