Improve your athletic performance with Quercetin.
Improve your athletic performance with Quercetin
Quercetin is a well-known antioxidant found in many fruits, vegetables, seeds, tea, and wine. Antioxidants help remove oxidants in the body that would otherwise react with molecules such as protein, cell membranes, lipids and DNA, damaging the cells. Oxidation is one of the body's processes that also contributes to ageing. The health benefits of Quercetin include age-related disease protection, protection against bacterial and viral infections, anti-allergy properties and protection against cardiovascular diseases. This flavonoid has been the subject of many research studies, including whether it can help improve athletic performance.
If you want to supplement with quercetin, NMN Bio's Quercetin 250mg is formulated with Vitamin C and citrus bioflavonoids — a combination designed specifically to stabilise quercetin during absorption and maximise bioavailability. More on why that matters below. For those combining quercetin with NMN for endurance, the Endurance Bundle (NMN + Quercetin) puts both in one stack.
What do we mean by athletic recovery and performance?
Firstly, let's look at what makes good recovery in athletes. Endurance is the strength to continue without stress, fatigue, or other conditions. The higher the endurance, the lower the chances of injury. Some of the aspects that help with recovery include:
- Stretching: increases blood flow to the muscles, providing oxygen and energy. Also enhances flexibility.
- Hydration: during exercise, your body loses fluids through sweating to maintain body temperature. Staying hydrated allows muscles to work appropriately and fight fatigue.
- Massage: enhances flexibility, decreases soreness and improves recovery.
- Anti-inflammatory support: decreases soreness, inflammation and muscle pain before and after exercise.
This article mainly focuses on the last aspect. Quercetin is a supplement that decreases inflammation in the body. The research below shows how taking a quercetin supplement can improve athletic performance — and why formulation quality matters as much as the ingredient itself.
The quercetin absorption problem most supplements ignore
Here's something the label on most quercetin supplements won't tell you: quercetin is prone to auto-oxidation during absorption. As it moves through the gut, it can oxidise and generate free radicals — the exact thing you're taking it to fight. A poorly formulated quercetin product can damage the cells it's supposed to protect.
NMN Bio's Quercetin 250mg is formulated with Vitamin C and citrus bioflavonoids specifically to prevent this. Vitamin C acts as a sacrificial antioxidant, neutralising free radicals before they form during quercetin absorption. Citrus bioflavonoids further stabilise quercetin's structure and improve uptake into cells. The result: every capsule reaches full potency. NMN Bio designs every supplement for maximum efficiency — not just maximum ingredient count.
Quercetin is an antioxidant
Quercetin decreases oxidative stress due to its antioxidant properties, which are needed to reduce recovery time after training. NMN Bio's Quercetin is combined with Vitamin C, which is also an antioxidant, providing additional benefits and increasing quercetin's uptake in the body.
One cause of delayed recovery during training is oxidative stress. Quercetin is associated with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties — it acts as a scavenger for reactive oxygen species, protecting against lipid peroxidation.
A group of Italian researchers studied the effectiveness of quercetin as a means of recovery in triathletes. Non-professional triathletes were recruited to take 250 mg quercetin twice daily with breakfast and dinner. A control group followed identical training and nutritional plans. Recovery was measured using a Visual Analogue Scale, and oxidative stress was measured by checking free radicals in plasma.
The results: the supplement improved performance and endurance. Participants who took quercetin reduced their race completion time by 10%, with reduced pain following training, lower fatigue levels, better rest and decreased oxidative stress.
Quercetin for DOMS and muscle recovery
Quercetin reduces exercise-induced inflammation and muscle damage markers, shortens recovery time, and reduces delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS). This makes it relevant for anyone training hard — not just elite athletes.
DOMS — the soreness and stiffness that peaks 24–72 hours after intense exercise — is driven by inflammatory cytokines produced during muscle repair. Research shows quercetin directly suppresses key inflammatory markers, including interleukin-6 (IL-6) and C-reactive protein (CRP), both of which rise sharply after exercise-induced muscle damage.
A 2012 study in the European Journal of Applied Physiology found that quercetin supplementation significantly reduced muscle soreness and lowered circulating CRP and IL-6 levels in participants following eccentric exercise — the type that causes most DOMS. A separate meta-analysis published in the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition confirmed that quercetin supplementation reduced inflammatory biomarkers across multiple exercise studies, with the most consistent effects on IL-6 and CRP.
Mechanistically, quercetin inhibits NF-kB signalling — the master switch for inflammatory gene expression. By dampening this pathway after hard training, quercetin reduces the inflammatory cascade that causes muscle damage to persist longer than necessary. Shorter inflammation window means faster return to full training capacity.
For practical purposes: quercetin doesn't blunt the adaptation signal from training (unlike some anti-inflammatory drugs). It reduces excessive inflammation without interfering with the muscle repair process that makes you stronger. This is a meaningful distinction for anyone training consistently.
Target outcomes supported by the research: quercetin muscle soreness reduction, faster quercetin recovery between sessions, lower quercetin DOMS severity, and systemic quercetin anti-inflammatory effects that accumulate with consistent supplementation.
Quercetin and reduction in muscle damage
Studies have shown that quercetin reduces muscle damage and improves muscle strength by improving the energy supply in muscle cells and reducing post-exercise inflammation. It also enhances lean body mass, basal metabolic rate and energy needed for essential physical functions.
Quercetin shows an antioxidant effect in muscles, contributing to better muscle recovery. Intracellular mitochondria increase when the flavonoid is consumed. Mitochondria are the cell's powerhouse, and muscle cells have specialised cell membranes (sarcolemma) tightly packed with mitochondria, allowing for constant ATP supply — increasing muscle strength and decreasing soreness.
A study of 60 male athletic participants analysed the effects of quercetin on body composition, exercise performance and biomarkers. Participants were divided into four groups, each given different supplements for eight weeks while continuing their exercise and regular diets:
- Group 1: 500 mg Quercetin + 250 mg Vitamin C
- Group 2: 500 mg Quercetin + placebo pill
- Group 3: 500 mg Quercetin
- Group 4: 250 mg Vitamin C
The quercetin + Vitamin C group showed changes in lactate dehydrogenase, VO2 max, total energy expenditure, total body water and lean body mass. Lactate dehydrogenase is an enzyme that helps maintain cellular homeostasis when oxygen is absent during exercise. Other studies showed that non-athletic participants taking 500 mg of quercetin showed improved fatigue, VO2 max and endurance compared to a placebo group.
Improving muscle strength is not just a concern for athletes. Studies on quercetin and obesity show it can improve musculoskeletal atrophy — the decrease in muscle mass when protein breakdown exceeds protein synthesis. Research on mice showed quercetin inhibits inflammatory receptors and their signalling pathway, reducing the muscle mass damage caused by obesity and making it a potential treatment for muscle degradation.
Quercetin and improvement of VO2max
VO2 max (maximal oxygen consumption) is a measure of fitness, performance and longevity — specifically cardiorespiratory fitness, the maximum oxygen consumed during exercise with increasing intensity. It's measured in litres of oxygen per minute, or in athletes as millilitres of oxygen per kilogram of body mass per minute.
- Non-athlete healthy male: 35–40 mL/(kg/min)
- Non-athlete healthy female: 27–31 mL/(kg/min)
- Male runners: 85 mL/(kg/min)
- Female runners: 77 mL/(kg/min)
VO2 max varies mainly with sex, training and oxygen supply. Quercetin has been identified as a flavonoid that can increase intracellular mitochondria, which means it can help improve VO2 max. A meta-analysis of quercetin research confirmed this effect.
A study published in the International Journal of Sports Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism showed that in 12 untrained healthy participants, quercetin increased time to fatigue by 13.2% and VO2 max by 3.2%. The University of South Carolina tested this by supplementing participants with 500 mg quercetin twice daily for one week. Dr Mark Davis (University of North Carolina): "This apparent increase in fitness without exercise training may have implications beyond performance enhancement to health promotion and disease prevention."
Quercetin is not an alternative to a healthy diet and regular exercise. But it can improve endurance and recovery time — for athletes and non-athletes alike.
Quercetin stimulates the increase in mitochondria in the cells
Mitochondria are the powerhouse of the cell — the site of respiration and ATP production. In mitochondrial biogenesis, mitochondria increase in number and size, triggered by different stimuli.
Mitochondrial biogenesis during exercise is triggered by increased calcium when muscle fibres contract, resulting in increased expression of mitochondrial and nuclear genes. Quercetin mimics this process and increases mitochondria density in skeletal muscle without exercise — allowing for reduced fatigue.
In a study published in Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, 26 untrained adult males took quercetin supplements for two weeks and showed improved running performance. A study on 11 cyclists showed a 1.7% performance increase after six weeks of quercetin supplementation. A study on 26 badminton players taking 1000 mg quercetin for eight weeks showed increased time to exhaustion compared to a placebo group. The mechanisms are linked to mitochondrial biogenesis in skeletal muscles, improved redox state, reduced muscle inflammation and protection of skeletal muscle proteins.
Conclusions and main takeaways
Should athletes try Quercetin?
Definitely — and not just athletes. Quercetin provides many benefits: seasonal allergy support, cardiovascular protection, anti-ageing effects, decreased anxiety, and improved digestive function.
NMN Bio's Quercetin 250mg is formulated with Vitamin C and citrus bioflavonoids to prevent auto-oxidation during absorption — so you're actually getting the quercetin you paid for, not a pro-oxidant byproduct. The recommended dose is 500 mg daily (two capsules), taken with the first or second meal of the day. Read more about timing here.
For athletes and endurance-focused individuals, the smarter stack is quercetin paired with NMN. NMN supports NAD+ production and mitochondrial function at the cellular level; quercetin reduces the inflammation and oxidative damage that training generates. Together, they cover both sides of the performance equation — cellular energy up, inflammatory drag down. The Endurance Bundle (NMN + Quercetin) is built for exactly this.
Quercetin:
- Reduces recovery time through antioxidant and anti-inflammatory action.
- Lowers DOMS by suppressing IL-6, CRP and NF-kB-driven inflammation.
- Prevents muscle damage and reduces muscle mass loss.
- Improves endurance and VO2 max in athletes and non-athletes.
- Stimulates mitochondrial biogenesis in muscle cells.
The studies show that quercetin supplementation can improve performance without changing diets or training regimes — which is useful for athletes and non-athletes both.
Disclaimer
Nothing mentioned in this article is considered medical advice. Always consult your doctor before taking any supplements and starting a new exercise regime. Supplements do not replace a healthy diet, exercise and balanced lifestyle.
Resources and Further Reading
Athletes and recovery time:
The Importance of Recovery Time for Athletes (fvortho.com)
Quercetin:
Quercetin phytosome® in triathlon athletes: a pilot registry study - PubMed (nih.gov)
The dietary flavonoid quercetin increases VO(2max) and endurance capacity - PubMed (nih.gov)
Quercetin: Seasonal Allergy Relief and More (betternutrition.com)
Exercise and the Regulation of Adipose Tissue Metabolism - ScienceDirect
Frontiers | SIRT1 Activation by Natural Phytochemicals: An Overview | Pharmacology (frontiersin.org)
Researched and reviewed by Dr Elena Seranova, Ph.D.
Dr Seranova holds a master's degree in Translational Neuroscience from the University of Sheffield, UK, and a Ph.D in Stem Cell Biology and Autophagy from the University of Birmingham, UK. She is a published author in multiple peer-reviewed journals, including Cell Reports and Developmental Cell.
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