Plant-Derived Whole Foods and Food-Based Supplements on Post-Exercise Recovery in Physically Active Individuals: A Systematic Review of Human Intervention Trials.

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Post-exercise recovery is essential for maintaining training quality and subsequent performance. Plant-derived whole foods and food-based supplements may support recovery through antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, vascular, and metabolic mechanisms; however, the available evidence remains heterogeneous. This systematic review evaluated their effects on muscle soreness, muscle-function recovery, physical performance, and physiological responses in physically active individuals. METHODS: PubMed, Scopus, Embase, and Web of Science were searched for English-language human intervention studies published between 2016 and 2026. Eligible studies included physically active participants aged ≥ 14 years receiving plant-derived whole foods or food-based supplements, with outcomes related to post-exercise recovery. Findings were synthesized narratively because substantial heterogeneity in participants, exercise protocols, interventions, doses, timing, comparators, and outcome measures precluded meta-analysis. Risk of bias was assessed using the Cochrane RoB 2 tool for randomized trials and ROBINS-I for the non-randomized intervention study. RESULTS: Thirty-six human intervention studies were included. Interventions comprised polyphenol-rich products such as tart cherry, pomegranate, berries, grape, and anthocyanin-rich juices; nitrate- or citrulline-rich foods such as beetroot and watermelon; and other plant-derived products including banana, honey, mango, chicory, and oat-based foods. Reductions in perceived muscle soreness or delayed-onset muscle soreness were reported in several studies, particularly within 24-72 h after exercise; however, these findings were not uniform across interventions and study designs. Considerable variation in product form, bioactive composition, dose, supplementation duration, timing, dietary control, and adverse-event reporting limited direct comparisons. Among the 35 randomized trials assessed using RoB 2, 11 were judged to have a low overall risk of bias and 24 raised some concerns; none was judged to have a high overall risk of bias. The non-randomized study was assessed separately using ROBINS-I and was judged to have a serious overall risk of bias. CONCLUSIONS: Plant-derived whole foods and food-based supplements may support selected aspects of post-exercise recovery, particularly perceived muscle soreness. However, current evidence does not establish consistent benefits for muscle-function recovery, subsequent performance, or biochemical outcomes, and no specific intervention, dose, or timing strategy can yet be recommended based on the currently available evidence.