Can magnesium supplementation boost neuromuscular adaptations when combined with resistance training in Long COVID patients?

Resumen

Background: The novel coronavirus triggered a global pandemic in March 2020, leading to millions of fatalities worldwide. Some individuals suffer from symptoms that persist after the infection ends and this has been named Long COVID. Fatigue and muscle weakness are among the most prevalent Long COVID symptoms. Resistance training (RT) and magnesium supplementation may be feasible strategies to induce neuromuscular adaptations and rehabilitate Long COVID patients’ strength. Aim: to investigate the effect of RT and magnesium supplementation on muscle mass, strength, and functional capacity in Long COVID patients. Methods: Eight women (43.1 ± 16.3 years; 27.8 ± 8.9 kg/m2) completed a 6-weeks traditional RT (TRAD, n=4) protocol or a 6-weeks RT protocol combined with magnesium dimalate (400mg/d) supplementation (SUP, n=4). Long COVID symptoms score, handgrip strength, biceps brachialis thickness, and functional performance (timed up and go; five times sit to stand test) were assessed before and after the intervention. Repeated measures ANOVA was used to analyze within-between groups interaction. Results: The symptom score was significantly reduced after the intervention only in the SUP group (1996.9 ± 425.2 AU vs 1309.4 ± 416.4 AU, p < .05). Handgrip strength slightly increased in both groups without reaching statistical significance (+3.6% and +9.4% in TRAD and SUP, respectively, p > .05). Time spent performing the five times sit to stand test slightly decreased in both groups without reaching statistical significance (-3.7% and -3.4% in TRAD and SUP, respectively, p > .05). The timed up and go performance slightly improved only in the TRAD group (-9.4%, p > .05), whereas biceps thickness slightly increased only in the SUP group (+13.6%, p > .05). Conclusion: magnesium dimalate supplementation cannot significantly boost neuromuscular adaptations compared to RT alone. However, it can significantly reduce Long COVID symptoms score after 6 weeks of intervention.