Background: It is suggested that quercetin has anti-inflammatory properties and can improve endurance performance, but study results are contradictory especially in human models. Therefore, the purpose of the present study was to evaluate the effect of quercetin supplementation on TNF-a, lactate and immune cell responses after one session of exhausting swimming. Methods: 20 trained (at least 3 years` history of swimming training) female adolescent swimmers with average age of 15.1 ± 0.21 yrs and BMI, 21.05 ± 2.3 kg/m2 were divided in two groups including placebo (n = 10) and quercetin (n = 10) groups. Participants in the quercetin group consumed 1000 mg of quercetin supplement daily for two weeks. After two weeks, all participants took part in one exercise session as swimming with 80 - 85 percent of maximum heart rate until exhaustion. Blood samples were collected at three times (baseline, pre and immediately after exercise) and TNF-a was measured by ELISA method. data were analyzed by SPSS-24 software using repeated-measures ANOVA and paired sample t-test. P < 0.05 was considered as significant difference. Results: Results indicated that immediately after exercise, TNF-a response was significantly lower in quercetin compared to placebo group (P = 001). Lactate immediately after exercise increased in two groups (P = 001) but the difference between two groups was not significant (P > 0.05). Moreover, the quercetin supplement caused change in immune cell response in which the difference in leukocytes and monocytes were significant (P < 0.05) compared to placebo group. Conclusions: It seems that quercetin can exert anti-inflammatory function after exhausting swimming. Therefore, quercetin can be consumed by athletes to attenuate exercise-induced inflammation.
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