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Performance and Side Effects of Supplementation with N-Acetylcysteine: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Kate Rhodes, Andrea Braakhuis
Sports Med 2017 47(8):1619-1636

Bibliography

PubMed
PMID 28102488
DOI
10.1007/s40279-017-0677-3
Funding
Funding disclosure was not located in the indexed record reviewed; consult the source publication for the full funding statement.
Competing interests
Competing-interest disclosure was not located in the indexed record reviewed; consult the source publication for the full declaration.

Study snapshot

DesignSystematic review and meta-analysis
ModelHuman
Sample7 performance studies and 17 side-effect studies
InterventionNAC supplementation across varied doses and exercise protocols
DurationVaried
EndpointsExercise performance; Adverse effects

What the study showed, in plain terms

Systematic review and meta-analysis evaluating whether NAC meaningfully improves exercise performance and whether side effects increase.

Key findings

The pooled performance effect was very small and uncertain, and the authors concluded that NAC could not be recommended for performance on the available evidence.

What this study can and cannot tell us

Marked heterogeneity in dose, route, exercise protocol and outcome reporting; many studies were small.

Editorial review

Reviewed by the Biohack Blueprint research team

Last verified

Dr. Khaled Mahmoud, MBBChCritical Care Medicine, Longevity Science & Editorial Direction Dr. Amr Yasser, PhDCardiometabolic, Musculoskeletal, Gut & Bioavailability Dr. Abdulla Mostafa, PhDCellular Senescence, Neurological, Mitochondrial & Brain-Ageing Biology