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Does Royal Jelly Have a Positive Effect on Fatigue? What 1 Study Shows

ローヤルゼリー · royal jelly · Last updated:

hintl editorial team / Nutrition Desk

Nutrition genre desk — research review

蜂の巣(ハニカム構造)のクローズアップ
Research data last updated: |How this works

Key points

There are positive reports, but the evidence in humans is still limited.

For fatigue · 1 study · 20 participants

hintl Evidence Score 39/100 (1 study, confidence low).

Evidence at a glance

How does royal jelly affect fatigue?

reported, but evidence is limited
39/100 Evidence ScoreConfidence: low1 study1 RCT
How the 39 is built
Study design base
randomized controlled trial
+30/40
RCT bonus
1 RCT
+5/15
Study count bonus
1 study
+2/10
Participants bonus
Total 20 participants
+2/20
Consistency bonus
needs 2+ human studies
0/10

Scoring method

There are positive reports, but the evidence in humans is still limited.

  • 1 human study (20 participants total)
  • Still unknown: few studies so far; few longer-duration studies

  • There are reports that taking royal jelly may have a positive effect on indicators related to exercise-induced fatigue.
  • The evidence score is 39, and the reliability is considered low (limited).
  • This is information relevant to people who engage in intense training.

Royal jelly is one of the ingredients considered for intake.

It is generally used in the context of being taken in combination with other nutrients.

It has been suggested that taking royal jelly may have some effect on indicators of post-exercise fatigue. In other words, these are research findings on the response when the body is placed under physical load.

This study was conducted on 20 high-level swimmers (swimmers with advanced skill). Because the number of participants was limited, this is classified as a pilot trial (a small-scale attempt carried out to check the validity and feasibility of a plan before conducting a full-scale, large study). In other words, it cannot yet be said that this has been verified in a large number of people.

The study examined how the ingredients royal jelly and coenzyme Q10 act. This experiment was conducted as a randomized controlled trial (a method in which participants are randomly divided into groups to compare the effect of a specific ingredient). In other words, this is an attempt to confirm the result while minimizing bias caused by chance.

This is a study that looked closely at changes in the body's state after intense exercise. Specifically, it targeted high-intensity interval training (training that applies a very strong load for a short time). In other words, it looked at a response in a situation with a greater physical burden than everyday light exercise.

What was measured were indicators related to muscle damage and oxidative stress. Oxidative stress here (a state of cellular damage caused by reactive oxygen species and similar factors in the body) is known to change with intense exercise. In other words, this quantified and examined the internal damage to the body caused by exercise.

From a technical standpoint, the study focused on changes in biomarkers (substances that serve as indicators of the body's condition) found in blood and saliva. There is only 1 study, and it should be noted that the resulting findings are limited. In other words, this result alone does not clarify everything.

The evidence score for this study is 39, and the reliability of the information is considered low (limited). This indicates that this report is still at a stage where it cannot be described as certain. In other words, verification through further investigation in the future is still awaited.

One reason given for this is that the study involved a small number of 20 participants. In addition, this result is based on only 1 report. For this reason, not everyone will necessarily experience the same change, and it may not suit some people. In other words, it is premature to judge the effect based on this data alone.

The research mentions a role in suppressing lipid peroxidation (a phenomenon in which lipids that make up cell membranes and similar structures are oxidized and damaged) and muscle damage. The possible involvement of such mechanisms has been suggested, but a definite conclusion has not yet been reached. In other words, this is at the stage of showing a theoretical possibility.

Based on the content of this research, taking royal jelly does not necessarily produce the same effect in everyone. The change felt may differ depending on constitution and type of exercise. In other words, it is important to check whether it suits you.

In addition, this study looked at a response under specific conditions. This is only a report on cases involving intense exercise, such as that undertaken by swimmers. It is therefore thought that results would differ at a general activity level. In other words, an interpretation suited to the situation is required.

StudyDesignNumber of ParticipantsDurationMain Result
Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition (2022, PMID:35813842)Randomized controlled trial (RCT)20UnknownA positive effect was reported

20 high-level swimmers were the subjects of this study.

Because this research targeted people with a high level of athletic ability, please use it as a reference material for comparing with your own situation.

This report is based on 1 study.

The study design used is a pilot trial employing a randomized controlled trial (RCT).

For this reason, the reliability of the results is reported as limited.

What effect has royal jelly been suggested to have on fatigue?

There is a study reporting that royal jelly has a positive effect on fatigue. This result is based on a study conducted under specific exercise conditions.

Who were the participants in this royal jelly study?

20 high-level swimmers were the participants. The study was related to exercise performance.

How reliable is this royal jelly research data?

There is 1 study. For this reason, the reliability of the results is described as limited.

There are reports that taking royal jelly may have a positive effect on indicators of fatigue associated with intense exercise. On the other hand, this finding comes from a single study with a small number of 20 participants, and the reliability can be described as limited. Further research is still awaited to provide more certain information.

We recommend first reviewing your current condition with the self-check diagnostic.

References

This page's evaluation is based on the following peer-reviewed studies (1). Each link goes directly to the primary source (PubMed / DOI).

  1. Royal jelly plus coenzyme Q10 supplementation improves high-intensity interval exercise performance via changes in plasmatic and salivary biomarkers of oxidative stress and muscle damage in swimmers: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled pilot trial.randomized controlled trial (RCT) · Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition · 2022

Things to keep in mind

  • The amount and quality of research is still limited, so the findings are not conclusive.
  • Supplements are not medicines. If you have a medical condition, are pregnant, or take medication, check with your doctor or pharmacist.

Related items

Evidence Scores are computed mechanically from the published research (PubMed / Semantic Scholar / OpenAlex): study design, participant numbers, and consistency across studies. An LLM is used only to extract study data, never to decide a score.

This is research-based information, not medical advice, and not a diagnosis. Consult a qualified professional about your own situation.

How the Evidence Score is calculated

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hintl editorial team / Nutrition Desk

Nutrition genre desk — research review

We continuously check the published research and translate the technical language into plain terms. The policy is to report a trend in the research, never a flat claim that something "works".

This article was produced by an editorial system from published research and is managed by the editor-in-responsibility (Takuya Hirata, representative of AJARA LLC).