Succinic acid supplements and exercise performance in trained people
What it found
In six small studies in trained people, some found better aerobic performance, workload and recovery markers with succinate supplements, but the one study with the strongest methods found no benefit.
Most studies were judged to have a high risk of bias.
What they found
Studies in people
Aerobic performance
Three studies reported improvements in direct performance measures, including maximal oxygen uptake, oxygen consumption, anaerobic threshold power and total work performed. One study found a 9% rise in maximal oxygen uptake and a 17% rise in anaerobic threshold power after a single dose.
Recovery markers
Two studies found changes in blood markers related to oxygen transport and antioxidant status, such as higher red blood cell counts and hemoglobin, and lower oxidative stress markers. These were not linked to measured performance improvements.
Acid-base balance
Three studies reported effects on acid-base balance during or after exercise, including better buffering against metabolic acidosis. One study found athletes could complete more work despite more pronounced acidosis.
No benefit in best study
The only study judged to have a low risk of bias found no improvement in cycling performance or recovery markers after 21 days of a multi-ingredient supplement containing 1000 mg of succinic acid per day.
Safety
Two of the six studies checked safety over up to 21 days. No adverse effects were reported and the supplements were well tolerated.
Other findings
Study quality
Five of the six studies were rated as having a high risk of bias, mainly due to unclear randomization, allocation concealment and blinding. The authors could not combine the results because the studies were too different.
What the authors conclude
“However, given that the majority of included studies were at high risk of bias and the only low-risk study reported no ergogenic effects, current evidence does not provide reliable support for performance-enhancing benefits of succinate supplementation.”
Also in their conclusions
- They say that current evidence does not provide reliable support for performance-enhancing benefits of succinate supplementation.
- They advise that well-designed randomized controlled trials using isolated succinic acid are required before conclusions about efficacy can be drawn.
- They note that the predominant use of multi-ingredient formulations makes it difficult to isolate the effects of succinic acid.
How it was done
Succinic acid is a key intermediate in energy metabolism, and succinate levels in muscle, blood and saliva change during exercise. The authors wanted to see whether supplements containing it improve exercise performance or recovery, since it is not covered by major sports nutrition guidelines.
They searched medical databases for intervention studies giving succinate-containing supplements to healthy trained people and measuring exercise performance or recovery. Six studies with 153 participants (mean age 23 years) met the criteria, using daily doses of 300 to 2040 mg for up to 21 days, or a single dose of 30 mg/kg. Most gave succinate as part of multi-ingredient products rather than alone.
What it can’t tell you
- Most of the included studies were small and had a high risk of bias, so their results may not be reliable.
- Because most supplements contained many ingredients, it is not possible to tell how much of any effect came from succinic acid alone.
- The studies were mostly from Russia and Ukraine, so the findings may not apply to other populations.
Who paid
- Funding
- Funded by Increnovo LLC (from the PubMed record).
- Conflicts
- K.J. and O.C. were employed by Banned Substances Control Group (BSCG), S.M.K. was employed by High Performance Nutrition LLC. R.J. is a co-founder of Increnovo LLC., which has no commercial involvement in succinate-based ingredients. A separate author, K.J. (not affiliated with Increnovo LLC), has filed a patent application related to the use of succinic acid in metabolic contexts (e.g., weight management/ketogenic metabolism), which is currently under review. This patent is unrelated to exercise performance or recovery outcomes evaluated in the present systematic review. The remaining authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest. The Increnovo LLC had no role in the design of the study; in the collection, analyses, or interpretation of data; in the writing of the manuscript, or in the decision to publish the results.
- Authors work at
- Jagiellonian University Medical College, Poland; Institute of Sport, Poland; Medical University of Warsaw, Poland
The paper
- Title
- The Ergogenic Potential of Succinic Acid in Exercise Performance and Post-Exercise Recovery: A Systematic Review
- Type
- Systematic review
- Evidence
- Studies in people
- Summarised from
- Full text
- Cite
- Jędrejko K, Catlin O, Jędrejko M, et al (2026). The Ergogenic Potential of Succinic Acid in Exercise Performance and Post-Exercise Recovery: A Systematic Review. Nutrients. doi:10.3390/nu18050870Free full textPubMed 41830040DOI
Summary written 26 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error