2.7. Statistical Analysis
Analyses were performed per protocol using SPSS Inc., Chicago, USA, version 24, and Graphpad PRISM 8.0 software (Graphpad Software, San Diego, CA, USA). The normality assessment was determined by Shapiro–Wilk tests, scatterplots, and histograms. If normality was violated, continuous variables were transformed by natural logarithm. Descriptive statistics are presented as means ± standard deviations (SD)s, frequencies (percentages), or as median (interquartile ranges (IQRs)) if the distribution was skewed. The effectiveness of the carnosine compared to the placebo on the outcomes (between-group differences) was analyzed through changes in outcome variables and analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) in which baseline values were controlled, and within-group differences were assessed by paired 