Dosing discovery: Study reveals impressive effects in race-ready ultra-endurance athlete

The University of Chichester (UK) has done it again with another breakthrough discovery on CurraNZ to help inform dosing strategies for active people and super-fit athletes.

Professor Mark Willems and his team have found one 1200mg dose of our unique supplement can lower exercise-related fatigue factors by a staggering 40% during long-duration cycling, in a first-ever case study of its kind¹.

The pilot test case study, on a competition-ready Ironman athlete, found CurraNZ® also lowered the endurance athlete’s heart rate by ten beats per minute AND the level of perceived exertion during four hours of constant-power cycling.

This is the first study to show how the acute, adaptive power of four capsules of CurraNZ can dramatically influence factors that underpin performance in highly trained endurance athletes.

First-ever test assessing effects of four capsules 

Earlier cohort studies have shown CurraNZ, can improve high-intensity, repeated sprinting performance up to an impressive 11% after 7-days intake of one-two capsules (300mg-600mg) ^2-10.

This is the first dataset to test the effects of a dietary performance aid on an Ironman athlete close to competition, and the first time investigating the one-off effects of 1200mg of CurraNZ in a super-fit endurance athlete.

Professor Willems (left), says, “this is an exciting step forward in our understanding of blackcurrant.

“We were delighted to be able to test this athlete three weeks before Ironman Barcelona in 2023 – it isn’t often we can access these athletes.

"He already had a high degree of training adaptations required to complete Ironman - so we certainly weren’t expecting to see these outcomes.

“Here, blackcurrant has really moved the needle on key factors related to performance in a race-fit Ironman triathlete.

"While we didn’t test performance, these outcomes show the supplement may be beneficial for competition - it is very exciting, unique and novel.

“Interestingly, this individual was a volunteer in earlier blackcurrant performance studies that used lower doses and he wasn’t a clear responder. While things change over time, it suggests that perhaps one dose of four capsules of extract really hits the ‘sweet spot’.”

LATER THIS MONTH: Read the follow-up interview with blackcurrant researcher Professor Willems, who delves into the study in greater detail - and why the finding is causing a stir.

Reference

1. Beneficial physiological and metabolic effects with acute intake of New Zealand blackcurrant extract during 4h of indoor cycling in a male Ironman athlete: A case study, M Willems, T Spurr, J Lacey, A Briggs, J. Funct. Morphol. Kinesiol. 2024, 9(3), 141; https://doi.org/10.3390/jfmk9030141