New study - biggest ever performance finding revealed

A fantastic new study (2) has revealed how CurraNZ can reliably improve running performance - by up to 38%. 

The research, published in the Nutrients Journal, repeated a 2015 University of Chichester running study (1) (7-day intake), that found 1 capsule boosted average running distance by colossal 11%. 

This time, the same group of researchers tested the effects on 2 capsules of CurraNZ on high-intensity, intermittent running, (with 7 days loading) - and whether the performance enhancements would be reproduceable across two trials. 

Researchers uncovered our biggest-ever performance finding of 16.7% in responders, with one individual improving his distance by 38% and 28% across two performance trials.

Study take-homes:

• • Half the group responded highly across both trials.
  • Their average improvement in running distance was 16.7% (328 meters).
  • Top responders saw improvements of up to 38%.
  • Overall cohort improvement was 7.9% in total running distance.

  The discovery has applications for running-based team sports that require repeated high-intensity running efforts, such as football, hockey, rugby, basketball, netball and uphill running.

  It is relevant to trained male recreational athletes, which represent the largest group of sports participants in the UK, who were accustomed to repeat sprint efforts.

  Sports nutrition practitioners have been calling for research to test the repeatability of a supplement’s performance effects, with some popular aids, such as sodium bicarbonate, showing inconsistent reproduceable effects on performance. 

  Athletes on CurraNZ were able to run several hundred meters further in high-intensity efforts across several testing sessions, demonstrating that our extract is a superbly effective and reliable performance enhancer for half the population, with two-thirds of athletes showing impressive benefits in at least one trial.

A Natural Edge for Athletes

Professor Mark Willems, who led the study at the University of Chichester, emphasized the importance of these findings: “These observations are extremely encouraging because they show that individuals who consistently respond to blackcurrant, at least with high-intensity intermittent exercise, receive a substantial performance advantage.

"Those who responded in both trials had consistently high responses — gains normally seen after two to eight weeks of repeated sprint or high-intensity interval training.”

Why Some Athletes Don’t Respond

While the results are promising, not all athletes experienced the same level of improvement. About one-third of the participants didn’t respond as strongly to the supplement. This variability is not unusual in sports nutrition, as factors such as genetics, absorption, metabolism, and overall physiology can influence how an athlete responds to certain supplements.

As Professor Willems points out, “It could be that some athletes need higher doses to see results, or they may process the blackcurrant bioactives differently. We’ve observed changes from one week to two weeks, and perhaps longer supplementation would yield different results. This is an area that requires more research.”

 References

1.     Perkins I, Vine SA, Blacker SD, Willems ME New Zealand Blackcurrant Extract Improves High-Intensity Intermittent Running.. Int J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab. 2015 Mar 26.http://dx.doi.org/10.1123/ijsnem.2015-0020

2.     Individual Responses to Repeated Dosing with Anthocyanin-Rich New Zealand Blackcurrant Extract (CurraNZ) During High-Intensity Intermittent Treadmill Running in Active Males, Nutrients 2024, 16, 4253. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu16244253