Why CurraNZ is a reliable and powerful performance enhancer

Research has shown CurraNZ is a reliable performance enhancer. A British study¹ looked at whether individuals would experience a variation of responses with repeated intake of CurraNZ, which is common with most sports supplements.

Active males performed a high-intensity, intermittent treadmill running test following seven days intake of CurraNZ extract (600mg) or placebo across five testing sessions.

The study found that the supplement consistently enhanced running performance on repeated occasions after consuming for a week. In fact, 38% of participants were consistently high responders, demonstrating improvements of up to 37.8%.

Some of the research respondents (38%) also improved their total distance from 8.3% to 37.8% across both blackcurrant trials.

56% of study respondents improved their total distance by at least 7.9% in at least one trial. Blackcurrant responders improved their average total running distance by 262m-394m and improved their average sprint distance by 116m-265m.

56% of the participants consistently enhanced their performance on blackcurrant when repeatedly tested in the randomized trials.

The outcome suggests that blackcurrant can be effective for individuals looking to consistently and repeatedly improve their performance in sports characterised by high-intensity intermittent running.

Further CurraNZ studies in running and cycling models back this up^2,3,4,5,6,7.

One of the hallmark properties of the CurraNZ bioactives, the anthocyanins, is their considerable vasodilatory effects. Studies have shown the supplement widens main arterial diameter 6.9%-8.2%, delivering to up to 45% improvements in blood flow^7,8.

Researchers have also observed that quadricep muscles demonstrate 11%-16% less activity, indicating the muscle worked to the same intensity, but with reduced effort⁷.

Additionally, researchers have observed CurraNZ-induced increases to cardiac output (28%), heart stroke volume (18%) and enhanced utilisation and uptake of oxygen in muscle^2,11 (38%).

Researchers have observed a cumulative effect of dosing with blackcurrant extract, showing changes in main arterial blood flow after four days (25%), but even greater responses (45%) at seven days⁸. 

References

1. Intra-individual Responses to New Zealand Blackcurrant Extract During High-Intensity, Intermittent Running: A Repeat Response Study. IJSNEM Vol. 29, Suppl 1, 2019 S1-11
2. New Zealand Blackcurrant Improves Performance and Fat Oxidation in Cyclists, Willems ME1, Myers SD, Blacker S, Cook MD. European Journal of Applied Physiology, 2015 June 30. DOI 10.1007/s00421-015-3215-8
3. Beneficial Effects of New Zealand Blackcurrant Extract on Maximal Sprint Speed during the Loughborough Intermittent Shuttle Test. Sports, Published August 2016, 4(3), 42; doi:10.3390/sports4030042 doi:10.3390/sports4030042
4. New Zealand Blackcurrant Extract Improves High-Intensity Intermittent Running. J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab. 2015 Mar 26.http://dx.doi.org/10.1123/ijsnem.2015-0020
5. Beneficial Physiological Effects with Blackcurrant Intake in Endurance Athletes, International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism, 2015, http://dx.doi.org/10.1123/ijsnem.2014-0233
6. Effect of New Zealand Blackcurrant Extract on Performance during the Running Based Anaerobic Sprint Test in Trained Youth and Recreationally Active Male Football Players. https://doi.org/10.3390/sports5030069
7. Effects of New Zealand Blackcurrant Extract on Sequential Performance Testing in Male Rugby Union Players, 2022, Sports https://doi.org/10.3390/sports10100152
8. New Zealand Blackcurrant Alters Physiological Reponses and Femoral Artery Diameter during Sustained Isometric Contraction. June 2017 Nutrients 2017, 9(6), 556; doi:10.3390/nu9060556
9. Effect of Intake Duration of Anthocyanin-rich New Zealand Blackcurrant Extract on Cardiovascular Responses and Femoral Artery Diameter during Sustained Submaximal Isometric Contraction, Journal of Dietary Supplements, 2021, https://doi.org/10.1080/19390211.2021.1948943
10. Cardiovascular function during Supine Rest in Endurance-Trained Males with New Zealand Blackcurrant: A Dose-Response Study. Eur J Appl Physiol (2017) 117:247–254DOI 10.1007/s00421-016-3512-x
11. New Zealand Blackcurrant Extract Enhances Forearm Muscle Oxygenation During and Following Isolated Exhaustive Forearm Exercise in Intermediate-Level Rock Climbers,. International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism. https://doi.org/10.1123/ijsnem.2019-0365