A recent scientific study has revealed that the natural chemicals and compounds found in blackcurrants may help balance the impact exercise can have on the body.
While moderate exercise is unequivocally considered to be good for the body and plays an important role in keeping both mind and body healthy, extreme exercise - such as training for marathons etc - can have its drawbacks including lowering the body’s immune defences and increasing the risk of muscle damage.
Researchers uncovered that the compounds found in blackcurrants had the potential to minimise muscle damage, modulate inflammation and even enhance the body’s natural defences against disease.
The study, led by Dr Roger Hurst at New Zealand Institute for Plant & Food Research, examined untrained subjects undergoing moderate exercise. The results showed that those who took the blackcurrant extract exhibited reduced signs of ‘oxidative stress’ and muscle damage, and modulated inflammation. It has been shown that moderate, regular exercise boosts natural immunity and in this study the changes to inflammation indicate the blackcurrant extract enhances this effect.
The positive link between blackcurrants and exercise has been previously highlighted in studies in Japan where scientists evaluated the blackcurrants’ ability to reduce inflammation in muscle groups related to sustained keyboard typing. This research flagged the potential of blackcurrants to reduce lactic acid build up in muscles during exercise.
Results have indicated that the compound responsible for providing these results is likely to be the flavonoids within blackcurrants (antioxidants including anthocyanins which give blackcurrants their brilliant black/red colour).
Dr Derek Stewart of the Scottish Crop Research Institute commented: “This initiative is exciting in that research is now starting to truly maximise the potential of blackcurrants. The study undertaken in New Zealand has generated an extremely positive response and we hope to replicate trials here in the UK very soon.”
Jo Hilditch, chairperson of the Blackcurrant Foundation in the UK, said: “For years, blackcurrants have been positioned as a premium source of Vitamin C and antioxidants and this latest research further reinforces the blackcurrant’s ‘superfruit’ status. This study is not just test tube results, it has been carried out on real human beings ensuring that the results are tangible and relevant for many people’s lifestyles.”
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