A new study will explore how different supplements interact in the human body during exercise.
Athletes of all levels often take multiple supplements to boost performance, recovery or endurance. While much is known about how individual supplements work, less is understood about how they affect each other when taken together.
This new research, led by Dr Matthew Cook at the University of Worcester, builds on his earlier findings that showed people can increase their use of fat for energy during exercise by taking New Zealand blackcurrant extract.
Dr Cook explained: “Now we’re keen to see how the body reacts when carbohydrate supplements are taken alongside the blackcurrants. Carbohydrate and fat provide energy for exercise, and the amount of carbohydrate used might change when combining blackcurrant and carbohydrate during exercise.”
He continued: “We’re also interested in answering if it will work the same in men and women, or if there are other factors that mean certain people benefit more than others. These are questions we’re hoping to answer.”
The study aims to help athletes and active individuals better understand how to combine supplements for optimum performance, and whether certain combinations might enhance or reduce the benefits of each.
The use of carbohydrate and fat for energy during exercise is tightly controlled by the body, and is influenced by the intensity of the exercise.
Dr Cook explained: “It’s possible that consuming the carbohydrate during the exercise may reduce or cancel the increase in fat seen from the blackcurrant. Despite what we find, it always generates more questions than answers and leads us to undertake more experiments and research.”
He added: “There are so many exciting directions we can go, in the hope we can benefit as many people as possible.”
Dr Cook’s studies have previously found that blackcurrant could increase the amount of fat being used during 120-minutes of moderate intensity cycling by more than 20%.
For more information on the health and exercise performance effects from blackcurrant, you can read this post on the University of Worcester’s blog.
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