Consumption of New Zealand Blackcurrant Extract Improves Recovery from Exercise-Induced Muscle Damage in Non-Resistance Trained Men and Women: A Double-Blind Randomised Trial.

BACKGROUND: Blackcurrant is rich in anthocyanins that may protect against exercise-induced muscle damage (EIMD) and facilitate a faster recovery of muscle function. We examined the effects of New Zealand blackcurrant (NZBC) extract on indices of muscle damage and recovery following a bout of strenuous isokinetic resistance exercise. METHODS: Using a double-blind, randomised, placebo controlled, parallel design, twenty-seven healthy participants received either a 3 g·day-1 NZBC extract (n = 14) or the placebo (PLA) (n = 13) for 8 days prior to and 4 days following 60 strenuous concentric and eccentric contractions of the biceps brachii muscle on an isokinetic dynamometer. Muscle soreness (using a visual analogue scale), maximal voluntary contraction (MVC), range of motion (ROM) and blood creatine kinase (CK) were assessed before (0 h) and after (24, 48, 72 and 96 h) exercise. RESULTS: Consumption of NZBC extract resulted in faster recovery of baseline MVC (p = 0.04), attenuated muscle soreness at 24 h (NZBC: 21 ± 10 mm vs. PLA: 40 ± 23 mm, p = 0.02) and 48 h (NZBC: 22 ± 17 vs. PLA: 44 ± 26 mm, p = 0.03) and serum CK concentration at 96 h (NZBC: 635 ± 921 UL vs. PLA: 4021 ± 4319 UL, p = 0.04) following EIMD. CONCLUSIONS: Consumption of NZBC extract prior to and following a bout of eccentric exercise attenuates muscle damage and improves functional recovery. These findings are of practical importance in recreationally active and potentially athletic populations, who may benefit from accelerated recovery following EIMD.

Short-Communication: Ingestion of a Nucleotide-Rich Mixed Meal Increases Serum Uric Acid Concentrations but Does Not Affect Postprandial Blood Glucose or Serum Insulin Responses in Young Adults.

Circulating uric acid concentrations have been linked to various metabolic diseases. Consumption of large boluses of nucleotides increases serum uric acid concentrations. We investigated the effect of a nucleotide-rich mixed meal on postprandial circulating uric acid, glucose, and insulin responses. Ten healthy adults participated in a randomised, controlled, double-blind, crossover trial in which they consumed a mixed-meal containing either nucleotide-depleted mycoprotein (L-NU) or high-nucleotide mycoprotein (H-NU) on two separate visits. Blood samples were collected in the postabsorptive state and throughout a 24 h postprandial period, and were used to determine circulating uric acid, glucose, and insulin concentrations. Mixed meal ingestion had divergent effects on serum uric acid concentrations across conditions (time x condition interaction; P < 0.001), with L-NU decreasing transiently (from 45 to 240 min postprandially) by ~7% (from 279 ± 16 to 257 ± 14 µmol·L-1) and H-NU resulting in a ~12% increase (from 284 ± 13 to 319 ± 12 µmol·L-1 after 210 min), remaining elevated for 12 h and returning to baseline concentrations after 24 h. There were no differences between conditions in blood glucose or serum insulin responses, nor in indices of insulin sensitivity. The ingestion of a nucleotide-rich mixed-meal increases serum uric acid concentrations for ~12 h, but does not influence postprandial blood glucose or serum insulin concentrations.