News in Brief
Polyphenol blend available to European sports nutrition players
The blend of curcuminoid and ellagitannins - the bioactive polyphenol present in pomegranate - was created to tap into the expanding market of weekend warriors looking for nutritional solutions to reduce inflammation, aid recovery and support immunity during endurance training.
Restoridyn is the newest in a range of ingredients - including Longvida optimized curcumin, pomella pomegranate extract, WokVel boswellia extract and Bacognize bacopa extract - now offered through LEHVOSS for customers in Europe.
Teresita Rudà, marketing manager at LEHVOSS Nutrition, said: "Through our partnership with Verdure Sciences, we are very pleased to launch Restoridyn to meet the needs of many food supplement brands in the increasingly popular sports nutrition market. This ingredient offers so many benefits for our customers with clinical research support and third-party verification that further benefits our customers in their finished product solutions.”
The firm claims the blend highlights the antioxidant capabilities of the ellagitannins and the adaptogenic properties of the curcuminoids.
Polyphenols for sports nutrition
Curcumin and the curcuminoids found in turmeric can be extracted to produce supplements that have a much higher potency than turmeric. However, curcumin is absorbed poorly during digestion, so a myriad of different formulations have been created to improve its bioavailability.
Supplementation of curcumin reliably reduces markers of inflammation and increases the levels of endogenous antioxidants in the body. More research is needed for many areas of health, but what research there is supports a small to moderate improvement in the symptoms of depression and anxiety, and pain and function in osteoarthritis. A reduction in LDL-cholesterol, blood glucose and blood pressure is possible, but the research is less consistent and more is needed.
Ellagitannins, ellagic acid, and their metabolites have been reported to exhibit numerous beneficial effects on human health including anti-inflammatory, anticancer, antioxidant, prebiotic, and cardioprotective properties.
Researchers from the Institute of Plant Biotechnology, the Hospital General Universitario Santa Lucı́a, and the Catholic University of Murcia, in Spain, have reported that a combination of watermelon and pomegranate juice enriched with citrulline and ellagitannins produced beneficial effects regarding metabolism and performance.
The report, published in Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, states: “[A] unique dose of 200 mL of watermelon juice enrichment with citrulline (3.3 g per 200 mL) showed an ergogenic effect, which was improved with ellagitannins supplementation (22.0 mg per 200 mL) from pomegranate fruit concentrate.
“These functional juices have shown a benefit in athletes, increasing the average peak force around 3% and reducing around 5 times the decrease in peak torque. Moreover, the subjective [rating of perceived exertion (RPE)] and muscle soreness were lower than with placebo in enrichment juices.
“At the same time, levels of some biochemical markers associated with muscle damage such as [lactate dehydrogenase], myoglobin, uric acid, and urea were maintained. These kinds of beverages could be useful also in workers that need an extra physical effort. The promising results should take into account the synergic effect of the natural fruit drink matrix.”
