Curcumin for sports nutrition
Curcumin has been one of the success stories of the dietary supplement sector over the last couple of years, with much of the growth driven by compelling science.
The list of potential benefits may include pain reduction, putting the ingredient in contention for use in sports nutrition products.
Scientists from SportsMed Canterbury (New Zealand), Massey University (NZ), the Australian Institute of Sport in Canberra reported that supplements of curcumin may reduce pain associated with exercise, and could perhaps boost performance.
Writing in the European Journal of Applied Physiology the researchers noted that five grams per day of curcumin were associated with a reduction in pain associated with delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS). The supplements were also associated with reduced levels of a blood marker for muscle damage, and a suggestion of reduced systemic inflammation.
“These findings provide the first empirical evidence to support the possibility of using curcumin to prevent and combat DOMS associated with heavy exercise,” wrote the researchers, led by David Rowlands, PhD, Director of the Exercise Physiology Lab and Metabolic and Microvascular Research Group in the School of Sport and Exercise at Massey University.
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