Runner's World

014 RUNNERSWORLD.CO.UK JUNE 2018

WORDS: RICK PEARSON. PHOT

OGRAPH: GETTY IMAGES 1. UNIVERSITY OF CHICES

TER 2. NUTRIENTS JUNE 20

17 3. CELL METABOLISM

WHEN ‘SUPERFRUITS’ are
mentioned blueberries tend to
grab the headlines. But it’s time
we talked about another B-word:
blackcurrants. Scientists are inding
that adding these nutritional pocket
rockets to your diet can result in
some remarkable beneits – from
speeding up recovery to burning
fat to enhancing performance.
That’s largely thanks to the fact
blackcurrants are loaded with
anthocyanins which can increase
blood low by up to 35 per cent.
This in turn results in increased
haemoglobin and improved oxygen
uptake and utilisation during
exercise. They taste good too.

CURRANT AFFAIRS

Blackcurrants can speed up recovery burn fat and boost performance

FRUIT FORWARD

Blackcurrants

are big hitters

TEN

QUALITY CONTROL

When it comes to weight loss

it’s the quality of what you eat not

the quantity that counts. A new

study published in the Journal of

the American Medical Association

found those who cut back on

processed foods added sugar and

reined grains while still eating lots

of vegetables and whole foods

lost signiicant amounts of weight

over 12 months. Interestingly the

strategy worked for people whether

they followed diets that were either

mostly low in fat or in carbs. The

indings suggest that concentrating

on the quality of food – rather than

counting calories or worrying about

portion size – is what helps people

to lose and better manage their

weight in the long run.

Number of hours in

which you should

consume your daily

food – rather than

the more common

15 hours – to optimise

weight loss.^3

Speed up

recovery

A dose of

blackcurrant

extract could

help to speed up

your recovery. A

study^1 found that

lactate clearance

was greater in

64 per cent of

participants

who had taken

blackcurrant

extract before

a high-intensity

interval session.

Burn off

the fat

A study by

the University

of Chichester

into the efects

of CurraNZ

blackcurrant

supplement

found that

it led to a

15-27 per cent

increase in fat

oxidation at low

and moderate

exercise

intensities.

Boost your

performance

Another study^2

found that taking

blackcurrant

extract triggered

a 6.9 to 8.2 per

cent increase

in the diameter

of the femoral

artery resulting

in a 20-35 per

cent increase

in blood low.

Enhanced

blood low

means muscles

experience

less fatigue

leading to better

performance.

BLACK FOR GOOD

CurraNZ blackcurrant

extract capsules

(£21.75 for 30 capsules

curranz.com) are 100 per

cent natural and have

been shown to trigger

increases in running

performance fat burning

and rates of recovery.

Each capsule contains

the equivalent of

83 blackcurrants.

Try this