The effects of Hesperidin on exercise performance - New publication from BioActor in collaboration with Maastricht University
The effects of Hesperidin on exercise performance – New publication from BioActor in collaboration with Maastricht University
Press release
The review recently published in Nutrients was conducted by BioActor in collaboration with Maastricht University and examined the potential mechanisms through which hesperidin can improve exercise performance.
A review on hesperidin and exercise performance
Nutrients, a leading peer-reviewed scientific journal of human nutrition, has recently published a review about hesperidin’s effect on exercise performance. The research was conducted by M. Imperatrice, a clinical researcher at BioActor, in collaboration with the Maastricht University’s Department of Human Biology.
This review collects the results of randomized controlled trials (RTCs), animal studies, and in vitro studies providing more evidence on how hesperidin, a flavanone abundantly present in citrus fruits, could lead to enhancement in exercise performance.
According to the review’s results, hesperidin is able to improve endothelial function (via increased NO availability), inhibit ROS production, decrease production and plasma levels of pro-inflammatory markers, and improve anaerobic exercise outcomes (e.g. power, speed, energy).
“We are really proud to share the results collected in our review about the potential mechanisms linking hesperidin to enhanced anaerobic performance, namely improved endothelial function, reduced exercise-induced oxidative stress, and inflammation. For elite and recreational athletes, hesperidin could be a promising food supplement to optimize the oxygen and nutrient supplies of the muscles, stimulate muscle contraction, and enhance muscle recovery between training sessions. The ergogenic effects that hesperidin can bring to the spectrum of improved exercise performance are promising and should be investigated further. With our “Actiful 2” ongoing Clinical Study, we are going to deepen this knowledge by investigating both the effects of hesperidin supplementation on endurance exercise and on changes in intramuscular markers via skeletal muscle biopsies.” said M. Imperatrice.
BioActor’s interest in hesperidin has resulted in the development of two active ingredients. The first ingredient branded under the name WATTS’UP® and targeting sports performance has already been tested in two randomized placebo-controlled clinical trials, one with highly trained athletes and one with moderately trained subjects. The second ingredient goes under the name Actiful® and targets energy and vitality. This ingredient has already been tested in randomized placebo-controlled clinical trials, in elderly subjects, showing physical and mental benefits.
About BioActor
BioActor, based at the Maastricht Health Campus, Netherlands, is a life science company that has developed a range of proprietary bioactive ingredients for the nutrition & consumer health industries. The company focuses on the development of plant-based health ingredients for active living and healthy ageing. The goal is to provide the nutrition & consumer health industries with clinically tested innovations that confer a real health benefit to the consumer.
Feel free to contact BioActor via info@bioactor.com for more information on the possibilities WATTS’UP® and Actiful® have to offer.
Further information can be found on: www.wattsup.eu, www.actiful.eu and www.bioactor.com
Why is bone health important and how does it work? (functions, bone metabolism and influencing factors)
Why is bone health important and how does it work? (functions, bone metabolism and influencing factors)
Our bones play various key functions for our bodies, and it is therefore important to maintain their health. To do so, it is essential to understand how our bones work and what factors affect bone health. Bone metabolism is a lifelong occurring process where bone tissue is turned over from mature to new bone tissue. This process keeps your bones healthy and their health is influenced by several aspects, such as age, gender, family history and several risk factors such as tobacco use, physical inactivity and diet.
Bone health, menopause, and dietary supplements
Menopause is the permanent cessation of menstruation naturally occurring in females at an average age of 51 [1].
Importantly, menopause leads to a decrease in estrogen levels and consequently increases bone loss. Estrogen is a hormone responsible for menstruation and known to have protective effects on bone loss and reduce inflammation.
Bone tissue in women is generally thinner than in men, and bone density has been reported to markedly decrease after menopause (post-menopause). Women can lose up to 20% of their bone density in just 5-7 years due to these hormonal shifts and experience increased joint pain [2].
The rise in use of dietary supplements, especially by post-menopausal women, who are at risk of bone loss, is growing tremendously as advances in research are made, and the benefits of multiple natural ingredients are proven [3]. For example, Bonolive®, an olive leaf extract that reduces menopausal symptoms.
How does bone metabolism work?
Bone metabolism, also known as bone remodelling, is a lifelong process where bone tissue is turned over from mature to new bone tissue. Bone resorption is the process where mature bone tissue is removed by osteoclasts and ossification is the formation of new bone tissue executed by osteoblasts [4]. These processes are responsible for replacing and reshaping bone following injuries such as fractures, but also micro-damage occurring during normal activity.
In the early stages of life, nearly 100% of the skeleton is replaced, due to the bones needing to develop, lengthen and grow. While in adults, bone remodelling proceeds at about 10% yearly [5].
For as long as bone growth is greater than bone breakdown, adults can maintain healthy bones. Many living cells within bone originate from the same mesenchymal stem cell. These mesenchymal stem cells can differentiate into the various cell types present in bone, such as osteoblasts (bone-building cells), adipocytes (fat cells) and chondrocytes (cartilage) [6].
However, due to stress, inflammation and ageing, this differentiation shifts towards producing more fat cells and fewer osteoblasts, resulting in more brittle and fatty bones [7]. Usually, bone mass starts to decline at the age of 40 as bone loss overtakes the speed of bone growth [8].
Fortunately, there are factors at play that we have control over to mitigate this bone loss.
What are the factors influencing bone health?
Although both our genes and the environment influence bone health, there is only one we have control over. Our genes, for example, determine whether signalling errors occur and lead to birth defects, while extrinsic factors, such as lifestyle and diet, are crucial for optimising and maintaining bone health. Bone loss, also referred to as osteoporosis, affects people of all different ages and backgrounds. However, other intrinsic factors that are out of our control include:
• Age: naturally as we grow older, our bone mass and strength decrease. This is mainly due to decreased osteoblast activity and an increase in osteoblast apoptosis, while inflammation increases [9,10].
• Gender: osteoporosis is four times more common in women than men [11].
• Body frame size: people with small body frames tend to have a higher risk of bone loss as they have less bone mass to draw from as they age.
• Family history: having a parent or sibling with osteoporosis puts you at greater risk.
Fortunately, however, we do have the ability to modify extrinsic factors such as physical activity, diet choices and lifestyle choices. Here is how they can disturb bone health:
• Tobacco use: smoking contributes to weak bones by disturbing the balance of bone turnover negatively.
• Physical inactivity: just like muscles, bones get stronger by exercising them. Resistance exercise and weight-bearing exercise help with this.
• Alcohol use: alcohol interferes with the calcium balance and affects the production of hormones, linking chronic alcohol intake to an increase in bone fractures and falls.
• Diet: foods high in calcium, and vitamin D such as dairy products and green leafy vegetables should be consumed in sufficient quantities to support the maintenance of bone health [12]. Additionally, polyphenols such as oleuropein can help mitigate bone loss, especially with age, through their anti-oxidative effects reducing inflammation [13].
If you want to know more about the crucial nutrients for bone health, click here and read our article on the 8 best ingredients.
New Open Label Study: Brainberry® shows cognitive and performance benefits in professional basketball players.
New open-label study: Brainberry® shows cognitive and performance benefits in professional basketball players.
Press release
BioActor recruited 35 professional Greek male and female basketball players to assess their cognitive and basketball-specific skills after an acute and one-week intake of Brainberry®. Notably, cognitive performance linked to focus, reaction time and hand-eye coordination improved acutely and following a one-week intake. Also, basketball-specific skills like shooting, rebounding and dribbling improved significantly, underlining the ability of Brainberry® to benefit sports performance.
Open-label study in professional basketball players
According to the F.I.B.A. (Fédération Internationale de Basketball), more than 450 million people play basketball worldwide, and about 70.000 of them are professionals. In the US, basketball is one of the most followed sports, and according to Statista, the National Basketball Association (NBA) generates about $6 to $8 billion in revenue per season.
Especially at the top level, nutritional strategies to improve cognition are key to succeeding in this sport. A professional basketball player needs to combine cognitive and physical skills and react to different situations during the game. Moreover, since players need to communicate with each other and their coach while performing, the cognitive load involved in this sport is massive.
Brainberry® is a nootropic ingredient developed by BioActor to help consumers improve their brain fitness in a natural and safe way. More specifically, Brainberry® is an Aronia berry extract from the Baltics, standardized for high levels of cyanidin-3-O-galactoside.
BioActor already conducted 2 double-blind placebo-controlled clinical studies which demonstrated cognitive benefits in middle-aged healthy individuals and in young healthy individuals.
Moreover, in a previous open-label study, Brainberry® improved cognitive performance of amateur gamers. The study revealed that gamers can benefit from the consumption of Brainberry® and improve their gaming skills such as eye-hand coordination and focus.
In follow up to these studies, BioActor now completed another open-label study on 35 professional basketball players in Greece, who consumed 65 mg of Brainberry® for seven days. Basketball is characterized by highly intermittent actions with changes in movement type every 1-2 seconds. Particularly at the highest level, the combination of gross and fine motor skills along with cognitive functions and psychomotor control is key to success. Female and male professional basketball players were selected from teams that participate in the first Greek basketball league.
The objective of the study was to investigate the effect of a daily intake of a capsule containing 65mg of Brainberry® on overall cognitive and basketball-specific skills.
The study results
During the three time points, Baseline (Time 0), Acute (Time 1) and 7 days (Time 2), the participants had to fill out a questionnaire with specific questions aiming at assessing cognitive skills, basketball-specific skills, mood, and sleep quality. At Time 0, the participants did not consume Brainberry®, in order to generate a baseline measurement for their self-reported skills during a basketball session.
The results show that the basketball players who participated in the study experienced a significant improvement (P < 0.05) from day one, in terms of cognitive: focus, reaction time and eye-hand coordination; and basketball-specific skills: shooting, rebounding, and dribbling. At the same time, no significant differences were found in their speed and quality of sleep was not affected.
*Sig (P < 0.05) baseline vs acute; **Sig (P < 0.05) baseline vs after 7 days and ***Sig (P < 0.05) acute vs 7 days
With this additional study, which highlights the ability to enhance cognitive and basketball-specific skills, Brainberry® taps into the sports nutrition segment, where already some sports nutrition brands have adopted the ingredient and formulated products targeting brain fitness for athletes.
Vasiliki Louka, a professional basketball player that belongs to the women’s national Greek team stated:
“Brainberry® surprised me in a good way. This month was really tiring and stressful, especially for the athletes competing for the national team. I felt more focused during my training and considering that Brainberry® contains only natural ingredients, it makes it an interesting choice.”
Furthermore, the participants reported that one of the advantages of Brainberry®, compared to the most common caffeine-based supplements that they have been using, is that Brainberry® did not affect their quality of sleep and, at the same time, helped them decrease their stress level.
About BioActor
BioActor, based at the Maastricht Health Campus, Netherlands, is a life science company that has developed a range of proprietary bioactive ingredients for the nutrition & consumer health industries. The company focuses on the development of plant-based health ingredients for active living and healthy ageing. The goal is to provide the nutrition & consumer health industries with clinically tested innovations that confer a real health benefit to the consumer.
Feel free to contact BioActor via info@bioactor.com for more information on the possibilities Brainberry® has to offer.
Further information can be found on: www.brainberry.eu and www.bioactor.com
