CurraNZ: Naturally Powering Better Recovery
By Carson Beckett
Writer, Pro Cyclist
Join us as we dive into a multi-part series breaking down the potent benefits that CurraNZ offers everyone leading an active life. For part one, we are discussing one of the most important aspects of an athlete's performance: recovery.
Part 1: Recovery
What are black currants?
Blackcurrants aren't just your average fruit; they've been recognized for centuries for their health benefits. Recently, these small, dark purple fruits have gained attention though. Known for their polyphenol-rich qualities, the research emphasizes blackcurrants for their various health and sports nutrition benefits including muscle recovery, heart health and blood flow, immunity support, and energy metabolism.
Blackcurrants are making a name for themselves as a health-promoting berry that primes the body for exercise stress.
So, why are these little fruits so special?
Well, it all boils down to anthocyanins – the powerhouse polyphenolic compounds found in blackcurrants. These also provide the fruits with their deep purple color. However, the concentration of anthocyanins varies among blackcurrant variants and the New Zealand cultivar is one of the richest in the world when it comes to the compounds.
CurraNZ leverages the power of these berries to improve cardiovascular health and reduce the side effects hard training and events have on the body.
What are some of the benefits?
More than 40 studies to date have shown:
- Improve cardiovascular health
- Improve exercise performance
- Speed up recovery after exercise
- Reduced exercise-induced muscle tissue damage and soreness
- Reduced perception of fatigue
- Aid energy metabolism
Recovery
CurraNZ offers athletes an effective way of bolstering recovery and reducing the unwelcome side effects of exercise – such as delayed onset muscle soreness, aka DOMS. This is that soreness you don’t necessarily feel when you get done working out but creeps up a day or two later.
“Exercise-induced muscle damage (EIMD) is accompanied by localized oxidative stress and inflammation, which is associated with DOMS, tissue damage, and impaired muscle function”. A study on the effects of 300mg of CurraNZ has shown stark effects on accelerating recovery of muscle function three-fold, reducing soreness by up to 49%, and tissue damage by 84%, via the blackcurrant anthocyanin’s inherent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties (*).
Another study uncovered a big revelation – CurraNZ accelerates carbohydrate storage in muscles post-exercise. (**)
With the rise in demands in endurance sports and a need for ever-increasing training volumes, the ability to recover between sessions is critical. Since glycogen is the predominant fuel source during hard training and racing, being able to convert and store glycogen is vital to recovery and performance. Thus, CurraNZ can be a tool for fuel management.
In fact, they are so confident you'll experience improved recovery, they guarantee CurraNZ for reduced muscle soreness – backed by a money-back guarantee.
How do I use CurraNZ?
For improved performance and muscular recovery, consuming blackcurrant extract a minimum of seven days prior and two hours before strenuous exercise is an effective dosing strategy. With this timing, blackcurrant’s polyphenol activity can prime cells for exercise – helping reduce the natural increase in oxidative stress that occurs from high-stress activity.
Continuing blackcurrant consumption for up to four days following exercise is helpful to enable the berry’s antioxidant and anti-inflammatory actions. This will help to manage the oxidative stress and inflammation throughout recovery – resulting in less tissue damage and, therefore, a lower chance of DOMS.
Studies have shown a clear relationship between the time that CurraNZ is consumed, the duration of intake, and the exercise benefits they provide.
Don’t just take our word for it…
From the Rugby World Cup and Hockey World Champs to Appalachian Trail FKT’s and UTMB Champions, CurraNZ has been tagged to each of these feats as being influential in their success.
Ultrarunner Hayden Hawkes said, “I’m recovering faster now than I [ever have] in my life. And I attribute that a lot to the CurraNZ product.” He added that it drastically improved his biomarkers, as well, noting, “It’s not just for elite athletes.”
Ultra-runner Laurel Walker also wrote, “As ultrarunners, we regularly put ourselves through grueling physical and mental battles, making recovery of paramount importance.” While we all know that, we can’t help ourselves. But Walker noted the difference being, “As ultrarunners we often need to take days, weeks, even months off between long and/or demanding efforts. CurraNZ was also shown to accelerate the recovery process, allowing athletes to bounce back more quickly.”
Sources:
*Hunt, J.E.A.; Coelho, M.O.C.; Buxton, S.; Butcher, R.; Foran, D.; Rowland, D.; Gurton, W.; Macrae, H.; Jones, L.; Gapper, K.S.;et al. 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. Nutrients 2021, 13, 2875. https:// doi.org/10.3390/nu13082875
**Sam Shepherd, Harvey Fortis, Mark Hearris, James Morton, Juliette Strauss New Zealand Blackcurrant Extract Enhances Skeletal Muscle Glycogen Resynthesis In Response to Sub-Optimal Carbohydrate Ingestion, 2022 ISENC poster presentation.