TOP AUSSIE ATHLETES TURN TO NATURAL BERRIES TO GIVE THEM THE EDGE

Athletes around the world, including several Australian record holders, are cottoning on to the multiple performance benefits of Kiwi blackcurrants.

Numerous scientific studies have demonstrated New Zealand-grown blackcurrants can boost muscle recovery, reduce soreness and significantly improve exercise endurance ^{1,2,3,4,5,6,7}.

Australian ultra-marathon representative Andrew Heyden, a veteran runner of almost 25 years, has set new personal bests over 14km, 10km and 5km since using CurraNZ, a concentrated blackcurrant extract which has the equivalent of 2,500 Kiwi blackcurrants per pack. He is now targeting his remaining PBs.

The Sydney-based 43-year-old has hailed the improvement to his recovery as one of the most noticeable benefits of using this breakthrough berryfruit for the past year. He calls the product his “magic berries”.

“I’ve observed a definite reduction in muscle soreness after hard interval sessions…I started feeling lower levels of delayed onset muscle soreness and could train harder. I also feel as though I have dodged a few colds which would be down to the boost to my immune system and has helped me maintain consistent blocks of training.”

He was introduced to CurraNZ by an elite British ultra-running friend in 2017. Numerous UK athletes, including Premier League football players and Olympic level sportspeople, already swear by blackcurrants, while CurraNZ is a preferred supplier to High Performance Sport New Zealand.

World-ranked IronMan Dougal Allan, who bases himself in Noosa during winter and NZ in summer, calls the berry a “game changer” after testing it extensively with his training and racing on the world stage over the last 18 months.

He and his team just landed a win in China in the Wengan Outdoor Challenge over three arduous days of adventure racing, picking up US$30,000 in prize money.

A regular on the Australian endurance racing scene, Dougal says: “Blackcurrants have an ever-expanding list of benefits but one of its most relevant is the drastic improvements in blood flow and oxygen delivery to working muscles.

“For me, the supplement CurraNZ has been a complete game-changer in terms of endurance performance and subsequent recovery, and it’s proven to reduce delayed onset muscle soreness.”

Another Aussie fan of CurraNZ is Guinness World Record holder and ultra-marathon runner, Sydney-based, Luca Turrini, who also runs the Outrun Cancer charity.

Luca is the current Guinness World Record holder for the longest distance run on a treadmill in 24hours (261.18km). His running feats include running 20 marathons in 29 days across Italy and Rim to Rim in the Grand Canyon. 

Since incorporating CurraNZ into his nutrition for training and racing program, Luca has been on a success streak in 12-hour and 24-hour ultramarathons. Earlier this year broke the course record for furthest distance run in the Narrabean 12-hour trail race, with 134km. He then went on to place first in the Canberra 24-hour race, held at the Australian Institute of Sport, with a distance of 221km.

Luca says: “Recovery from training and DOMS during races are critical factors in ultrarunning. CurraNZ makes a difference in reducing muscle fatigue and keeping my energy levels up so I can just keep going. It is now integral to my preparation and race plan."

Why Kiwi blackcurrants?

The reason Kiwi blackcurrants are so good is because the country’s cold winters and strong summer UV light gives the fruit very high polyphenolic densities. Polyphenols increase blood flow by 20% to 35% and also act as powerful antioxidants and anti-inflammatories. They help protect muscles from tissue damage and fatigue, help clear metabolic waste products and reduce delayed onset muscle soreness.

It’s not just elite athletes that can benefit from CurraNZ. They’re popular with recreational exercisers too. Scientific studies show blackcurrants offer three-in-one/multiple benefits as a ‘fitness’ hero for active people of any age, significantly improving exercise endurance, fat oxidation and muscle recovery.

For unhealthy, unfit people, blackcurrants offer a way of combating muscle soreness and coping with regular/demanding blocks of exercise – thus helping them stick to exercise programmes.

CurraNZ creator, Fleur Cushman of Health Currancy Ltd, says: “The product has proven very popular in the UK and New Zealand health and fitness markets so we’re delighted to be making it available to Australian athletes too. The next Olympics could be very interesting once other high-performance teams discover the benefits of blackcurrants!”

For more information on CurraNZ or to purchase, please visit www.curranz.co.nz  Each pack contains 30 capsules and costs $39.90

ENDS

About CurraNZ:

CurraNZ is created from the anthocyanin-rich, purple skins of New Zealand blackcurrants and research into its benefits is advancing rapidly. Eleven peer-reviewed papers on sport and exercise performance have been published on CurraNZ and New Zealand blackcurrant, with nine Universities worldwide researching the product for its health and sports benefits.

1. Effect of New Zealand Blackcurrant extract on Repeated Cycling Time Trial Performance. Sports 2017, 5(2), 25

Accredited by the global trusted supplement programme, Informed-Sport, CurraNZ is certified for use by professional athletes and is already becoming an essential supplement for sports stars and teams. 

1. Beneficial Effects of New Zealand Blackcurrant Extract on Maximal Sprint Speed during the Loughborough Intermittent Shuttle Test. Mark ET Wil­lems, Luke Cousins, David Williams and Sam D. Blacker. Sports, Published August 2016, 4(3), 42; doi:10.3390/sports4030042

2. New Zealand Blackcurrant Extract Improves High-intensity Intermittent Running. Perkins IC1, Vine SA, Blacker SD, Willems ME. Int J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab. 2015 Mar 26.

3. New Zealand Blackcurrant Improves Performance and Fat Oxidation in Cyclists, Willems ME1, Myers SD, Blacker S, Cook MD. European Journal of Applied Physiology, 2015 June 30.

4. Beneficial Physiological Effects With Blackcurrant Intake in Endurance Athletes. Willems ME1, Myers SD, Gault ML, Cook MD. Int J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab. 2015 Mar 26.

5. Black Currant Nectar Reduces Muscle Damage and Inflammation Following a Bout of High-Intensity Eccentric Contractions. Hutchison AT1, Fliel­ler EB, Dillon KJ, Leverett BD. J Diet Suppl. 2014 Aug 25

6. Effects of dietary antioxidants on training and performance in female runners. Braakhuis AJ1, Hopkins WG, Lowe TE. Eur J Sport Sci. 2014;14(2):160-8. doi: 10.1080/17461391.2013.785597. Epub 2013 Apr 20.

7. Short-term blackcurrant extract consumption modulates exercise-induced oxidative stress and lipopolysaccharide-stimulated in-flammatory responses K. A. Lyall, S. M. Hurst, J. Cooney, D. Jensen, K. Lo, R. D. Hurst and L. M.Stevenson Am J Physiol Regulatory Integrative Comp Physiol 297:70-81, 2009. First published Apr 29, 2009;

8. New Zealand blackcurrant extract enhances fat oxidation during prolonged cycling in endurance-trained females, European Journal of Applied Physiology, Jun 2018, Volume 118, Issue 6 pp1265-1272

9. Effect of New Zealand Blackcurrant Extract on Performance during the Running Based Anaerobic Sprint Test in Trained Youth and Recreationally Active Male Football Players Sports 2017, 5(3), 69

10. Cardiovascular function during Supine Rest in Endurance-Trained Males with New Zealand Blackcurrant: A Dose-Response Study, Eur J Appl Physiol (2017) 117:247–254DOI 10.1007/s00421-016-3512-x

11. Blackcurrant alters physiological responses and femoral artery diameter during sustained isometric contraction. Nutrients, 2017 9(6), 556

12. Effects of New Zealand Blackcurrant Extract on Repeated Cycling Time Trial Performance,, Sports May 2017, 5(2), 25; doi:10.3390/sports5020025

13. Dietary Anthocyanins: A Review of the Exercise Performance Effects and Related Physiological Responses, International Journal of Exercise Metabolism and Sports Nutrition, July 2018