Quercetin Won't Make You A Better Athlete

by Martha Edwards (Subscribe to Martha Edwards's posts)
Sep 10th 2009 9:00AM

Categories: Fitness

Quercetin is found in the skins of apples and red onions.
Photo: visualpanic, Flickr

In the world of sport, it seems everyone's talking about quercetin, a phytochemical that could increase your athletic performance and, perhaps more importantly, it comes in an energy drink endorsed by Lance Armstrong. But not so fast says a new study funded by Coca-Cola -- it seems quercetin won't actually do you much good on the race track.

The research, published in the Journal of Applied Physiology, tested performance levels at maximum-effort biking of 30 recreational cyclists -- half were given 1 gram of quercetin in their sports drinks, while the other half weren't. At the end of the one-to-two-week study, participants who took the supplement showed no difference from those who hadn't in a variety of measures, including metabolic changes, peak oxygen consumption and strength after testing.

The study's lead researcher, Kirk Cureton, was surprised by the findings, as he had predicted positive effects on athletes, especially since tests on mice had proved promising. However, he adds "Only one study that I am aware of has found a positive effect" referring to research done by the U.S. Army, that had heavily invested in the supplement. But it is not necessarily a waste. Quercetin has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, so even if it's not shrinking your split times, you may be reaping other benefits.

"I think the justification for continued study of the effects of quercetin on athletic performance is not strong," he adds. Cureton also points out that the marketing scheme for FRS involving Lance Armstrong is not backed by credible research, so don't be fooled by the fancy spokesperson.

One thing that might help improve your athletic performance? Hypnosis.

Comments (2)

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Maigread Eichten 10-07-2009 @ 12:02PM

As the Chief Executive Officer of FRS Healthy Energy—which provides sustained energy and supports improved fitness levels by way of its key ingredient quercetin—I am intrigued by all scientific research on quercetin as we work to deliver the best product to our consumers.

And as we continue to learn more about this key antioxidant, I have to respectfully disagree with Dr. Cureton’s assertion that the marketing of FRS is not based on credible research. Two human studies on quercetin have shown positive effects – one on healthy, active individuals conducted by the University of South Carolina and one on elite athletes conducted by Pepperdine University. The University of South Carolina study, funded in part by the US Army, was mentioned by Dr. Cureton in article above. It was published in the International Journal of Sports Nutrition and Exercise and demonstrated that when individuals consumed 1000 mg of quercetin daily, they experienced a 13.2 percent increase in endurance and a 3.9 percent increase in VO2max – aerobic capacity. The study conducted by Pepperdine University showed that elite athletes who were given 600 mg of quercetin each day by way of FRS products, for a period of three weeks, demonstrated a 3.1 percent increase in cycling time trial performance.

We believe there is a distinct difference in the quercetin formulation used in Dr. Cureton’s study that showed no benefit to supplementation and that of the University of South Carolina study. In the U of SC study researchers mixed the highest purity quercetin (QU995) with B3 and Vitamin C – all of which are also key ingredients in FRS Healthy Energy – which enhanced absorption and allowed participants to receive four to eight times greater quercetin concentration in their blood plasma than that in the Georgia study. We believe this could be a key insight to the different results.

To learn more about quercetin and the University of South Carolina study, you can find information at the following sites:
http://www.frs.com/science/scientific-studies-2009-06-22.html
http://www.sc.edu/news/newsarticle.php?nid=323

We are excited about quercetin research and results to date. We are also proud of FRS’ athlete users from professionals Lance Armstrong and four-time NBA champion Derek Fisher to the amateur senior swimmer in Indianapolis who have adopted FRS as their source of healthy energy and are experiencing the benefits in real-life scenarios.