New Zealand blackcurrants are well known for their deep purple colour, which comes from naturally occurring plant compounds called anthocyanins. These compounds have attracted interest from researchers studying active lifestyles, sport, and exercise performance.

A new randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover study has explored how short-term New Zealand blackcurrant extract supplementation may influence exercise and cognitive performance in resistance-trained adults.

Note: while this study tested the impacts of blackcurrant extract, ViBERi's whole fruit blackcurrant powder offers additional benefits, namely that it is certified organic, higher in fibre and higher in Vitamin C compared to blackcurrant extract. 

What did the study involve?

The study included 20 adults who regularly took part in resistance training. Each participant completed four different study conditions:

• No capsule control

• Placebo

• Low-dose New Zealand blackcurrant extract: 250 mg per day (equivalent to 2.7 grams of ViBERi whole fruit powder)

• High-dose New Zealand blackcurrant extract: 600 mg per day (equivalent to 6.5 grams of ViBERi whole fruit powder)

Each supplement condition lasted seven days. Participants then completed a series of tests, including bench press and leg press strength, lifting volume, barbell power, a 30-second cycling sprint, and a Stroop test, which is commonly used to assess attention and cognitive control.

What did the researchers observe?

The researchers found that short-term New Zealand blackcurrant extract supplementation was associated with improvements in selected strength-training and cognitive performance measures.

Both blackcurrant doses were linked with higher bench press and leg press one-repetition maximum results compared with placebo. The low-dose blackcurrant condition showed particularly consistent results across strength, lower-body lifting volume, and Stroop test performance.

The higher-dose condition showed the strongest result for some measures of barbell power.

These findings are especially interesting because most previous New Zealand blackcurrant research has focused on endurance or cycling-based exercise. This study adds to the growing research exploring blackcurrants in resistance-training settings.

Why might blackcurrants be of interest?

New Zealand blackcurrants naturally contain anthocyanins, a group of polyphenols found in deeply coloured fruits. Researchers are interested in how these compounds may interact with exercise-related processes such as blood flow, fatigue, and recovery.

In this study, the researchers suggested that the observed results may relate to how blackcurrant anthocyanins interact with vascular, metabolic, or fatigue-related pathways during repeated high-force exercise.

A useful step forward for blackcurrant research

This study provides promising early evidence that New Zealand blackcurrant extract may play a role in supporting selected aspects of performance in resistance-trained adults.

The findings were not the same across every test, which is common in sports nutrition research. Instead, the results suggest that blackcurrant extract may be more relevant to some types of performance, such as repeated strength-based exercise, than others.

Takeaway

This new study adds to the growing scientific interest in New Zealand blackcurrants and active lifestyles. In resistance-trained adults, seven days of New Zealand blackcurrant extract supplementation was associated with improvements in selected strength-training and cognitive performance measures.

For everyday active people, the research highlights New Zealand blackcurrants as a naturally anthocyanin-rich fruit with an exciting and expanding role in sports nutrition research.

As always, good training, balanced nutrition, rest, and consistency remain the foundation of exercise performance.