Written by Greg Arnold, DC, CSCS. Supplementation with 100mg of pycnogenol improved the number of push-ups by 15% and decreased the two mile run by 10.1% compared to a control group of women.
The most recent statistics from the Sports & Fitness Industry Association released in 2012 state that nearly 2 million individuals competed in at least one triathlon in 2011, up from 1.7 million participants in 2010 and a 59% increase from 2008 (1.25 million) (1).
With its significant physical demands, ways to help triathlon participants not only complete their races but also improve performance in subsequent races can be very important. Now a new study (2) suggests that Pycnogenol may help with triathlon performance.
The study was divided into two parts. In the first part, 147 subjects between the ages of 35 and 55 were given 100 milligrams of Pycnogenol per day (74 subjects) or placebo (73 subjects) for 8 weeks. Before and after the supplementation period, the subjects completed the Army Physical Fitness Test that includes a push-up test, sit-up test, and 2-mile run (3). They also provided blood samples to measure oxidative stress.
In the second part, 32 male athletes between the ages of 34 and 42 were given 150 mg of Pycnogenol per day and a placebo was given to 22 male athletes between the ages of 34 and 40 who completed a 100-minute triathlon 10 times in 30 days (1 triathlon every 3 days). The triathlon consisted of a 0.47-mile swim, 12-mile bike and a 3-mile run. In addition to the blood tests to measure for oxidative stress, each subject completed a visual analog scale rating from 0-10 regarding their performance, post-training pain, cramps and generally negative effects of training.
In part 1 of the study, after 8 weeks, females in the Pycnogenol group had a 25% increase in push-ups (31.2 to 39, p < 0.05), a 9.4% increase in sit-ups (61.2 to 67, p < 0.05), and a 11.1% decrease in 2-mile running time (18:02 to 16:03 , p < 0.05). Females in the placebo group had a 10% increase in push-ups (31 to 34.1, p < 0.05), a 4.9% increase in sit-ups (61.2 to 64.2, p < 0.05), and a 1% decrease in the 2-mile running time (17:20 to 17:03, p < 0.05).
For males, the Pycnogenol group had a 23.2% increase in push-ups (56 to 69, p < 0.05), a 15.8% increase in sit-ups (63.2 to 73.2, p < 0.05), and a 12.3% decrease in 2-mile running time (16:08 to 14:11, p < 0.05). Males in the placebo group had a 6.8% increase in push-ups (58.2 to 62.2, p < 0.05), a 6.5% increase in sit-ups (63.2 to 67.3, p < 0.05), and a 4.5% decrease in the 2-mile running time (16:06 to 15:34, p < 0.05) for the males in the placebo group.
Regarding oxidative stress, females in the Pycnogenol group had a 8.3% decrease in oxidative stress (339.4 to 311.3 carr units, p < 0.05) while those in the placebo group had a 7.2% increase (332.3 to 356.2 carr units, p < 0.05). For the males, those in the Pycnogneol group had a 5.1% decrease in oxidative stress (335.3 to 318.2 carr units, p < 0.05) compared to a 11% increase in the placebo group (310 to 344.4 carr units, p < 0.05).
In part 2 of the study, males in the Pycnogenol group had an 11.2% decrease in their total triathlon time (100:24 to 89:02, p < 0.05) while those in the placebo group had a 5% decrease (101:01 to 96:05, p < 0.05). In the Pycnogenol group, this broke down to a 7.1% faster swim time (13:28 to 12:34, p < 0.05), a 10.6% faster bike time (39:21 to 35:07, p < 0.05), and a 7.3% faster run time (26:21 to 24:31, p < 0.05) compared to no change in swim time (13:36 to 13:38, p < 0.05), a 2.4% faster bike time (38:29 to 37:39, p < 0.05), and a 4% faster run time (22:05 to 21:17, p < 0.05) for those in the placebo group.
Finally, those in the Pycnogenol group had a 26.4% improvement in their perceived performance on the visual analog scale (3.4 to 4.3, p < 0.05), a 29.6% decrease in post-training pain/fatigue (4.3 to 2.6, p < 0.05), and a 56.8% decrease in cramps and negative effects of running (3.7 to 1.6, p < 0.05) compared to no change in perceived performance (3.5 to 3.5, p < 0.05), a 4.8% increase in post-training pain/fatigue (4.1 to 4.3, p < 0.05), and a 5.6% decrease in cramps and negative effects of training (3.6 to 3.4, p < 0.05).
For the researchers, “this study opens an interesting new application of the natural supplementation with Pycnogenol that, with proper hydration, good training and nutritional attention may improve training and performances both in normal subjects and in semi-professional athletes performing at high levels in difficult, high-stress sports such as the triathlon.”
Source: Vinciguerra, G., et al. “Evaluation of the effects of supplementation with Pycnogenol® on fitness in normal subjects with the Army Physical Fitness Test and in performances of athletes in the 100-minute triathlon.” J Sports Med Phys Fitness 53.6 (2013): 644-654.
© 2017 Edizioni Minerva Medica
Posted February 18, 2014.
Greg Arnold is a Chiropractic Physician practicing in Hauppauge, NY. You can contact Dr. Arnold directly by emailing him at PitchingDoc@msn.com or visiting his web site at www.PitchingDoc.com.
References:
- “Triathlon Particpation, Growth Trends and Demographics” posted on the USA Triathlon website.
- Vinciguerra G. . Evaluation of the effects of supplementation with Pycnogenol® on fitness in normal subjects with the Army Physical Fitness Test and in performances of athletes in the 100-minute triathlon. J Sports Med Phys Fitness 2013 Dec;53(6):644-54.
- “2013 Army (AFPT) Standards” posted on the Army PFT Home Page
