Recent study demonstrates fat burning benefits of proprietary blackcurrant extract

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A recent study¹ found that a proprietary New Zealand blackcurrant extract, called CurraNZ from Healthy Currancy Ltd (Camberley, Surrey, United Kingdom), increased fat burning in healthy adults without exercise. In the study, 16 healthy active men were given the blackcurrant extract daily with breakfast for 14 days. Researchers measured physiological and metabolic responses during supine rest, and analyzed observations with the lowest 10-minute ventilation. They also used bioelectrical impedance to measure body fat percentage.

Researchers found that 14-day daily intake of the blackcurrant extract did not have an effect on heart rate, minute ventilation, oxygen uptake, carbon dioxide production, and energy expenditure during supine rest, but it did decrease respiratory exchange ratio, increase fat oxidation, and decrease carbohydrate oxidation. Half of the subjects in the study experienced a greater than 10% increase (ranging from 13% to 61%) in fat oxidation.

“Based on the premise that this New Zealand blackcurrant extract is effective for six-ten hours of the day, outside of eating periods (when the effects would be eliminated), this could contribute to burning up to an additional 15 lbs of fat in a year for some people,” said the lead researcher Mark Willems, professor in Exercise Physiology at the University of Chichester, in a press release.

Willems states that the data is impressive because, “If you’re trying to increase all your healthy habits and using diet and exercise to lose weight, it can be a significant tool for those seeking fat loss, without doing anything extra.”

In the study, subjects consumed 210 mg of anthocyanins. Each 300 mg capsule of CurraNZ contains 105 mg of Enzans which is a proprietary standardized dose of bioactive anthocyanins and polyphenols. “I’m in favor of whole foods that contain polyphenols, but the problem is it’s hard to know how many anthocyanins that you are consuming in fresh foods and you might not consume enough,” explains Willems, in a press release. “With a standardized blackcurrant extract, you are receiving a known amount of bio actives that provide proven and favorable changes to energy metabolism, and these supplement studies consistently show exactly what a high-quality extract can do.”

Reference

1. Willems, M.E.T.; Bilgic, P.; Montanari, S.; Sahin, M.A. Two weeks daily intake of anthocyanin-rich New Zealand blackcurrant extract enhances whole-body fat oxidation during supine rest in healthy male. Dietary Supplements and Nutraceuticals, 2023, 2(8): 30-40. DOI: 10.31989/dsn.v2i8.1124