Open AccessEchinacea Purpurea Supplementation Does Not Enhance V[Combining Dot Above]O2max in Distance Runners
Author(s) -
Cory W. Baumann,
Kelsey L. Bond,
Jeffrey C. Rupp,
Christopher P. Ingalls,
J. Andrew Doyle
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
journal of strength and conditioning research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.569
H-Index - 128
eISSN - 1533-4287
pISSN - 1064-8011
DOI - 10.1097/jsc.0000000000000206
Subject(s) - echinacea (animal) , vo2 max , hematocrit , treadmill , hemoglobin , placebo , medicine , zoology , distance running , physical therapy , traditional medicine , biology , blood pressure , heart rate , alternative medicine , pathology
Oral supplementation of Echinacea purpurea (ECH) has been reported to increase levels of serum erythropoietin and as a result improve endurance performance in untrained subjects. The purpose of this study was to determine if ECH supplementation alters maximal oxygen uptake (VO2max) in trained endurance runners. Using a double-blind design, 16 trained endurance runners (9 ECH and 7 placebo [PLA]) supplemented with either 8,000 mg·d(-1) of ECH or wheat flour (PLA) for 6 weeks. Maximal aerobic treadmill tests and blood samples were measured before and after supplementation to determine VO2max, hematocrit (Hct), and hemoglobin (Hb). VO2max, Hct, and Hb did not differ between the ECH and PLA groups before or after supplementation. Furthermore, supplementation of ECH failed to improve VO2max (67.37 ± 4.62 vs. 67.23 ± 5.82 ml·kg(-1)·min(-1)), Hct (43.57 ± 2.38 vs. 42.85 ± 1.46%), or Hb (14.93 ± 1.27 vs. 15.55 ± 0.80 g·dL(-1)) from baseline measurements. Echinacea purpurea supplementation of 8,000 mg·d(-1) for 6 weeks failed to increase VO2max, Hct, or Hb in trained endurance runners and thus does not seem to influence physiological variables that affect distance running performance.