The main finding of the study, which included twenty-five trained male athletes in a full squat velocity performance setting, was that a high dose (2.5 mg) of phenylcapsaicin reduced ratings of perceived exertion of the active muscle and enhanced mechanical performance in combination with exhibiting an effect of lower muscle damage in comparison to placebo or a low dose (0.625 mg) of phenylcapsaicin. Specifically, high dose was associated with significant faster velocities in squat, lower active muscle rating of perceived exertion, and lower levels of aspartate aminotransferase (https://www.cigna.com/knowledge-center/hw/medical-tests/aspartate-aminotransferase-test-hw20331) (a biomarker for muscle damage) at 24-hour post-exercise compared to low dose and placebo.

"This study shows that phenylcapsaicin reduces the perception of fatigue and allows the athletes to train harder with maintained velocity, making more repetitions, until failure, possible. The data also show that phenylcapsaicin reduces muscle damage after work out. These combined data from the study are very exciting and show us that phenylcapsaicin has a significant potential as an ingredient in innovative products for training and fitness. A higher dose consumer product is also commercially very exciting for aXichem. This is a growing market, driven by an increased awareness of how a healthy lifestyle can positively impact your wellness. Consumers' general knowledge of nutritional supplements and their demand for more reliably data on the ingredients also work to our advantage," says Torsten Helsing, CEO of aXichem.

Alejandro Monedero Gimeno, Managing Director at LIFEPro Nutrition comments:

"These exciting results show that phenylcapsaicin has a great potential. Our intention is to launch two new products containing aXivite in the Spanish market later this year. Spain is one of the top five markets in Europe when it comes to sports nutrition products, and the interest in health and training keep growing." 
 

Raza Bashir, Vice president of Scientific Affairs and Product Innovation at Iovate comments:

"We are thrilled to see yet another strong scientific message from our partner aXichem. aXivite offers unique properties that align perfectly with our commitment to delivering high-quality and effective active nutrition and weight management products. We believe that our joint product plan for this year will add significant value to our customers and support their fitness goals."

Read the full article

"Effects of different phenylcapsaicin doses on resistance training performance, muscle damage, protein breakdown, metabolic response and recovery: A randomized, triple-blinded, placebo-controlled, crossover trial." (https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/15502783.2023.2204083)

Authors: Pablo Jiménez-Martínez, Pedro Jesús Cornejo-Daza, Juan Sánchez-Valdepeñas , Iván Asín-Izquierdo, Clara Cano-Castillo, Carlos Alix-Fages, Fernando Pareja-Blanco[ ]Juan C. Colado

The information was submitted, through the care of the contact person, for publication on 24 April 2023, at 08:15 AM CEST.