Michael Anthony Ceddia

The safety of a dry spearmint extract in vitro and in vivo

A proprietary dry spearmint extract containing 15.4% rosmarinic acid was assessed in a 90-day study with Sprague-Dawley rats that were gavaged at 0, 422 (low), 844 (mid), or 1948 (high) mg dry spearmint extract/kg bw/day, (equivalent to 0, 65, 130, or 300 mg rosmarinic acid/kg bw/day, respectively). No treatment-related clinical signs or adverse effects were observed in body weight, feed consumption, neurological parameters, hematology, clinical chemistry, gross pathology, and histopathology. However, there were statistically significant increases in the absolute and relative weight of the pituitary gland in mid- and high-dose males, absolute and relative weight of the thyroid gland in the high-dose groups of both sexes and in mid-dose males, and absolute and relative weight of the salivary glands in high-dose females compared to vehicle control group. These changes were considered non-adverse since no corresponding microscopic changes were seen. Based on these findings, the no-observed-adverse-effect level (NOAEL) for the dry spearmint extract was 1948 mg extract/kg bw/day, the highest dose tested, in Sprague-Dawley rats. In addition, the extract showed no mutagenic activity in the Ames assay using Salmonella typhimurium strains (TA98, TA100, TA102, TA1535, and TA1537) and did not induce chromosomal aberrations when tested with human peripheral blood lymphocytes.

Supplementation with a polyphenolic blend improves post-exercise strength recovery and muscle soreness

Background Exercise can initiate a cascade of inflammatory and oxidative stress–related events leading to delayed onset muscle soreness. Polyphenols possess antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Objective The current study examined the effects of a proprietary polyphenolic blend (PB), containing catechins and theaflavins, on exercise performance and recovery following an eccentric exercise challenge. Design Male participants (18–35 years of age) received placebo or PB at a low dose (PB-L, 1,000 mg/d) or high dose (PB-H, 2,000 mg/d) for 13 weeks. During the 13th week of supplementation, participants completed an eccentric exercise (40 min downhill treadmill run) followed by a strength assessment (peak torque on isokinetic leg extensions) pre-exercise, and 24, 48, and 96 h post-exercise. Muscle soreness (subjective questionnaire), markers of muscle stress (cortisol and creatine phosphokinase [CK]), and antioxidant capacity (ferric reducing ability of plasma [FRAP]) were also assessed. Results PB-H attenuated the decrease in peak torque observed in the placebo group from pre-exercise to 48 h (p=0.012) and 96 h (p=0.003) post-exercise. At 48 h post-exercise, PB-H reduced whole body and hamstring soreness (p=0.029) versus placebo. Chronic consumption of PB improved serum FRAP (p=0.039). As expected, serum cortisol and CK increased from pre- to post-exercise in all groups; however, by 96 h, cortisol and CK levels returned to pre-exercise levels following PB supplementation. At 96 h, the change in cortisol from pre- to post-exercise was significantly greater in placebo versus PB-H (p=0.039). Conclusion These findings show that chronic consumption of PB improved antioxidant status, reduced markers of muscle stress, and promoted strength recovery post-exercise.