Auckland-based Ārepa, which makes nootropics, or brain supplements, and was recently backed by NBA star Steven Adams, was used in a University of Auckland study which showed consuming New Zealand neuroberry blackcurrants helps people perform better when exercising. Photo / Supplied
Auckland-based Ārepa, which makes nootropics, or brain supplements, and was recently backed by NBA star Steven Adams, was used in a University of Auckland study which showed consuming New Zealand neuroberry blackcurrants helps people perform better when exercising. Photo / Supplied
Kiwi food-technology company Ārepa has received a major nod from a scientific study conducted by the University of Auckland.
The peer-reviewed study, released by Auckland University’s Department of Nutrition and published this month in the European Journal of Applied Physiology, showed that consuming New Zealand neuroberry blackcurrants helped people performbetter when exercising.
Ārepa, which makes nootropics, or brain supplements, and is made from a high concentration of neuroberry blackcurrants, was used as its supplement for testing.
According to the study, Ārepa kept athletes performing at their peak for longer in poor air quality conditions.
The study found consuming Ārepa daily for a seven-day period, prior to undertaking high-stress exercise in poor-quality air, reduced some of the detrimental effects of the pollution.
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In other words, athletes performed as if they were in a non-polluted environment.
Using competitive-level Kiwi cyclists, those who took Ārepa were on average able to shave 20 seconds off a 4km sprint versus those who took the placebo.
That could lead to a huge margin for both everyday exercisers and elite sport.
Lead researcher Lillian Morton said she was surprised to see a measurable impact.
“The difference between the performance and blood work of the study’s participants who took the seven-day course of Ārepa versus those who took the placebo was pretty amazing,” she said.
“The study would need to be replicated, but if the results hold true then we may have an accessible way to counter the effect of pollution on an athlete’s performance.”
Lead researcher and registered nutritionist Lillian Morton.
Morton, a registered nutritionist and sports scientist who has previously worked with the NZ Black Ferns XVs, has spent more than 10 years working with a range of clients from elite athletes to adolescents.
She said she thinks the results come down to the polyphenols that are found in Ārepa’s specially sourced ‘neuroberry’ blackcurrants.
“Polyphenols are a compound rich in antioxidants and anti-inflammatory properties known to have health benefits, but have also been shown to have positive effects on respiratory symptoms and respiratory decline. Blackcurrants happen to have high levels of polyphenols,” she said.
The study was conducted in 2020 in a closed chamber which mimicked an environment with ‘unacceptable air quality’ by filling it with ozone.
Ozone is the compound in polluted air which can harm lung function and limit exercise performance.
The study found cyclists experienced reduced coughing and performed at a level as if no ozone was present after taking a seven-day course of Ārepa’s polyphenol-rich formula compared to the placebo.
“I know how badly pollution can affect both athletes and everyday people who exercise, and wanted to find if there was a way we could negate those effects using polyphenols,” Morton said.
“It made sense to use Ārepa as a readily-available formula high in polyphenols.”
Ārepa co-founder Angus Brown. Photo / Dean Purcell
Ārepa co-founder Angus Brown said science and research was at the heart of Ārepa, and the findings added another dimension to its scientifically proven benefits.
“This study is the second piece of research published in an internationally reputed journal which shows the positive effect of consuming Ārepa, and we have twelve more clinical studies currently in progress across Australia and New Zealand,” Brown said.
In 2020, a peer-reviewed and published study conducted by the University of Auckland found drinking Ārepa significantly improves mental performance in physically fatigued subjects.
“Ārepa exists to make brains work better and our focus has always been to achieve this goal by proving it through peer-reviewed research,” Brown said.
The Auckland-based ‘brain food’ maker inked a deal with Australian supermarket giant Coles in 2021, being shelved in over 400 stores. Last year it launched in Woolworths supermarkets nationwide in Australia.
