Watercress: the new sports nutrition ingredient?

Watercress could have a commercial application in sports nutrition after a new study showed that consumption of the plant could reduce oxidative stress and DNA damage sustained during exercise. Research by Scotland’s Napier University and Northern Ireland’s Ulster University suggests that the high antioxidant content of water cress could account for reduced DNA damage and lower levels of oxidative stress in those who consume the vegetable.

The study, published in the British Journal of Nutrition, compared the physical reaction of men with the average age of 23 who had taken 85g of watercress everyday over a period of 8 weeks with those who had not. During exercise tests, the men who had not consumed watercress showed greater signs of DNA damage and increased lipid peroxidation – a sign of oxidative stress. They also registered lower levels of soluble antioxidants alpha-tocopherol, gamma-tocopherol and xanthophylls.

“The study demonstrates that exhaustive aerobic exercise may cause DNA damage and lipid peroxidation; however, these perturbations are attenuated by either short- or long-term watercress supplementation, possibility due to the higher concentration of lipid-soluble antioxidants following watercress ingestion,” said the researchers, led by Gareth Davison from Ulster University.

Source: Ingredients Network