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MONDAY, APRIL 19, 2004
Contact: Donna Krupa
703.967.2751 (cell)
703.527.7357 (office)
djkrupa1@aol.com
APS Newsroom: April 17-21, 2004
Washington, DC Convention Center
East Registration Area/Flex Unit
Telephone: 202.249.4009
Derivatives Of A Rare Chinese Mushroom Can Improve Capacity For Aerobic
Exercise And Endurance In The Mid-Age To Elderly, Sedentary Humans
A new
study in humans validates effectiveness of Cordymax®
Washington, DC – More than 1,500 years ago,
cattle and sheep grazing in the Himalayan meadows were drawn to an unusual
mushroom-like grass. Soon, herdsman saw a significant increase in strength
and agility of their herds. Just 11 years
ago, Chinese women athletes astounded the world of international
track and field by setting several new records at the 1993 Chinese National
Games. Their remarkable performances caused many to speculate that illicit
drug use was responsible for their success. The Chinese coach disagreed,
pointing instead to intense, high-altitude training and a stress-relieving
tonic prepared from a "caterpillar fungus." In both of these circumstances,
the source of the increased energy was the Cordyceps mushroom, found
primarily in isolated areas of southwestern China.
Nutritionists have since joined with manufacturers to
produce supplements using fermentation from this rare mushroom. One such
product is CordyMax®, made with a formula recognized in China as the
fermented Cordyceps mushroom mycelial product. CordyMax® has been placed
under intellectual property protection, and only one company has the license
for it outside of China. The company, Pharmanex, Inc., suggests that
CordyMax® may be used by people with busy and hectic lifestyles and the
elderly— i.e., those desiring greater stamina and vitality levels without
stimulation of the central nervous system.
A New Study
The research team behind the development of CordyMax®
will be presenting the scientific foundation of their supplement before one
of the world’s leading meeting of physiologists. The study sought to
evaluate the effects of CordyMax (a mycelial fermentation product of
Cordyceps sinensis) on enhancing
exercise capability and endurance, and on acting against fatigue in healthy
humans.
Their presentation, “CordyMax Enhances Aerobic Capability, Endurance Performance, and Exercise Metabolism
in Healthy, Mid-age to Elderly Sedentary Humans,” will be part of the
American Physiological Society’s (APS) (www.the-aps.org)
annual scientific conference, Experimental Biology 2003, being held
April 17-21, 2004, at the Washington, D.C. Convention
Center. The researchers are Jia-Shi Zhu, M.D., Ph.D.
and James Rippe, M.D. from Pharmanex, LLC, Provo, UT, and Rippe Lifestyle
Institute, Shrewsbury, MA.
Methodology
This was a clinical trial with a double-blind,
randomized, placebo controlled design. One hundred thirty one volunteers
were participated in this trial. These individuals were healthy, sedentary
males and females of age 40-70. The study employed sports physiology
methods, measuring exercise capacity, endurance performance, and exercise
related metabolic alterations before, in the middle of, and after the
12-week study treatment with CordyMax (3 g/day).
Results
The researchers found:
(1)
Maximal exercise
·
Peak volume of oxygen (VO2peak) consumption was increased by 5.5% in CordyMax group
(p=0.003), but by only 2.2% in placebo group (NS). This suggests increases
in aerobic exercise capacity by CordyMax.
·
The time to VO2peak was
increased by 4.1% in CordyMax group (p=0. 047), but no change in placebo
group. This suggests increases in physical strength for aerobic exercise by
CordyMax.
(2)
Sub-maximal, endurance exercise
·
The time for 1-mle walk was reduced by 29 sec in CordyMax
group (p=0. 05), but slightly increased in placebo group (+19 sec, NS).
This suggests enhanced endurance performance by CordyMax.
·
Exercise work output by use of
Jeukendrup bike test was increased by 3.1% in CordyMax group (p=0.
033), but fell in placebo group (-4.9%, NS). This suggests enhanced
endurance performance by CordyMax.
·
Respiratory Exchange Ratio (RER) was reduced by 2.1% in
CordyMax group (p=0. 018), but no change in placebo group. This suggests
improvement in exercise metabolism by CordyMax.
(3)
General conditions
·
Body Weight was reduced by 0.78% in CordyMax group (p=0. 039),
but increased by 0.42% in placebo group. This suggests weight control
effects of CordyMax.
·
Diastolic blood pressure was reduced by 3.2% in CordyMax group
(p=0.045), but no significant changes in placebo group (NS). This suggests
BP lowering effects of CordyMax.
Conclusion
Numerous
supplements are introduced to consumers offering only anecdotal evidence
that these products are effective and safe. This study provides scientific
evidence that CordyMax® is effective in
enhancing aerobic exercise capability, endurance exercise performance, and
exercise metabolism and alleviating fatigue
in healthy humans.
- end -
The
American Physiological Society (APS) was founded in 1887 to foster basic and
applied science, much of it relating to human health. The Bethesda, MD-based
Society has more than 11,000 members and publishes 3,800 articles in its 14
peer-reviewed journals every year.
***
Editor’s
Note: For further information or to schedule an interview with a member of
the research team, please contact Donna Krupa at 703.967.2751 (cell),
703.527.7357 (office) or at
djkrupa1@aol.com. Or contact the APS newsroom at 202.249.4009 between
9:00 AM and 6:00 PM EDT April 17-21, 2004.
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