Consuming 1 g a day of the urolithin A supplement for eight weeks was also associated with significant improvement in maximum voluntary isometric contraction (MVIC) and repetitions to failure performance, compared to placebo, reported scientists from Jiangnan University and Beijing Sport University in China.
“Overall, after 8 weeks of daily 1 g UA supplementation, certain indicators of muscle strength and endurance in resistance-trained male athletes significantly improved,” they wrote in the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition.
“This suggests that UA, as a sports supplement, positively impacts exercise performance, likely due to reduced oxidative stress levels and a decrease in inflammation response levels.”
Mitopure
Urolithin A is a compound generated by gut microflora from ellagitannins found in food such as pomegranate. The compounds are hydrolyzed in the stomach into ellagic acid, which is subsequently converted by the gut microflora into urolithin A. However, not everyone has the right microflora to be able to make the metabolite.
Life sciences company Timeline has developed a method to deliver finely calibrated doses of urolithin A. Preliminary data published in Nature Medicine indicated that urolithin A may improve mitochondrial function by stimulating mitophagy, a process by which damaged mitochondria are recycled to permit a renewal with healthy mitochondria. These potent beneficial effects have been demonstrated in several different organisms, including in human clinical trials.
Most of the data to date has focused on the ingredient’s benefits for muscle health, with clinical trials in a range of population and age groups. Recently, results of a randomized clinical trial with 88 healthy people published in Cell Reports Medicine (2022) showed that Urolithin A supplementation boosted exercise endurance and physical performance.
Timeline has commercialized its proprietary urolithin A and branded the ingredient as Mitopure.
While Mitopure was used in the new study, Timeline had no involvement in the trial. Commenting on the research, Federico Luna, Timeline’s chief marketing officer, told NutraIngredients: “We’re thrilled to see independent researchers validating the results of our previous clinical trials with Mitopure, demonstrating its ability to enhance muscle strength, improve endurance and combat inflammation.
“This new study not only reinforces these benefits but also underscores its exciting potential for younger, more athletic populations seeking to optimize performance and recovery,” he said.
Study details
The researchers recruited 20 resistance-trained men with an average age of 24 to participate in their randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study. The men were randomly assigned to receive either placebo or 1 g per day of urolithin A for eight weeks.
Results showed significant improvements following Mitopure supplementation for MVIC and repetitions to failure performance, compared to placebo, with increases also reported for bench press and squat.
“In our study, we were the first to discover that after eight weeks of UA supplementation, there was a significant improvement in Maximum Voluntary Isometric Contraction and repetitions to failure performance in the UA group compared to baseline measurements and the placebo group,” the researchers wrote. “These results effectively demonstrate the beneficial impact of UA supplementation on enhancing exercise performance.”
The data also indicated that urolithin A (UA) led to significant decreases in C-Reactive Protein (CRP), a marker of inflammation, compared to the placebo group
“We further investigated the impact of UA on the metabolic state of protein breakdown and synthesis in the body,” the researchers wrote. “The results revealed that UA significantly reduces the concentration of 3-MH [3-methylhistidine] in athletes. The urinary concentration of 3-MH serves as a reliable indicator of skeletal muscle protein breakdown in human subjects.”
Source: Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition
Volume 21, Issue 1, doi: 10.1080/15502783.2024.2419388
“Assessment of Urolithin A effects on muscle endurance, strength, inflammation, oxidative stress, and protein metabolism in male athletes with resistance training: an 8-week randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study”
Authors: H. Zhao, et al.
