Effect of New Zealand Blackcurrant on cardiovascular responses to prolonged inactivity and exercise

About the Project

New Zealand blackcurrant (NZBC) has a unique and high profile of anthocyanins (Kähkönen et al 2003). Intake of NZBC has been shown to alter resting cardiovascular function by increasing cardiac output (Willems et al 2015; Cook et al 2017) and improve cycling (Cook et al 2015) and repeated high intensity running performance (Perkins et al 2015).

All these responses could have resulted from alterations in blood flow by blackcurrant. For example, Matsumoto et al (2005) observed oxygenated haemoglobin in the trapezius to be higher with 2-weeks intake of blackcurrant compared to a placebo during 30-minutes of typing. In addition, during a maximal voluntary contraction (MVC) of the trapezius performed 3-minutes following the typing, total haemoglobin was also higher. Furthermore, Cook et al (2017b) observed a 7-day intake of NZBC increased femoral artery diameter during a submaximal 120-second isometric contraction of the knee extensors, with a concomitant decrease in systolic, diastolic and mean atrial blood pressure.

Physical activity such as prolonged sitting (i.e., >1-hour) is associated with impairments in cardiovascular function of the macro and microcirculation (Pekas et al 2023). This PhD will examine the effects of supplementation of NZBC upon blood flow and cardiovascular function following prolonged sitting and exercise. It will involve laboratory data collection from a series that will likely use randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled designs. Cardiovascular function at rest and during exercise will likely be measured using ultrasound techniques, blood pressure and heart rate variability.

Supervisory team

• Director of Studies: Dr Matthew Cook
• Supervisors: Dr Andrew Renfree
• Research Group: Human Performance Research Group