The Power of the Pepper: University of Georgia Researchers Link a Specific Nutrient Found in Paprika to Improved Visual Processing Speed, Reaction Time
Sports dietitians and medical professionals see major implications for today's stimulant-driven athlete
ST. LOUIS, June 12, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- In a study published December 4, 2014 in the Archives of Biochemistry and Biophysics, researchers from the University of Georgia reveal new scientific evidence demonstrating that the speed at which we process information and react correlates with daily intake of Zeaxanthin, a nutrient commonly found in paprika. Top college and professional sports organizations see research as an opportunity to combat the growing stimulant trend in college and professional sports.
Joey Gallo, one of baseball's brightest rising stars, has always viewed nutrition as critical in his day-to-day approach to the game. While stimulants like caffeine-laden energy drinks continue to boom in popularity amongst college and professional sports for their ability to temporally enhance reaction time, more and more athletes like Gallo are thinking outside of the box, demanding healthy, natural alternatives.
Prior to the 2013 season, Gallo began incorporating dietary zeaxanthin into his nutritional regimen as an attempt to sharpen vision and speed up response time. "When you think about the skill set of a baseball player, vision and reflexes are critical. I saw it as an opportunity to gain a competitive edge," said Gallo.
While athletes like Gallo continue to seek out healthy alternatives to things like stimulants, scientists continue to search for answers.
New research published in the Archives of Biochemistry and Biophysics reveal that consuming 20 mg of dietary zeaxanthin daily, a nutrient commonly found in bright colored fruits and vegetables, speeds up visual processing speed, or the speed at which our eyes and brain communicate, by 20% after four months. The research, which was conducted by the University of Georgia's Visual Sciences Laboratory, is unique because it is the first double blind, placebo controlled study to demonstrate significant improvements in reaction time in young, healthy individuals, using dietary zeaxanthin as a nutritional approach. Dr. Billy Hammond, the study author and lead researcher at UGA Vision Sciences Laboratory, sees implications beyond just sports. "Processing speed is central to many aspects of life – from reading, to reaction time when driving to successful sports performance. The ability to actually change brain function in relatively young, healthy adults based on nutritional intake has wide implications for our ability to optimize human performance."
Dave Ellis, a sports dietitian with over 30 years of experience in the field, sees meaningful implications for the future of sports nutrition. "A common solution to improving reaction time for young athletes is excessive caffeine consumption," according to Ellis. "Young athletes are vulnerable to transition from caffeine to a cocktail of stimulants that show up illegally in dietary supplements in the form of active pharmaceutical ingredients." While stimulant use in sports continues to grow, sports dietitians and medical personnel responsible for the health and well-being of college and professional athletes continue to search for alternatives.
One group to take notice of the research is the Collegiate and Professional Sports Dietitians Association (CPSDA). CPSDA represents the vast majority of advanced practice registered dietitians in the United States who work full-time with athletes in colleges, professional sports, Olympic training centers, the U.S. Military, and in law enforcement. The group functions as a single voice for sports dietitians, working to keep athletes informed about smarter eating and supplement choices. CPSDA hosted Dr. Hammond as a guest speaker at the 2015 CPSDA conference in May. "As sports dietitians, we are always looking for nutritional options to improve on field performance. The fact that we can now improve reaction time with a healthy alternative to something like stimulants is very exciting," said Randy Bird, past president of CPSDA and Director of Sports Nutrition at the University of Virginia.
Athletes like Gallo are beginning to latch on to the idea of nutrition as a solution to improving reaction time. "I'm happy to have been exposed to something like this," said Gallo, who recently broke into the big leagues and announced his arrival with a record setting rookie debut. "I feel like the game has slowed down a bit for me. In a game like baseball that is huge."
To view the full study manuscript, click here.
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SOURCE Collegiate and Professional Sports Dietitians Association (CPSDA)
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