TITLE:
Effects of Dietary Green Rooibos on Physical Endurance in Swimming Mice
AUTHORS:
Nakamichi Watanabe, Yurie Hara, Satomi Sakuda, Yoriko Mori, Yutaka Furuya, Tsuyoshi Watanabe
KEYWORDS:
Aspalathin; Fatigue; Glycogen; Physical Endurance; Rooibos
JOURNAL NAME:
Food and Nutrition Sciences,
Vol.5 No.2,
January
14,
2014
ABSTRACT: Green rooibos made from unfermented rooibos leaves
contains high amounts of aspalathin. Dietary green rooibos is expected to
increase physical endurance and decrease physical fatigue, because aspalathin
has antioxidant activity and stimulates glucose uptake in muscle tissue. The
aim of this study was to validate the effects of green rooibos and aspalathin
by using a swimming mouse model. Dietary green rooibos and aspalathin tended to
increase swimming time in mice. This beneficial effect might be induced by
increased glycogen accumulation in the liver and skeletal muscles.