COLUMBIA, S.C.—Quercetin, a powerful antioxidant/anti-inflammatory compound found in fruits and vegetables, significantly boosts endurance capacity and maximal oxygen capacity (VO2max) in healthy, active but untrained men and women, according to a new study from the University of South Carolina’s Arnold School of Public Health.
Researchers said the fatigue-fighting and health properties of quercetin—found in the skins of red apples, red onions, berries and grapes—have implications not only for athletes and soldiers whose energy and performance are tested to the extreme, but also for average adults who battle fatigue and stress daily.
“The natural, biological properties of quercetin that include powerful antioxidant and anti-imflammatory activity, as well as the ability to boost the immune system and increase mitochondria (the powerhouse of the cell) in muscle and brain is great news for those who often think that they’re too tired to exercise,” said Dr. Mark Davis, the study’s lead author and a professor of exercise science. “While there’s no magic pill to make people get up and move, or to take the place of regular exercise, quercetin may be important in relieving the fatigue that keeps them sedentary and in providing some of the benefits of exercise. We believe that this could be a major breakthrough in nutrition.”
Quercetin also appears to have valuable properties to fight inflammation, which has been linked to health problems such as colon cancer and heart disease. Davis’ research group has recently received a National Institutes of Health grant to study quercetin’s effects on colon cancer and others are pending that involve breast cancer.
“If the findings of this study and others on the biological mechanisms of quercetin are confirmed in future clinical studies, the implications go beyond improvements in endurance,” he said. “We may find that quercetin may work in conjunction with regular physical activity as an ally in preventing and treating diabetes, obesity and cardiovascular diseases and the degenerative diseases of aging.”
