PLT, which is based in Morristown, NJ, has unveiled a certification on its Zynamite PX ingredient from the Banned Substances Control Group (BSCG), a testing lab founded in San Diego in 1982 by Don Catlin.
BSCG certification on Zynamite PX means the ingredient has been proven to be free of 483 drugs in total, including 272 drugs that are banned by a broad range of sports organizations. Steve Fink, PLT vice president of marketing, said the choice of BSCG among the sports certifiers was driven by BSCG’s reputation as well as a pre existing relationship the ingredient’s original developer, Spanish company Nektium, had with the lab.
Certification as a differentiator for synergistic blend
PLT bills Zynamite PX, which was launched in February of this year, as a synergistic combination of a Mangifera indica (mango) extract and Sophora japonica (Japanese pagoda tree) extract that offers a unique set of benefits in active/sports nutrition products. The ingredient is standardized to 50% content of the antioxidant molecule quercitin. Nektium announced in April that it had been granted a US patent on the ingredient.
PLT said the ingredient is backed by a number of clinical trials that show it improves peak power output in one hour after a single dose. It reportedly has also been shown to reduce lactate build-up and speed recovery from long, intense workouts.
Fink said having an ingredient that is certified to be clean is becoming increasingly important in the sports marketplace.
“I wouldn’t go so far as to say it’s a nonstarter if you don’t have one,” Fink told NutraIngredients-USA. “But it is becoming an expectation that you can bring to market ingredients that can be certified.”
“Even customers who are not competing are looking for clean solutions,” he added.
Study details
According to PLT, the research backing the ingredient includes a double-blind cross-over clinical study conducted in 2018 on the effect of a single 420 mg dose of Zynamite PX administered one hour before exercise on sprint performance. Subjects performed three Wingate tests interspaced by 4 minutes and a final 15 second sprint after ischemia. Peak power was improved by 3.8% in one hour versus placebo in subjects using one dose of Zynamite PX. The dose used was less than that used in other studies on quercitin’s ergonenic effects, which bolstered the formulation’s synergistic effects, the product developers claimed.
In another study subjects ran a 5K race with a dose of Zynamite PK before and three at eight hour intervals after. That protocol was shown to attenuate post exercise pain and speed the recovery of muscle performance.
Sports nutrition market future
Some observers of the dietary supplement marketplace have speculated that the sports nutrition sector could be especially hard hit by the coronavirus crisis. Consumers are stocking up on immune-boosting ingredients while at the same time restricting their spending. At the same time, most gyms are still closed, and it’s an open question how eager consumers will be to return to that sort of environment once those facilities do reopen.
Fink said despite those potential drawbacks PLT has a bullish view of the future of the sports nutrition market.
“I think we are looking at a golden age for the sports nutrition market,” Fink said. “Even in isolation people have been finding ways to stay active. They’re riding bikes. They’re finding ways to do their favorite workouts at home. We think this part of the industry will come back stronger than ever.”