Results from a new peer-reviewed clinical trial found natural plant extract PLX offers athletes significant performance benefits by tackling both the mental and physical factors that prevent recovery after exercise.
 
Commissioned by Monteloeder and conducted by researchers at the University Miguel Hernandez of Elche in Spain, the double-blind study evaluated the ability of PLX to address sleep difficulties, muscle pain, anxiety and fatigue — all of which are symptoms commonly associated with poor recovery in sportsmen and women. A total of 26 volunteers took part in the 21-day trial, with 14 of them consuming 1.2g per day of PLX and the remaining 12 given a placebo. All participants followed the same regular aerobic routine and diet.
 
Researchers based at the University’s Centre for Sports Research quizzed the volunteers daily about their feelings of recovery following a night of sleep, and asked them to take a ‘Profile of Mood States’ test weekly. The results demonstrated that, compared with the placebo group, the study participants using PLX experienced reduced levels of perceived fatigue and anxiety, slept for longer each night and reported less muscle pain. Overall, the PLX group reported a 44% improvement in quality of sleep over the course of the study.
 
Blood tests were also performed at the beginning and at the end of the study, to measure the presence of the key markers for oxidative stress (protein carbonyls and malondialdehyde) and inflammation (myeloperoxide) that can inhibit recovery. The results showed that the PLX group presented significantly reduced levels of these markers in their blood.
 
The full results have been published in Current Topics in Nutraceutical Research, a peer-reviewed.

Developed by Monteloeder, PLX  is a proprietary extract from the leaves of the lemon verbena plant (Aloysia triphylla or Lippia citrodora). It contains a combination of antioxidants and anti-inflammatory components that produce a synergistic effect, including verbascocide, phenylpropanoids and flavonoids such as luteolin.
 
Fernando Cartagena, global head of marketing at Monteloeder, said: “The results of this study show that our unique lemon verbena extract improves both the psychological and physiological symptoms that slow down recovery after exercise. This is a compelling proposition for any athlete. In general, most sports supplements offering recovery benefits focus only on physical factors. However, as any sports psychologist will tell you, there is more to it than just muscular pain. By improving sleep patterns and reducing anxiety and fatigue, PLX also enhances the mental recovery that is essential for sporting success.”
 
For more information: www.monteloeder.com