Track and field is a sport decided by millimeters and fractions of a second.
So, when
a new study reveals that just 28 days of cranberry supplementation can significantly boost recovery after the grueling 400 meters and improve running speed in the 1500 meters, it’s going to catch the attention of athletes and coaches.
How much of a boost are we talking about?1.5% in the 1500m.
At first glance, 1.5% might not seem substantial. But in our sport, it can be a game changer.
Consider the math: This slight improvement is the difference between running a
4:00 minute 1500m and finishing at
3:56.4.
That's the kind of leap that can mean the difference between first place and finishing off the podium.
What's even more impressive is the absence of apparent drawbacks. This isn't some novel untested supplement, it’s a fruit extract.
Sounds almost too good to be true…and it kind of is.So what’s the catch?It turns out that there are at least 3.
First Catch: For 400m runners, it appears luck isn't on their side with this one—because, as with everything else in this event, nothing comes easy!
While the study confirmed that cranberry supplementation significantly buffered the post-exercise lactate response (which could be beneficial between heats or training sessions)
it did not directly improve 400m performance times.
It seems the primary benefits of cranberries are geared more towards longer events that rely heavily on aerobic metabolism.
Second Catch: The study shows no advantage to taking cranberries on race day or right before a hard training session. To get the benefits, athletes need to take them consistently for at least 28 days.
By the way, the dose used in the study was 0.3g/kg of body mass which equates to roughly 22,000mg a day for a 160 pound athlete.
Third Catch, and this is a big one: Buried down at the bottom of the study is a surprising detail: the 1.5% improvement was observed only during certain parts of the 1500m race, not throughout. Their overall times showed no statistically significant decrease.
Wait, what?
This means the runners ran faster during parts of the race but didn’t actually complete the 1500m any faster overall. Yeah, I’d say that’s kind of missing the entire point. Another limitation is the study’s small sample size of just 14 athletes, which narrows the scope of these findings even more.
Final Thoughts: While the study presents promising data on the physiological benefits of cranberry supplementation, at this point it seems to be more hype than substance. Although there aren’t any drawbacks, the effect of cranberry supplementation on improving race times in competitive settings remains inconclusive.