Robertet recently organised a webinar to discuss natural and effective solutions for tissue damage, adaptation to effort, and training efficiency. Two experts, Dr Saramito and Marion Saby, were invited to give their thoughts on the question: “How can botanicals help in terms of cellular health?”
Dr Saramito, who has worked with top athletes such as the French Olympic team at the Atlanta Olympic Games and the Subaru team at the World Rally Championship, has been recommending the intake of melon SOD to athletes for 20 years now.
"Athletes give safe, significant and reliable feedback,” Dr Saramito said. “When they tell me ‘you know Marc, it works’, I believe them completely. Take the example of a professional cyclist who is preparing for the Tour de France. He trains over 1,000 kilometres a week. Or Olympic swimmers, who train 6 hours a day. For me, the placebo effect does not exist in these people. I will give concrete examples of SOD supplementation for a better understanding of the importance of chronobiology and the remanence phenomenon”.
Marion Saby is R&D project manager at Robertet, in charge of designing and managing preclinical and clinical trials for the ingredients of the company’s Health & Beauty division.
Athletes no longer view things solely through the prism of performance, Robertet suggests. They are looking for global solutions that cater for both performance and well-being.
Athletes are also more demanding in terms of sport nutrition and supplements, the company says. They attach great importance to naturalness and transparency. Indeed, 65% of recreational users and 74% of athletes would prefer 100% natural sports supplements.1
Responsible for tissue damage, poor adaptation to effort and reduced training effectiveness, oxidative stress is now a key target for sportspeople.
“In sport nutrition, it’s like fashion, things change every five years” said Dr Saramito. “Forty years ago, sportsmen ate pasta before competitions. This was a trend encouraged by Ivan Lendl, who said he had a pasta-rich diet. Today, we know that this is no longer necessary, and that it may even have a negative effect due to the increasing number of food intolerances.”
Improving skin health at the cellular level has always been at the heart of the R&D activity of cosmetic labs, Robertet says. “We are also now looking to protect our cells better during sport.”
Protecting cells is important both in antiaging and in sport medicine and can indirectly impact energy replacement and hormonal management, as well as improving our neurotransmitters. Antioxidant defences prevent oxidative stress and inflammation, and also facilitate physical and mental well-being.
The experts have observed people are paying greater attention to chronobiology. This refers to a plan of diet and supplementation adapted to each person depending on their own specific needs and the timing of their training: who needs supplements, what is the most suitable time to take them, and for how long?
Dr Saramito said: “nutrition must be adapted to the athlete: giving a long-term antioxidant treatment without looking at the needs may disrupt cellular messaging. The dosage is more efficient when the supplementation is provided in a discontinuous treatment”.
Based on a melon juice concentrate, Melorun has been developed specifically to counteract oxidative stress in the context of physical activity. The variety of melon used has an antioxidant enzyme, Superoxide Dismutase (SOD), in concentrations five to ten times higher than other melons.
Robertet says the ingredient’s efficacy has been proven in a clinical trial done on a population of recreational users as well as in a consumer study on a professional volleyball team, after two months of supplementation at 40 mg/day.
Four preclinical studies have also reportedly provided a better understanding of the mechanisms behind this efficacy.
According to the company, Melorun promotes physical wellbeing, facilitates mental wellbeing, protects magnesium levels, prevents oxidative stress and inflammation and supports the integrity of muscles and joints.