Plant-Based TheaFit(TM) Ingredient Developed at Rutgers Clinically Proven to Improve Exercise Performance and Reduce Recovery Time
Ingredient Exclusively Licensed by One11 Innovation and Used as Active Ingredient in New WORKOUT™coffee
A new plant-based ingredient developed by researchers at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey shows promise for improved exercise performance and reduced recovery time. The ingredient, derived from a high-potency theaflavin-enriched black tea extract (BTE), has been exclusively licensed and is now being marketed and sold under the TheaFitTM brand by One11 Innovation LLC. In addition, the company recently launched WORKOUT™coffee, powered by TheaFitTM, a new performance coffee that helps maximize exercise performance and recovery as part of a training and diet plan.
The active ingredient, theaflavin, is a bio-active chemical that is formed from the condensation of flavan-3-ols (or flavanols) in tea leaves during the enzymatic oxidation of black tea. Although theaflavin has been used medicinally in some parts of the world, the Rutgers study led by Shawn M. Arent, director of the Center for Health and Human Performance at Rutgers’ Institute for Food, Nutrition and Health and professor of kinesiology and health at Rutgers University, was one of the first to investigate its effects in humans with exercise-induced inflammation and oxidative stress. The research resulted in two U.S. patents (U.S. Patents 9,101,666 and 8,563,047) granted for increased exercise performance and reduced exercise recovery time for the theaflavin-enriched black tea extract, as well as pending foreign patent applications.
“Regular exercise undoubtedly improves health, but many are deterred from doing so because they fear the muscle soreness or pain that may follow. And for athletes in competitive sports, recovery after high intensity training is key to performance and sustainability,” explains Arent. “Our research found that the high-potency tea extract not only helped with the ability to recover quickly during and after a high intensity anaerobic exercise but also from session to session. This is great news for the sports community as well as for individuals who are looking to improve their performance in a way that’s backed by science.”
In clinical trials, the theaflavin-enriched black tea extract produced significantly higher peak power output, reduced oxidative stress, lowered cortisol levels, and reduced inflammation. It also minimized delayed onset muscle soreness, while allowing physiological responses for maximum training adaptation, with ratings of less soreness 24 and 48 hours after the anaerobic exercise.
“We are honored to partner with Rutgers and Dr. Arent to commercialize this incredible ingredient technology. Our mission is to help millions of people across the globe with healthy, groundbreaking products, and we are confident that TheaFit™ will help us achieve this,” says Mark J. Davis, CEO of One11 Innovation LLC. “The consumer products industry needs all-natural ingredients that are backed by real, world-class science and we are thrilled we can be a solution provider to these markets.”
The ingredient was tested in college-age males with one or more years of experience lifting weights. They consumed the BTE for nine days and blood samples were obtained before and after exercise tests. In comparison to the group taking placebos, the ones consuming BTE showed an increased baseline antioxidant status. The clinical trials also showed no side effects or toxicity associated to the enriched extract. The results were published in the peer-reviewed Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition in 2010.
TheaFit™ is currently being offered to food, beverage and supplement companies for use as a branded, science-based ingredient in their products and on the ingredientsonline.com eCommerce platform. TheaFit™ is also the featured ingredient in WORKOUT™coffee, a hand crafted, small-batch performance coffee that is targeted to fitness enthusiasts who want more from their coffee. WORKOUT™coffee is currently available on amazon.com and drinkWORKOUT.com. Both TheaFit™ and WORKOUT™coffee are products of One11 Innovation LLC, which does business as WORKOUT Brands.
“The breadth of product applications for TheaFit™ is significant, however, most of our work has been on developing innovative sports nutrition products in two of the beverage industry’s largest categories – coffee and tea,” adds Davis. “We recently launched WORKOUT™coffee powered by TheaFit™ in a test market and the fitness community has already rallied around our innovative new performance coffee brand. We are building a powerful, custom ecommerce platform for WORKOUT™coffee that will be ready later this fall and we can’t wait to step on the gas once that’s done. Again, kudos to Rutgers and Dr. Arent for their diligent work in all areas of this much needed ingredient technology.”
Arent is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist with Distinction with the National Strength and Conditioning Association and a Fellow in the American College of Sports Medicine and International Society of Sports Nutrition. His research focuses on the relationship between physical activity and stress and the implications for health and performance, with an emphasis on underlying biological and behavioral mechanisms.
