New Zealand Blackcurrant for Sports Performance: Which Types of Exercise Have the Strongest Evidence?
Picture four active Kiwis heading into very different sessions. One is at rugby or football training, repeatedly sprinting, slowing down, changing direction and going again. Another is settling into a hard cycling time trial. A third is aiming for a steady 5 km run. The fourth is in the gym working through heavy sets.
They can all ask the same question: does New Zealand blackcurrant help sports performance? Current research does not give all four the same answer.
The clearest evidence so far is for repeated high-intensity and team-style exercise, where hard efforts are broken up by short periods of lower-intensity work or recovery. Cycling has some encouraging results, but also several flat ones. Continuous running has much less evidence, and strength training has only recently gained a promising new study. Just as importantly, the 2026 systematic review rated the overall certainty of exercise-performance evidence as low because studies were generally small and varied in design.1
That is a useful way to think about blackcurrant sports performance. If you are considering our NZ-grown Blackcurrant Skin Extract as part of an active lifestyle, the better question is not simply whether blackcurrant has sports research. It is whether your training looks anything like the exercise that has actually been tested.
The strongest signal is repeated hard efforts
A July 2026 systematic review pulled together 21 randomised crossover trials on New Zealand blackcurrant supplementation and sport or exercise outcomes. When the authors grouped performance results by exercise type, intermittent and team-based activity involving repeated high-intensity efforts showed the largest pooled effect.1
In plain language, this is the part of the evidence that currently looks most encouraging. Think repeated sprints, shuttle-style running and stop-start field sport demands, rather than one uninterrupted effort at a steady pace.
That does not mean NZ blackcurrant is proven to make every athlete faster. The review itself is careful about that. Its exercise-performance evidence was rated as low certainty because the trials used different exercise tests, different preparations and protocols, and relatively small groups of participants. A pooled signal tells us where the research looks most promising. It does not turn a small collection of trials into a guaranteed result for an individual athlete.
This distinction is important because the same review found a smaller, more variable picture in cycling, while continuous running and neuromuscular tasks had much thinner evidence.1 The exercise pattern matters.
Why stop-start sport stands out
Rugby, football and high-intensity intermittent running share a simple feature: you do not just work hard once. You accelerate, sprint, back off, recover briefly, then have to produce another hard effort. As fatigue builds, the ability to keep repeating demanding work becomes part of performance.
Several NZ blackcurrant studies have tested exercise that looks much closer to that pattern than a steady run does.
In a 2015 trial using a specific CurraNZ research preparation, active men completed a staged treadmill test built around repeated high-intensity running bouts. The blackcurrant condition was associated with greater total running distance and greater distance covered during the hard running bouts than placebo.2 That is an encouraging example for intermittent exercise, but it belongs to that exact preparation and protocol.
Football research has also produced an interesting signal. A study in trained youth and recreationally active male football players used six repeated 35 metre sprints with short recovery periods. The clearest benefit appeared in the trained youth players, where slowing later in the sprint sequence was reduced. The same pattern was not seen in the recreational group.4 That difference between groups is another reminder that training status may matter.
In university rugby players, a 2022 crossover study looked at a battery of rugby-related tests. Some sprint and agility outcomes were encouraging, while seated medicine-ball throw and handgrip strength did not differ between conditions.3 Again, the finding was not that blackcurrant improved everything. The more interesting signal sat around repeated speed and movement tasks.
So when people search for blackcurrant sprint performance or blackcurrant rugby performance, this is the part of the literature that deserves the most attention. There are positive human trials, and the 2026 review found the strongest pooled performance signal in this category. But those results should stay attached to the specific research extracts, participant groups and tests that produced them.
Cycling is promising in some tests and flat in others
The story for blackcurrant cycling performance is more mixed, which is exactly why it is worth looking beyond a single positive study.
One well-known 2015 crossover trial in trained male cyclists reported a faster 16.1 km time trial in the NZ blackcurrant condition than placebo, alongside changes in fat oxidation during submaximal cycling.5 That helped build interest in blackcurrant for endurance sport.
But later studies have not always repeated the performance result. A 2025 placebo-controlled crossover trial in trained cyclists tested both acute and seven-day supplementation and found no significant effect on cycling performance or the measured physiological responses.6 The 2026 review also noted a study where a positive time-trial signal appeared only among slower cyclists, rather than across the whole group.1
This is a good example of what a promising ingredient can look like before the evidence becomes fully settled. There is enough positive cycling research to stay interested, but not enough consistency to say every cyclist should expect a noticeable performance change.
Steady running asks a different question
Repeated sprint running and continuous running may both happen on two feet, but they are not the same performance problem.
A 2023 randomised crossover study in trained male runners found a small improvement in 5 km time-trial performance with a specific NZ blackcurrant extract compared with placebo.7 That is a positive result and it gives blackcurrant running performance research something concrete to build on.
Still, the 2026 review had only one continuous-running study available for its sport-specific quantitative estimate. That is far thinner than the repeated high-intensity category.1 Longer-running research has also produced null findings for some outcomes, including a half-marathon recovery study where blackcurrant extract did not improve the measured recovery of jump variables, muscle soreness or fatigue after the race.
For a steady 5 km runner, the sensible reading is therefore more modest. There is an encouraging study, but the broader continuous-running evidence base is still small. It would be a mistake to take successful intermittent-running results and treat them as proof for all forms of running.
Strength and power have a new 2026 signal
The gym picture changed in June 2026, after the literature-search window for the systematic review had already closed in July 2025.
A new randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover trial studied 20 resistance-trained adults across control, placebo and two NZ blackcurrant conditions. Selected outcomes were encouraging. Both blackcurrant conditions were higher than placebo for bench-press one-repetition maximum. Some lower-body strength and lifting-volume comparisons were also positive, and one blackcurrant condition showed higher measured bench-press barbell power than placebo.8
But this was not a clean sweep. Bench-press total lifting volume did not show a significant overall treatment effect, and 30-second Wingate anaerobic performance did not differ across conditions. The researchers also saw some lower-body improvement under placebo compared with the no-capsule control, so they specifically advised giving the most weight to placebo-controlled comparisons.8
For anyone asking whether New Zealand blackcurrant is an established strength or gym-performance supplement, the answer is not yet. This is one interesting new trial in a small group. It is worth watching because it expands the research beyond running and cycling, but it needs replication before we can be confident about how reliably the findings carry over to real-world resistance training.
What this means for the way you train
If your week includes rugby, football, hockey, court sport, shuttle work or repeated sprint training, the current research gives you the strongest reason to be interested in NZ blackcurrant for sports performance. That is where the evidence signal is most consistent so far.
If cycling is your main sport, there is a plausible and interesting research story, but the results are less consistent. Some time trials have gone well for NZ blackcurrant, while others have found no overall performance effect.
If you mainly do continuous-distance running, expectations should be more modest. A 5 km study was positive, but the evidence base is much thinner than it is for repeated hard efforts.
If your training is mostly weights, the new 2026 trial is encouraging, especially for selected strength, lower-body volume and barbell-power measures. It is still early evidence rather than a settled case.
For us, that makes Blackcurrant Skin Extract a sensible product to consider as part of an active lifestyle without pretending every sport has the same level of support. You can also browse our blackcurrant range if you want to see the wider category.
Why We Still Back NZ-Grown Blackcurrant for Active People
We like NZ-grown blackcurrant because its exercise story is unusually specific. This is not only a general conversation about colourful fruit or antioxidants. Researchers have put New Zealand blackcurrant preparations into human exercise trials across repeated sprinting, team-style activity, cycling, running and, now, resistance training.
That does not mean every study is positive. It means there is a real body of human sports research to follow, and the 2026 review helps us see where the strongest signal currently sits.
Our Kiwi Superfoods Blackcurrant Skin Extract uses NZ-grown blackcurrant skin extract in capsule form and includes vitamin C. Current directions are two capsules daily. The product is also described as gluten free and vegan-friendly.
We keep one boundary very clear: the sports trials used their own research preparations and protocols. Their performance results do not prove that our finished product will produce the same sprint, cycling, running or strength outcome. We do not copy research doses or timing into our product advice either. Follow our current label directions for our product.
If you want to understand more about the berry itself, our guide to New Zealand blackcurrant anthocyanins covers that ingredient story separately. Here, the useful point is simpler: NZ blackcurrant has enough human exercise research to be genuinely interesting for active people, especially when your training involves repeated hard efforts.
Performance and recovery are different questions
A faster time, an extra repeated effort or a strength result is a performance outcome. Soreness, fatigue and how you feel after training are recovery questions. They overlap in everyday sport, but they should not be treated as the same evidence.
If recovery is what you are trying to understand, head to our blackcurrant extract and muscle recovery guide. It covers that topic directly without stretching performance studies into claims they were not designed to answer.
A quick safety note before adding it to training
Use Blackcurrant Skin Extract as directed on the current label and do not exceed the suggested serving in the hope of getting a bigger sports effect.
If you take regular medicines, have a bleeding disorder or other bleeding concern, use medicines that affect clotting, are preparing for surgery, or are pregnant or breastfeeding, get appropriate advice from a doctor, pharmacist or other qualified health professional before adding a blackcurrant supplement. The current product warning also flags phenothiazine medicines. Our blackcurrant supplement safety guide has the fuller practical discussion.
If you compete under anti-doping rules, check the exact supplements you use against the requirements that apply to your sport. We are not making an anti-doping or WADA certification claim for this product.
Common questions
Does New Zealand blackcurrant improve sports performance?
New Zealand blackcurrant has produced positive performance results in some human exercise studies, especially in repeated high-intensity and team-style activity. The 2026 systematic review found the strongest pooled signal in that category, but overall certainty for exercise-performance outcomes was low, so results should not be treated as guaranteed.
Which types of exercise have the strongest evidence for blackcurrant?
Current evidence is strongest for intermittent and team-based exercise involving repeated hard efforts, such as sprint-based or shuttle-style work. Cycling has a smaller and less consistent research signal, while continuous running and neuromuscular exercise have much thinner evidence.
Is blackcurrant better supported for sprint or endurance exercise?
At present, repeated sprint and intermittent exercise is better supported than continuous endurance exercise. That does not mean endurance research is negative across the board, but cycling results are mixed and continuous-running evidence is limited.
Does blackcurrant help rugby or football performance?
Studies in rugby players, football players and team-sport-style running tests have reported encouraging results for selected sprint, agility or fatigue-related outcomes. These findings come from specific research preparations and protocols, so they do not prove that blackcurrant will improve an individual player's rugby or football performance.
Does blackcurrant improve cycling performance?
Some New Zealand blackcurrant cycling studies have reported faster time-trial performance, while others have found no significant overall performance effect. The 2026 review therefore described cycling results as smaller and variable rather than consistently positive.
Does blackcurrant help running performance?
A 5 km study in trained male runners reported a small positive performance result, and repeated high-intensity running studies have also been encouraging. Continuous running, however, has much less evidence than intermittent running, so the two should not be treated as interchangeable.
Does New Zealand blackcurrant help strength or gym performance?
A June 2026 crossover trial in resistance-trained adults reported encouraging results for selected strength, lower-body lifting-volume and barbell-power outcomes, while Wingate anaerobic performance did not differ. This is promising early evidence, not proof that NZ blackcurrant is an established gym-performance supplement.
Why do blackcurrant studies give different results?
The studies differ in exercise type, participant fitness, research preparation, supplementation protocol and the outcome being measured. Most trials are also small. Those differences help explain why one cycling, running or sprint test may be positive while another is flat.
Is Kiwi Superfoods Blackcurrant Skin Extract the same product used in sports studies?
No. Sports trials have used their own specific research preparations and protocols. Kiwi Superfoods Blackcurrant Skin Extract is our finished NZ-grown blackcurrant skin extract product, and results from other preparations should not be assumed to prove the same sports-performance effect for ours.
Next steps
If you are active and want a straightforward way to add NZ-grown blackcurrant skin extract to your day, our capsule format makes that simple. The research is most encouraging for repeated high-intensity exercise, while other sports still have more to learn. That is a good reason to stay interested without turning a promising ingredient into a promise.
Explore our Blackcurrant Skin Extract, follow the current label directions, and let it sit alongside the things that still do the heavy lifting for performance: good training, enough food, sleep, recovery and consistency.
References
- Gholamian S, et al. Effect of New Zealand Blackcurrant Supplementation on Sports Performance: A Systematic Review. Current Developments in Nutrition. 2026. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC13310619/
- Perkins IC, et al. New Zealand Blackcurrant Extract Improves High-Intensity Intermittent Running. International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism. 2015. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25812064/
- Effects of New Zealand Blackcurrant Extract on Sequential Performance Testing in Male Rugby Union Players. Sports. 2022. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36287765/
- Godwin C, et al. Effect of New Zealand Blackcurrant Extract on Performance during the Running Based Anaerobic Sprint Test in Trained Youth and Recreationally Active Male Football Players. Sports. 2017. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29910429/
- Cook MD, et al. New Zealand blackcurrant extract improves cycling performance and fat oxidation in cyclists. European Journal of Applied Physiology. 2015. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26175097/
- Morton LC, et al. No Effect of Acute or Chronic New Zealand Blackcurrant Extract on Cycling Performance or Physiological Responses in Trained Cyclists. European Journal of Sport Science. 2025. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39910796/
- Moss SL, et al. The Effects of an Acute Dose of New Zealand Blackcurrant Extract on 5-km Running Performance. International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism. 2023. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37648248/
- Koozehchian MS, et al. Effects of Short-Term Low- and High-Dose New Zealand Blackcurrant Supplementation on Exercise and Cognitive Performance in Resistance-Trained Adults: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Crossover Study. Nutrients. 2026. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42356316/
This article is for general educational information and does not replace personalised medical, nutrition or sports advice.
