April 25, 2012

expert reaction to new study of watercress and response to physical exercise

A study in the British Journal of Nutrition suggested that nutrients found in watercress could be beneficial to the body when recovering from exercise.

Dr Alan Dangour, Public Health Nutritionist at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, said:

“This is an interesting study which suggests that watercress consumption may affect the body’s responses to exercise. However, this is a small short-term study that does not allow us to come to any firm conclusions about the long-term benefits of consuming watercress for people who work out. Watercress, like many other green leafy vegetables, contains many nutrients that may be beneficial for health.”

‘Acute and chronic watercress supplementation attenuates exercise-induced peripheral mononuclear cell DNA damage and lipid peroxidation’ by Mark C. Fogarty et al. is published in the British Journal of Nutrition.