Author(s): DENIS, A., KRAEMER, K., FEDORSEN, N., BERGDAHL, A., Institution: CONCORDIA UNIVERSITY, Country: CANADA, Abstract-ID: 1676

INTRODUCTION:
Rock climbers rely on intermittent, high-intensity exercise bouts over long periods of time, accumulating metabolites such as lactate [1]. Recently, polyphenols have been associated with increased aerobic performance in athletes [2][3]. Among these, A-type proanthocyanidin (APAC), a rare polyphenol present in high concentrations in cranberries, is associated with increased mitochondrial capacity, size, and health [4][5]. Contrastingly, there is little knowledge of APAC’s effects on anaerobic performance and respiration, particularly in high-level climbers. To date, only one study has examined the impact of APAC on post-exercise lactate accumulation and clearance [2]. This study examines whether a 28-day cranberry supplementation increases anaerobic performance in rock climbers.
METHODS:
This randomized, experimental study had 21 participants (15M: 6F; Age = 25.0 ± 3.7 yrs) with a climbing level of 17.5 ± 2.3 on the International Rock-Climbing Research Association Scale. Both groups, control (CON; n= 11) and cranberry supplement (CS; n= 10), maintained their regular diet and exercise regimens. The CS group consumed freeze-dried cranberry powder (0.3g/kg/day, 7.2-10% APAC) for 28-days. Participants came to three testing sessions (T0, T1, T2) 14 days apart, consisting of max pull-up repetitions and max hang-boarding, with a 5-minute rest between each test. Lactate measurements (LM) were taken at rest, pre-, and 1, 3, and 5 minutes post-hang boarding. Two-way mixed-measures ANOVA was used to analyze pull-ups, hang boarding, and hang board LMs; an independent samples t-test was used to analyze resting lactate levels.
RESULTS:
There was a main effect of time for pull-ups (p < 0.05) between T0-T1 and T0-T2. While no interaction effects were observed, pull-ups increased by 11% and 3% (T0-T1), and 13% and 2% (T0-T2) for CS and CON, respectively. Resting LM showed a trend toward lower resting lactate (CST2= 0.78 mmol/L, CONT2 = 0.98 mmol/L; p = 0.10). Post hang board LMs for CS increased by 14%, 7%, 3% at 1, 3, and 5 minutes, respectively, while the CON increased by 20%, 13%, 7%, at 1, 3, and 5 minutes, respectively. There was no significance found for hang boarding time (p = 0.704).
CONCLUSION:
Despite an increase in exercise performance in the CS group, there was reduced lactate accumulation and greater lactate clearance. These findings suggest cranberry supplementation may influence lactate dynamics during repeated high-intensity efforts in advanced climbers; however, larger studies are required to confirm these effects.

[1] Maciejczyk et al., Frontiers in Physiology, 2022
[2] Parenteau et al., Phys. Act. Nutr., 2023
[3] Roberts et al., Nutrients, 2023
[4] Parenteau et al., Appl. Physiol. Nutr. Metab., 2024
[5] Zhao et al., Theranostics, 2020