Supplementation with Cordyceps Cs-4 Fermentation Product Promotes Fat Metabolism During Prolonged Exercise

Authors: K. Nicodemus, R.D. Hagan, FACSM, J.S. Zhu, and C. Baker

Journal: Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise

Study Design: Randomized, double-blind study

Participants: 30 male adventure racers and multi-sport endurance athletes (31.8 ± 4.3 yrs, VO2 peak of 62.6 ± 7.7 ml.kg−1.min−1)

Intervention: The athletes were assigned to either a Cs-4 or a placebo control (CON) group (n = 15 each).

• Cs-4 group: 4.5 gm/day of Cs-4 for six weeks
• Placebo group: Placebo for six weeks

Outcome Measures:

• Oxygen uptake (VO2)
• Carbon dioxide production (VCO2)
• Ventilatory threshold (VT)
• Heart rate (HR)
• Blood lactate (LA)

Summary: The study aimed to investigate the effects of six weeks of Cs-4 supplementation on oxygen uptake, carbon dioxide production, ventilatory threshold, and heart rate during maximal and submaximal treadmill exercise in highly-fit athletes. The results showed that while peak VO2 and VT increased significantly for both the Cs-4 and control groups after the supplementation period, the difference between the groups was not statistically significant. However, the Cs-4 group exhibited a 2.2% decrease in submaximal exercise heart rate compared to pre-exercise values (p = 0.056). Further analysis revealed increases in oxygen pulse and decreases in respiratory exchange ratio and blood lactate for the Cs-4 group compared to the control group. These findings suggest that Cs-4 supplementation may enhance fat mobilization and beta-oxidation, leading to improved circulatory and metabolic efficiency during prolonged exercise in endurance-trained athletes.