Deep ocean minerals and trace elements can help boost high-intensity running capacity

01/29/2020 / By Michael Alexander

It turns out that there’s still a lot more to the ocean than just being a source of food. A recent study suggests that it is also a potential source of natural health-improving supplements.

In their study, which was published in the journal Marine Drugs, a team of researchers from the University of Derby in the UK and the University of Taipei revealed that the consumption of desalinated deep ocean minerals (DOM) may be linked to an increase in high-intensity running capacity in soccer players.

The researchers recruited nine recreational soccer players with an average age of 22, and asked them to complete a graded incremental test designed to determine their peak oxygen uptake (V-O2peak). After this, the participants were made to take two familiarization trials followed by the two main experimental trials. All tests were separated by seven days and conducted at ambient room temperatures.

The participants were provided with either a deep ocean mineral supplement or a taste-matched placebo after completing the experimental trials. Both supplements were mixed with a six percent sucrose and water solution.

Based on the results, the researchers found that the participants who consumed the deep ocean mineral supplement reported a 25 percent increase in their high-intensity running capacity, compared to those who consumed the placebo.

However, there were no reported differences between the two groups when it came to blood lactate levels, blood glucose levels and urine concentration.

“The minerals and trace elements within DOM, either individually or synergistically, appear to have augmented high-intensity running capacity in healthy, recreationally active male players after short-term recovery from an initial bout of prolonged, high-intensity running in thermoneutral environmental conditions,” the researchers said, adding that given the somewhat variable results, an individual approach to supplementation is “warranted.”

Michael Chernyak, president of CK Nutraceuticals, which supplies deep ocean minerals to most of North America, said the study’s results give further scientific credibility to the benefits reported to stem from the consumption of deep ocean minerals.

“With the continued growth in the sports nutrition market, there is a need for safe and effective natural products that promote better performance and recovery,” Chernyak said, calling the Marine Drugs study, “timely.”

The researchers noted, however, that the mechanism for the above-mentioned effect is still unclear, and that further research is still needed to fully understand its perceived performance-enhancing effects in order to maximize its potential benefit. (Related: Deep-sea mineral supplements promote faster recovery and reduced risk of injuries during exercise in middle-aged men.)

What are deep ocean minerals?

Deep ocean minerals are mineral nutrients extracted from deep ocean water (DOW), which is usually found at ocean depths of between 250 and 1,500 meters. The water in this particular depth is known for being exceptionally cold, clean and dense, as well as being free of any life forms.

DOW, according to previous studies conducted over the past 15 years, contains over 70 mineral nutrients and trace elements such as magnesium, calcium and potassium, mostly in their bio ionic form. These minerals have been linked to several health benefits.

In their study, the researchers noted that ingestion of deep ocean minerals may in fact, “replenish any innate incomplete molecular complexity,” as well as even potentially increase the physical capacity of humans against entropic physical challenges.

Among the other perceived health benefits from deep ocean minerals include: