Minerals from deep in the ocean found to enhance muscle output, may be next big sports supplement

Minerals found in the deep ocean may be used to improve muscle output, potentially becoming a big sports supplement, according to a study published in the journal Frontiers in Physiology. The study, led by researchers at the University of Taipei, aimed to identify the effects of deep ocean minerals (DOM) supplementation on the cerebral blood flow response of young and middle-aged men during exercise.

In the study, researchers in Taiwan, Thailand, and the U.K. enrolled 12 young men around the age of 21 and nine middle-aged men who were between the ages of 45 to 48. After that, they conducted counter-balanced trials of deep ocean minerals, splitting them with a two-week washout period. The deep ocean minerals used in the trials consisted of desalinated materials and trace element from seawater gathered -618 meters below the surface of the earth.

They gave the participants supplements of either DOM or a placebo in beverages before, during, and after exercise. The participants’ tissue hemoglobin was also measured as they were cycling at 75 percent of the maximum amount of their oxygen utilization, also known as VO₂ max.