To get the maximum benefit, we recommend taking two capsules of Sport 2 Recupero a day.

Within about half an hour of finishing physical activity:

• 2 capsules of Sport 2 Recupero with a little water.

On days when you don’t train:

• 1 capsule mid-morning, away from meals*
• 1 capsule mid-afternoon, away from meals.

*By “away from meals” we mean about an hour before or after eating

After every four weeks of the course, we recommend taking a 2–3 day break.

After three months of use, we suggest stopping for 7 days before starting another cycle.

Sport 2 Recupero gives you excellent results on its own. For all-round support of muscle function, you can combine it with:

• Sport 1 Endurance, based on Damiana, Suma, Cordyceps and Eleutherococcus. Helpful for supporting endurance sports, it promotes optimal muscle function, oxygenation capacity and the burning of sugars;
• Energea+, based on Ashwagandha, Spirulina, Royal Jelly, Ginseng, Grape Seed and Manganese, increases the body’s energy production without caffeine or other stimulants, giving you more energy, vitality and motivation;
• Organic Maqui Juice, obtained by cold-pressing organic Maqui berries, provides support in cases of muscle fatigue, promotes the body’s recovery and regeneration and supports physical performance.
• Organic Aronia Juice, obtained by cold-pressing organic Aronia berries, is a concentrate of nutrients and antioxidant molecules, a natural energiser to stock up on vitamins and minerals.

Warnings

Supplements should not be used as a substitute for a varied, balanced diet and a healthy lifestyle. Keep out of the reach of children under 3 years of age. Do not exceed the recommended daily dose. The expiry date shown refers to the product in intact packaging, stored in a cool, dry place away from sources of light and heat.

Spirulina (Spirulina platensis) thallus, Pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) fruit d.e. std. 40% punicosides, Hydroxypropyl methylcellulose capsule, Maqui (Aristotelia chilensis) fruit d.e. std. 10% polyphenols, Elderberry (Sambucus nigra L.) fruit d.e. std. 15% anthocyanins, Grape (Vitis vinifera L.) seeds d.e. std. 95% polyphenols and 40% oligomeric procyanidins-OPC, Anti-caking agent: Vegetable magnesium stearate. The extracts are carried on maltodextrins.

Nutritional Values

Athletes spend a larger share of their time on muscle recovery than on training. Yet while a great deal of attention is paid to training, very little research has looked at the recovery phase.

Recovery can be classified into three types:

• immediate recovery between efforts
• short-term recovery between repetitions (during training)
• recovery between training sessions.

Full muscle recovery from the previous training session is essential for optimal performance and improvement ^[2].

Very important components, especially for proper, fast recovery, are diet and supplementation. To minimise the damage caused by the efforts sustained during training, it is important to give the body all the right nutrients.

Proteins

The International Society of Sports Nutrition (ISSN) ^[3] provides an objective and critical review of protein intake for healthy, exercising individuals. Based on the currently available literature, the Society’s position is as follows.

1. 1) An acute exercise stimulus, particularly resistance exercise, and protein ingestion both stimulate muscle protein synthesis (MPS) and are synergistic when protein is consumed before or after resistance exercise.
2. 2) Different types and quality of protein can affect amino acid bioavailability following protein supplementation.
3. 3) Athletes should consider focusing on whole food sources of protein that contain all of the essential amino acids (EAAs), which are needed to stimulate MPS.
4. 4) Endurance athletes should focus on achieving adequate carbohydrate intake to promote optimal performance; adding protein may help to offset muscle damage and promote recovery.

Antioxidants

• Pingitore A, Lima GP, Mastorci F, Quinones A, Iervasi G, Vassalle C. Exercise and oxidative stress: potential effects of antioxidant dietary strategies in sports. 2015 Jul-Aug;31(7-8):916-22. doi: 10.1016/j.nut.2015.02.005. Epub 2015 Feb 19. PMID: 26059364.

Free radicals are produced during aerobic cellular metabolism. When these reactive oxygen species are produced in large quantities and the body does not have adequate antioxidant defences, the phenomenon known as "oxidative stress" occurs.

In practice, if the free radicals (the attackers) are “marked” by the antioxidants (the defenders), it will be extremely difficult for them to “score”, so they won’t be able to do any damage and our body will be protected!

When this doesn’t happen, an imbalance is created that can lead to cell and tissue damage to the body’s components, and this mechanism is involved in several pathophysiological states, including ageing, inflammatory, cardiovascular and neurodegenerative diseases, and cancer.

In particular, the relationship between physical exercise and oxidative stress is extremely complex, depending on the mode, intensity and duration of the exercise and on the condition of the individual concerned.

Moderate, regular training appears to be the best condition for balancing oxidative stress and health status.

Conversely, intense, repeated exercise can lead to an excessive increase in oxidative stress.

Supporting the endogenous defences with additional oral antioxidant supplementation may be a suitable non-invasive tool for preventing or reducing oxidative stress during training. Antioxidant supplementation can be particularly useful when athletes are exposed to high oxidative stress or are unable to meet their antioxidant requirements through diet.

Experimental Phytotherapy

Spirulina

• Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2010 Jan;42(1):142-51. doi:10.1249/MSS.0b013e3181ac7a45. Ergogenic and antioxidant effects of spirulina supplementation in humans. Kalafati M, Jamurtas AZ, Nikolaidis MG, Paschalis V, Theodorou AA, Sakellariou GK, Koutedakis Y, Kouretas D.

Spirulina is widely used as a food supplement, and the EFSA (European Food Safety Authority) recognises its antioxidant and performance-enhancing effects.

The aim of this study was to examine the effect of Spirulina supplementation on physical performance, basal metabolism and blood redox status (an assessment of oxidative stress) both at rest and after exercise.

The various parameters were examined in a group of moderately trained males.

Each subject received either spirulina or placebo for 4 weeks and ran on a treadmill at high intensity until exhaustion. Exercise performance and other parameters in blood samples were measured after both placebo and spirulina supplementation. Blood samples were taken before, immediately after, and 1, 24 and 48 hours after exercise. Levels of reduced glutathione (GSH), oxidised glutathione (GSSG), GSH/GSSG, thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS), protein carbonyls, catalase activity and total antioxidant capacity (TAC) were determined.

The results showed that Spirulina supplementation induced a significant increase in physical performance, in fat oxidation (to produce energy) and in GSH concentration (reduced glutathione, an organic enzyme with antioxidant action) and attenuated the increase in lipid peroxidation induced by exercise.

This last process is carried out by free radicals on fats, denaturing them.

When radicals are too abundant, this process attacks the cell structures of the entire body, promoting “premature ageing” and causing functional imbalances and disease.

• Lu HK, Hsieh CC, Hsu JJ, Yang YK, Chou HN. Preventive effects of Spirulina platensis on skeletal muscle damage under exercise-induced oxidative stress. Eur J Appl Physiol. 2006 Sep;98(2):220-6. doi: 10.1007/s00421-006-0263-0. Epub 2006 Aug 30. PMID: 16944194.

This study, published in 2006, examined the effects of supplementation with spirulina on the prevention of skeletal muscle damage in untrained humans.

Sixteen students volunteered to take Spirulina platensis in addition to their normal diet for 3 weeks. Blood samples were taken after completing incremental treadmill exercise, before and after the treatment.

The results suggest that ingestion of S. platensis showed a preventive effect on skeletal muscle damage and probably led to a longer time to exhaustion during exercise.

Pomegranate

• Shaygannia E, Bahmani M, Zamanzad B, Rafieian-Kopaei M. A Review Study on Punica granatum L. J Evid Based Complementary Altern Med. 2016 Jul;21(3):221-7. doi: 10.1177/2156587215598039. Epub 2015 Jul 30. PMID: 26232244.

Pomegranate is a deciduous shrub native to Iran. The pomegranate fruit has functional properties such as anti-inflammatory and antibacterial activity. The seed oil contains phytoestrogenic compounds, while the fruit is rich in phenolic compounds with strong antioxidant activity. Ellagic acid is one of the main components of pomegranate, with antioxidant activity.

• Wang D, Özen C, Abu-Reidah IM, Chigurupati S, Patra JK, Horbanczuk JO, Jóźwik A, Tzvetkov NT, Uhrin P, Atanasov AG. Vasculoprotective Effects of Pomegranate (Punica granatum). Front Pharmacol. 2018 May 24;9:544. doi: 10.3389/fphar.2018.00544. PMID: 29881352; PMCID: PMC5977444.

This review summarises some recent studies on pomegranate, mainly highlighting its vasculoprotective role, attributed to the presence of hydrolysable tannins, ellagitannins and ellagic acid, as well as other compounds (e.g. anthocyanins and flavonoids). These in vitro and in vivo studies have shown that pomegranate-derived substances reduce oxidative stress and platelet aggregation, decrease lipid uptake by macrophages, positively influence endothelial cell function and are involved in the regulation of blood pressure.

During training, the circulatory system is placed under considerable strain and works at higher intensities than at rest, so protecting the blood vessels is a fundamental component of normal muscle function.

Therefore, by supplementing their diet with Pomegranate, athletes will maintain good cardiovascular efficiency and good tissue oxygenation.

Maqui

• Romanucci V, D'Alonzo D, Guaragna A, Di Marino C, Davinelli S, Scapagnini G, Di Fabio G, Zarrelli A. Bioactive Compounds of Aristotelia chilensis Stuntz and their Pharmacological Effects. Curr Pharm Biotechnol. 2016;17(6):513-23. doi: 10.2174/1389201017666160114095246. PMID: 26778456.

Its many qualities make the Maqui berry the undisputed queen of the family of so-called “Superfruits”, as well as a valuable antioxidant tool for preventing inflammatory changes in the muscles and joints.

To always perform at your best and recover quickly, it is very important to avoid muscle tears, injuries and inflammation. And anyone who plays sport knows this well!

This study compiled the numerous activities attributed to the extracts and plant fractions of this species. The main ones include antioxidant activity, inhibition of visible-light-induced damage to cells, anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects, and prevention of atherosclerosis.

Maqui is also useful for promoting hair growth and as an anti-photoageing agent for the skin.

• Céspedes CL, Alarcon J, Valdez-Morales M, Paredes-López O. Antioxidant activity of an unusual 3-hydroxyindole derivative isolated from fruits of Aristotelia chilensis (Molina) Stuntz. Z Naturforsch C J Biosci. 2009 Sep-Oct;64(9-10):759-62. doi: 10.1515/znc-2009-9-1024. PMID: 19957448.

The presence of a molecule called 3-hydroxyindole in this fruit species helps to explain its strong antioxidant activity and its important role in the biosynthetic pathway of phenolic compounds and alkaloids in this plant. This compound could therefore be useful for the development of future protective nutraceutical and antioxidant agents.

Grapevine

• Nassiri-Asl M, Hosseinzadeh H. Review of the pharmacological effects of Vitis vinifera (Grape) and its bioactive compounds. Phytother Res. 2009 Sep;23(9):1197-204. doi: 10.1002/ptr.2761. PMID: 19140172.

Grape seeds and skin contain several active components, including flavonoids, polyphenols, anthocyanins, procyanidins and resveratrol. In particular, grape seed extract has been reported to have a broad spectrum of biological effects such as antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial activity, as well as cardioprotective, hepatoprotective and neuroprotective effects.

The antioxidant capacity, in particular, helps to effectively rebalance the metabolism of the muscle fibres, supporting the neutralisation and elimination of toxins.

All this translates into better recovery of the muscle’s functional state.

Elderberry

• Vlachojannis JE, Cameron M, Chrubasik S. A systematic review on the sambuci fructus effect and efficacy profiles. Phytother Res. 2010 Jan;24(1):1-8. doi: 10.1002/ptr.2729. PMID: 19548290.

Elder (Sambucus nigra L.) is widespread in temperate and subtropical regions. Consumption of its berries has been associated with health benefits, mainly due to their high content of natural antioxidants such as polyphenols, in particular anthocyanins.

This antioxidant action is essential for protecting the muscle fibres from post-training oxidative stress.

• Młynarczyk K, Walkowiak-Tomczak D, Łysiak GP. Bioactive properties of Sambucus nigra as a functional ingredient for food and pharmaceutical industry. J Funct Foods. 2018 Jan;40:377-390. doi: 10.1016/j.jff.2017.11.025. Epub 2017 Dec 22. PMID: 32362939; PMCID: PMC7185606.

Elderberry has long been used in folk medicine as a diaphoretic (promotes sweating), antipyretic and diuretic agent. In recent years, it has also been found to have properties that thin mucus and support the function of the upper airways, as well as antibacterial, antiviral and hypoglycaemic properties, and to promote the reduction of body fat and lipids.

The diuretic action proves very useful after physical activity for expelling the toxins and catabolites produced during exertion.

^[1] Zarfeshany A, Asgary S, Javanmard SH. Potent health effects of pomegranate. Adv Biomed Res. 2014 Mar 25;3:100. doi: 10.4103/2277-9175.129371. PMID: 24800189; PMCID: PMC4007340.

^[2] Nassiri-Asl M, Hosseinzadeh H. Review of the pharmacological effects of Vitis vinifera (Grape) and its bioactive compounds. Phytother Res. 2009 Sep;23(9):1197-204. doi: 10.1002/ptr.2761. PMID: 19140172.

^[3] Jäger, R., Kerksick, C.M., Campbell, B.I. et al. International Society of Sports Nutrition Position Stand: protein and exercise. J Int Soc Sports Nutr 14, 20 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12970-017-0177-8

Our texts are for information purposes only; they are not to be understood as an indication for the diagnosis and treatment of medical conditions and are in no way intended to replace the advice of a doctor.

Italian Ministry of Health code:  85776