The Acute Effect of Ashwagandha Supplementation on Anaerobic Exercise Performance: A randomised, single-blinded, cross-over trial

Abstract

Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera) has been used to promote health, prevent diseases, and increase longevity for centuries. Recently, there has been research on Ashwagandha's effect on anaerobic exercise performance. Chronic supplementation has been shown to improve anaerobic exercise performance, but acute supplementation has not been investigated. This study tested the hypothesis that acute supplementation with a single dose of Ashwagandha will improve anaerobic exercise performance. In a single-blinded, placebo-controlled, crossover design, 11 healthy recreationally active adults (5 females; aged 24.09 ± 3.3 years; body mass index 24.4 ± 3.6 kg/m2) consumed 600 mg of Ashwagandha root extract or placebo 1 week apart. Participants performed a 30-second Wingate test with resistance set at 7.5% of the participant's body weight 60 minutes after supplementation. Peak power, time to reach peak power, mean power, minimum power, and fatigue index were measured. The results did not reveal significant differences between Ashwagandha and the placebo condition in all outcome measures of the 30-second Wingate test (P>0.05). These results indicate that a single dose of 600 mg of Ashwagandha was not sufficient to improve anaerobic exercise performance in healthy recreationally active adults.