Study: Supplement Enhances Golf Swing
When you think of performance-enhancing sports nutrition supplements, you probably don't think of golfers. But now you might. In a new study published in the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, researchers from the United States, Great Britain and Belgium reported that oral phosphatidylserine (PS) supplementation improved the driving accuracy of young golfers with handicaps of 15 to 40.
Phosphatidylserine is a phospholipid that enhances cognitive function and mood, according to some evidence. The authors of this new study specifically looked at the effect of the supplement on perceived stress, heart rate, and quality of ball flight in golfers aiming toward a target at 135 yards' distance. Subjects performed the test once before a 42-day supplementation period, in which 10 subjects received phosphatidylserine and 10 subjects received a placebo, and again after the intervention.
Subjects receiving the phosphatidylserine improved their number of "quality" ball strikes from an average of 8.3 out of 20 to 10.1 out of 20, while controls did not improve. The researchers reported a non-statistically significant trend toward lower heart rate in the supplement group and no change in perceived stress in either group. They concluded that "six weeks of PS supplementation shows a statistically not significant tendency to improve perceived stress levels in golfers and significantly improves the number of good ball flights during tee-off which might result in improved golf scores." |
