Why is the Cordyceps mushroom called the athlete’s mushroom? Well, that’s a great question!
Cordyceps not only has excellent anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties but is also suggested that it can help improve muscle fatigue, stamina, and respiratory function.
In a recent research study, findings suggest cordyceps improves the respiratory system and overall lung health; in one study, researchers used thirty healthy older adults and gave 1/2 of the group a strain of cordyceps and the other half a placebo; researchers found that the group that had taken the Cordyceps strain had increased their oxygen absorption levels by over 7% during exercise.
Another exciting piece of research is how the cordyceps may boost our bodies at adenosine triphosphate production.
So, what is adenosine triphosphate? Well, adenosine triphosphate is a compound that helps to deliver energy to our muscles and increasing the levels of adenosine triphosphate may help our body utilise oxygen more efficiently, especially when we’re exercising and that increasing the levels of adenosine triphosphate may help us exercise for a more extended amount of time.
The idea of cordyceps benefiting athletes was first popularised during the 1993 Olympics. This was when the female Chinese Olympic running team had broken records by an incredible extent; they got accused of using steroids; however, it was found out that the only thing they consumed was the cordyceps mushroom, which was relatively unheard of back then, until now!
