New Study Shows Ashwagandha Fails to Boost Athletic Performance
Latest research reveals ashwagandha doesn't improve aerobic capacity or exercise performance, but may still help with stress and anxiety.
Summary
A new clinical study found that ashwagandha supplementation provided no benefits for aerobic capacity, muscle oxygenation, or blood parameters in healthy men undergoing eight weeks of high-intensity interval training. While previous meta-analyses suggested performance benefits, this higher-quality study challenges those findings. The research involved 41 men taking either 600mg of ashwagandha or placebo daily while doing rowing workouts. Despite no exercise benefits, ashwagandha may still help with stress and anxiety by modulating the body's stress response system and lowering cortisol levels. Dr. Stanfield recommends creatine as a better-evidenced supplement for both athletic performance and brain health, particularly noting benefits for memory, attention, and cognitive processing in recent meta-analyses.
Detailed Summary
A new clinical study challenges the popular belief that ashwagandha enhances athletic performance. The research followed 41 non-athletic men for eight weeks, with half taking 600mg of ashwagandha root extract daily while both groups performed high-intensity interval training on rowing machines. The study found no statistically significant differences between groups in VO2 max, maximum power, or any of 15 blood metrics measured.
This contradicts earlier meta-analyses from 2020 and 2021 that suggested ashwagandha significantly improved cardiorespiratory fitness. However, those studies had major limitations including small sample sizes, poor quality data, high heterogeneity between studies, and reliance on indirect measurements rather than direct VO2 max testing.
Despite lacking exercise benefits, ashwagandha may still offer value for stress management. The supplement appears to modulate the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, potentially lowering cortisol levels and reducing stress response. A 2009 study showed anxiety scores dropped 56.5% with ashwagandha versus 30.5% with traditional therapy alone. A 2024 meta-analysis confirmed positive effects on perceived stress, anxiety, and cortisol levels.
For athletic and cognitive performance, Dr. Stanfield recommends creatine instead, citing stronger evidence. Recent meta-analyses show creatine improves memory, attention, and processing speed, with particularly strong benefits for older adults and women. The supplement acts like a backup battery system for the brain's energy demands, supporting critical cognitive processes beyond its well-known muscle benefits.
Key Findings
- Ashwagandha showed no benefits for VO2 max, power output, or blood oxygen capacity in 8-week training study
- Previous positive meta-analyses had poor quality data, small samples, and high study heterogeneity
- Ashwagandha may reduce anxiety scores by 56.5% and lower cortisol levels through stress pathway modulation
- Creatine shows stronger evidence for both athletic performance and brain health, especially in older adults
- Only 5 of 13 ashwagandha products passed quality testing for active compounds
Methodology
This analysis comes from Dr. Brad Stanfield's YouTube channel, where he regularly reviews health research for optimization-focused audiences. The episode systematically examines a new clinical study while contextualizing it within existing research literature and meta-analyses.
Study Limitations
The analysis relies on one new study versus multiple previous studies, though quality concerns about earlier research are noted. Specific dosing protocols, timing, and individual response variations aren't thoroughly explored. The video doesn't provide direct links to verify the primary research cited.
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