Phytotherapy Research. 2007 Nov; 21(11):1100-1101.
Evaluation of the ergogenic potential of noni juice.
Ma DL, West BJ, Su CX, Gao JH, Liu TZ, Liu YW.
Morinda citrifolia (noni) fruit juice is an increasingly popular health food with many reported benefits, such as antioxidant and immunomodulatory properties. Traditionally, noni fruit was used by Polynesian to combat fatigue. Also, clinical studies have revealed that noni juice consumption improves quality of life scores relating to physical functioning and energy levels. To further evaluate the ergogenic (anti-fatigue and endurance promoting) potential of noni juice, aged mice were pretreated orally with increasing doses (10, 20, and 40 mL/kg body weight) of Tahitian NoniĀ® Juice (TNJ) and then compared to young and aged controls in the forced swim test and rotarod test. The average times of all TNJ dose groups were significantly longer than the aged controls in both the swim test (36 to 45 %) and the rotarod test (59 to 128 %), and were similar to those of the youth controls. This demonstrates not only an improvement in endurance but also in balance and flexibility. These results confirm the reported use of noni juice to combat fatigue, improve endurance, and increase overall physical performance.