Deer Antler Velvet for Muscular Strength and Endurance

by Jason J. Duke - Owner/Artisan

Fresh Content: April 11, 2022 01:30

This journal entry is referenced in a main article

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Three Slices of Deer Antler Velvet
Deer Antler Velvet Slices †

A 2003 study showed results that deer antler velvet assisted trainees with promoting muscular strength and endurance over a ten week period of supervised training.

Additionally, the researchers extensively tested a lot of different things, like aerobic power, endocrine response, and blood volume, but nothing much was found since only a small dosage of deer antler velvet was used in this three group study.

Deer Antler Velvet Benefits Muscular Strength and Endurance

The 'powder capsule' group increased in strength and endurance in relation to the increases of the 'powder extract' group and 'placebo (non-deer antler velvet)' group.

There were three test groups:

  • powder extract 300mgs/day
  • powder capsule 1,500mgs/day
  • placebo 0mgs/day

They used two ways to test muscular strength in the study:

  • parallel squat @ 6RM
  • hamstring curls @ 25 repetitions

There may have been other factors than deer antler velvet supplementation, "...although this cannot be discounted" according to the researchers reviewing the results.

The Researchers Made Dosage Errors

The researchers mistakenly determined the powder capsule dose of red deer antler velvet used in the study from the Chinese herbalism dose for sika deer.

The Chinese herbalism dose for sika deer is known to be more potent and requiring less than red deer.

What's more is their deer antler velvet extract dose was abysmally small at only 300mgs daily.

Deer antler velvet use in this study, a textbook, and a successful study compared to the average male diet of 2500 calories and ~500 grams of macros:

They do Lab Rat Studies Better than this Human Study

Lab rats eat and supplement with a better nutrient rich diet from their lab rat feed than these trainees did during the study.

Perhaps all the trainees should have supplemented with vitamins and minerals and taken a larger serving of deer antler velvet daily.

Additional Reference:

Gordon Sleivert, Val Burke, Craig Palmer, Alan Walmsley, David Gerrard, Stephen Haines, Roger Littlejohn: Human Kinetic Journals; International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism - The Effects of Deer Antler Velvet Extract or Powder Supplementation on Aerobic Power, Erythropoiesis, and Muscular Strength and Endurance Characteristics, accessed 2022