Deer velvet may be good for athletes
WELLINGTON, Feb 21 (Reuters) - Ground up deer horn has been pushed for years
as an aphrodisiac; now New Zealand deer farmers plan a new tack with a more
scientific backing -- promoting velvet as a supplement to boost athletic
performance.

Human clinical trials at New Zealand's Otago University indicate a possible
link between the velvet and improved strength and endurance gains in
training, the New Zealand Game Industry Board said in a statement on Monday.

At the request of the industry group, scientists at Otago University Human
Performance Centre compared the development of muscle strength and endurance
in male athletes taking a velvet supplement and others taking a placebo. Deer
velvet is the velvet-like substance that covers growing antlers.

``The group taking a powdered form of New Zealand deer velvet showed greater
improvements in isokinetic strength and muscular endurance as a result of
training than the control group,'' the industry body said.

The ground-up velvet might also aid recovery from muscle tissue damage, and
athletes taking the supplement reported less muscle soreness, it said.

Further research is planned in the United States, in a bid to set up a
credible body of research for that market, the board said.