Strong Foundations to Fight Low Energy
For many healthcare professionals, a is considered a foundational recommendation for most patients. In fact, according to the National Institutes of Health, more than one-third of all Americans take a multivitamin mineral supplement. The Nutrition Business Journal reported in 2015 that consumers spent $5.7 billion on multivitamin mineral supplements.
Why are mineral supplements so popular? One reason is that taking a multivitamin mineral supplement can help address micronutrient inadequacies. It’s widely known that micronutrient deficiencies can lead to many health concerns including low energy production and fatigue.
“Fatigue can be like an early warning sign of potentially more severe problems down the road if you don’t recognize and treat the problem causing the fatigue,” says Dr. Anthony Komaroff, a professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and a senior physician at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston. Komaroff reminds physicians that all possible explanations for the fatigue should be explored, including nutrient gaps in the diet.
Even patients with a healthy diet may still not be getting all the nutrients they need from food alone and, therefore, may also not have optimal energy production levels. The CDC reports that common nutrient deficiencies include vitamin B6, iron, , and . Specific nutrient deficiencies linked to fatigue in particular include B vitamins, magnesium, potassium, and antioxidant nutrients such as vitamins C, E, and CoQ10.
In addition, there are several botanicals that have been shown to help fight fatigue. Based on the scientific literature, four energizing herbs are worth considering:
Green Tea
A 2013 Japanese study showed that drinking green tea helped reduce fatigue, in particular mental fatigue caused by computer tasks. In that same study, attention was improved and there was an increase in NK cellular activity as well. A 2017 animal study showed that green tea was able to restore energy after exercise-induced fatigue.
Panax ginseng
A 2013 randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial found that Panax ginseng significantly improved symptoms of fatigue compared to the control group. A 2015 prospective open-label study also using Panax ginseng found a significant improvement in energy levels, as well as subjective improvements in sleep and overall quality of life.
Cordyceps
A 2017 review of mushroom extracts describes the bioactive compounds that can contribute to the energy supporting effects of these natural substances. Several animal studies have specifically called out cordyceps as having significant fatigue fighting affects. Cordyceps is a fungus that grows on specific caterpillars that live in the mountainous regions of China.
Maca (Lepidium meyenii)
Maca is a nourishing Peruvian food crop consumed for centuries in South American and revered for its health supporting properties. Much of the research on maca and it’s energy supporting property, involves evaluating its effect on exercise-induced fatigue in animals. In these studies, researchers postulate that the energy-supporting effects of maca are due in part to the naturally-occurring branched chain amino acids, calcium and magnesium. In addition, maca can decrease lactic acid and increase liver glycogen content. A 2016 randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study found that maca consumption produced an “increased self-perception of sexual desire, mood, and energy” compared to control.
An interesting clinical observation regarding all four of these botanicals is that they support health on a variety of levels, due to their antioxidant capacities, helping to support healthy inflammatory response and healthy immune response, in addition to supporting the .
In summary, low energy and fatigue are common complaints of many patients, but fortunately, energy can be regained through exercise, healthy diet, restful sleep and appropriate supplementation.