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What are the benefits of taking supplements? What supplements can I use to fight fatigue and boost stamina?

• The most common combination of ingredients in an energy-boosting supplement is magnesium, iron and B vitamins.
• Iron is specifically important for women of child-bearing age, as they lose twice the amount of iron as men.
• Iodine is vital to maintain thyroid hormones, which are essential for the regulation of tissue metabolism.
• Ashwagandha is known to be a sedative, rejuvenating tonic and an anti-inflammatory agent. It also helps to increase energy levels.
• Eleuthero increases stamina, helps us adapt to external stress, boosts immunity and reduces illness recovery time.

Article Tags:  supplement, iron, magnesium, iodine, B vitamins, fatigue, stamina, energy, ginseng, immunity

Supplements to refuel your energy!

Suni Golightly

17 December 2009

Today there is a huge range of products marketed as energy boosters and they contain a variety of core ingredients. The most common combination of ingredients in an energy-boosting supplement is magnesium, iron and B vitamins.

Magnesium is a mineral that converts protein, carbohydrates and fats to energy. We lose magnesium through sweat, so the energy-boosting supplements containing magnesium are often used by sportspeople to replenish their energy levels.

Iron is an essential mineral necessary for the production of haemoglobin (red blood corpuscles), myoglobin (red pigment in muscles) and certain enzymes, and for preventing fatigue and disease. Iron is especially important to women, as they lose almost twice as much as men. Iron also helps the body utilise B vitamins, which are essential for the body to convert sugar to energy.

Iodine, which is vital for maintaining proper levels of the thyroid hormones that regulate metabolism, is also found in most energy-boosting supplements.

Another common core ingredient in on-the-shelf energy boosters is the adaptogenic herb ashwagandha (Withania somnifera), also known as winter cherry and commonly used in Ayurvedic treatments. Products containing ashwagandha claim it improves the body’s ability to maintain physical effort, helps the body adapt to various types of stress and generally increases energy levels.

Traditionally, ashwagandha has been used as a sedative, a diuretic, a rejuvenating tonic and an anti-inflammatory agent, but now many Western herbalists are referring to this herb as “Ayurvedic ginseng” because of its reputation for increasing energy, strength and stamina, and for its ability to relieve stress. Ashwagandha is commonly used in a powdered form made from the root of the plant.

Ginseng is another ingredient used in energy-enhancing supplements. Ginseng is a Chinese herb that’s said to reduce mental and physical exhaustion and is perhaps the most common Chinese herb used in alternative healthcare.

Supplements using extracts of common superfoods are also popular. These superfoods include beans, blueberries, broccoli, oats, oranges, pumpkin, salmon, soy, spinach, tea (green or black), tomatoes, turkey, walnuts and yoghurt.

Bee pollen is said to contain every nutrient needed to sustain life. In addition to being a powerful energy booster, it can fight stress, regulate weight and aid the digestive process. Bee pollen contains all 22 amino acids, along with vitamins, minerals and enzymes.

There is also a huge range of herbal supplements that aid the digestive process and, in turn, increase the body’s energy. Ginger is a common core ingredient. By stimulating blood flow to the digestive organs, ginger aids the digestive process and therefore assists in energy creation.