A Natural Approach to Energy Management (The Afternoon Pick-Me-Up: A natural approach to energy)

Powergrape®, a specialty grape extract from Naturex, specifically targets the energy market. “The aim of Powergape’s development was to propose a completely new and original mechanism of action to this expending market, permitting our customers to use innovative claims on their packaging and to differentiate themselves from competitors, based on a strong scientific support,” said Karine Nardon, press relation for the NAT’Life Division of Naturex. “The energy sector has continuously expanded for the last five years and reaches today $10 billion for Europe and U.S. markets. Thanks to its presence as one of the major food and drinks players in this sector, Naturex benefits from a great opportunity with Powergrape, answering to a continuous demand for innovation on this market.” According to the company, in unpublished, in-house studies, Powergrape has been shown to improve physical performance, increase recovery capacity and muscle oxygenation, decrease muscle damage or cramp risk, and reduce inflammation.

Protein has long been to known to promote sustainable energy. A study conducted at the Royal Veterinary and Agricultural University, Copenhagen, Denmark compared the effects of pork-meat protein, soy protein and carbohydrates on a 24-hour expenditure with 12 young, healthy, overweight and mildly obese nonsmoking men.¹⁰  Researchers found substitution of carbohydrates with 17 to 18 percent of energy as either pork-meat or soy protein produced a 3-percent higher 24-hour energy expenditure. The animal protein in pork meat produced a 2-percent higher 24-hour energy expenditure than the vegetable protein in soy.

In a Finnish study, 10 resistance-trained young men consumed either 25 g of whey and caseinate proteins or a noncaloric placebo (P) in a liquid form 30 minutes before a heavy strength training session (STS) in a crossover design separated by at least seven days.¹¹ The proteins significantly decreased serum growth hormone, testosterone, and free fatty acid levels, and increased serum insulin during an STS. The pre-STS protein also increased excess post exercise oxygen consumption and respiratory exchange ratio significantly during 2-hour recovery after STS.

Additionally, a Swedish study found the “addition of whey to meals with rapidly digested and absorbed carbohydrates stimulates insulin release and reduces postprandial blood glucose excursion after a lunch meal consisting of mashed potatoes and meatballs in type 2 diabetic subjects.”¹²

PeptoPro® is a branded casein hydrolysate ingredient from DSM. According to the company, PeptoPro has been shown to improve recovery after exercise, improve endurance and physical performance, and reduces post-exercise muscle damage and muscle soreness. In an unpublished study, cyclists who consumed beverages enriched with PeptoPro during time trials clocked faster times and had reduced muscle soreness after the race compared with those drinking traditional, carbohydrate-only sports drinks.

B vitamins are a popular way to rev-up energy, including thiamin (B1), riboflavin (B2), niacin (B3), panthothenic acid (B5), pyridoxal (B6), biotin (B7), folate (B9) and cobalamin (B12). They are essential in the breakdown of carbohydrates and fats, converting food into energy; they stimulate blood flow; metabolize fats, proteins and carbs; and they help maintain a healthy nervous system. B vitamins play an essential role in maintaining mitochondrial function.¹³ In a study published in The British Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Japanese researchers concluded, “the unusual accumulation of methylmalonic acid caused by vitamin B12-deficiency disrupts normal glucose and glutamic acid metabolism in rat liver, probably by inhibiting the Krebs cycle.”¹⁴

Researchers at the Deakin University, Burwood, Australia, determined niacin may improve carbohydrate metabolism during cycling in women who are unaccustomed to exercise.¹⁵

A Burst of Energy

Bitter orange (Citrus aurantium) is a popular botanical used to induce thermogenesis and reduce the strenuousness of exercise. In a three-arm, double blind, placebo-controlled crossover study, exercise was less strenuous 83 percent of the time when supplemented with a product containing Citrus aurantium.¹⁶ Ten healthy adults, aged 20 to 31 years-old, ingested one dose of a dietary supplement containing 21 mg of Citrus aurantium (as Advantra Z®, from Nutratech Inc.) and 304 mg of caffeine (as the dietary supplement Ripped Fuel Extreme Cut®, from TwinLab) while resting and one hour prior to moderately intense exercise or a placebo/exercise control.

“Advantra Z stimulates the beta 3 receptors. They are found on every cell wall and are responsible for triggering thermogenesis,” said Bob Green, president, Nutratech Inc. “Thermogenesis increases the resting metabolic rate and the rate at which fat is released from body stores and broken down to help burn calories that, in turn, help to generate energy.” Green noted that Advantra Z acts differently than other “stimulants” because it is non-lipophylic. “It doesn’t cross the fatty membranes of the blood/brain barrier to contact the excitatory receptors (alpha 1, alpha 2, beta 1, and beta 2) that can cause negative cardiovascular and central nervous systems side effects.”

Green tea is known to provide short-term energy based not only on its caffeine profile, but also its thermogenic properties and its ability to increase 24-hour energy expenditure.¹⁷ One study examined the effects of a catechin-rich green tea extract (GTE) on running endurance and energy metabolism during exercise in BALB/c mice.¹⁸ Running times to exhaustion in mice fed 0.5 percent GTE were 30-percent higher than in exercise-control mice and were accompanied by a lower respiratory exchange ratio, higher muscle beta-oxidation activity and lower malonyl-CoA content. In addition, muscle glycogen content was high in the GTE group compared with the exercise-control group. Plasma lactate concentrations in GTE-fed mice were significantly lower after exercise, along with an increase in free fatty acid concentrations. In a study published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, green tea extract increased fat oxidation during moderate-intensity exercise and improved insulin sensitivity and glucose tolerance in healthy young men.¹⁹ Fat oxidation was 17 percent higher after ingesting a green tea extract than after ingesting a placebo.

A study published in The British Journal of Clinical Nutrition compared the effects of a mixture of green tea and guarana extracts containing a fixed dose of caffeine and variable doses of epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG), a catechin in green tea, on 24-hour energy expenditure and fat oxidation.²⁰ Twenty-four hour energy expenditure increased significantly by about 750 kJ with all EGCG-caffeine mixtures compared with placebo. No effect of the EGCG-caffeine mixture was observed for lipid oxidation. Systolic and diastolic blood pressure increased by about 7 and 5 mmHg, respectively, with the EGCG-caffeine mixtures compared with the placebo.

In addition, a 2008 study assessed the acute effects of either a vitamin/mineral/guarana supplement or placebo drink in 129 healthy young adults (18 to 24 years).²¹ The vitamin/mineral/guarana combination improved cognitive performance and reduced the mental fatigue associated with sustained mental effort.