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

Cayenne has been shown to increase energy expenditure and fax oxidation, which in turn fights against obesity and other related disorders, in addition to positive effects on the cardiovascular system. An Australian study investigated the effects of regular consumption of chili on in vitro serum lipoprotein oxidation and total antioxidant status in healthy adult men and women.²² Participates consumed a “freshly chopped chili” blend (30 g/d; 55 percent cayenne chili) and a chili-free (bland) diet for four weeks each. At the end of the four weeks, researchers concluded eating chili regularly for four weeks increases the resistance of serum lipoproteins to oxidation.

A separate study evaluated the effects of 5 g of fresh chili pepper (CAP) on glucose response after a glucose drink and metabolic rate in Thai women.²³ Thirty minutes after CAP was ingested, the rise of plasma glucose was 20.6-percent lower than after a plain glucose drink. CAP significantly increased metabolic rate above resting metabolic rate, and metabolic rate immediately increased by 20 percent within a few minutes after CAP ingestion and showed an increase of 7.2 to 17.4 percent from baseline for 11 minutes. Other studies have also shown promising possibilities for peppers. For example, hot red peppers may stimulate carbohydrate oxidation at rest and during exercise.²⁴

Ginseng has long been used to increase energy levels. Chinese (Panax ginseng), American and Siberian (Eleutherococcus) ginseng can deliver different levels of energy. “Ginseng (Panax) has a quick burst of energy for people, but there are no side effects like caffeine. You do not get the crash when it wears off,” Pete Schlegel, assistant manager of Hsu’s Ginseng Enterprises Inc., said.

He added ginseng increases energy by boosting metabolism. “Both types of ginseng (American and Asian) increase your energy. Asian (Panax) ginseng will give you that quick burst of energy, so they put this in energy drinks or supplements. The American ginseng will give you a small amount of energy, but it will last longer.”

Ginseng was administered to nurses switching from the day shift to night duty; at the end of the trial, the ginseng made the nurses feel more alert and better able to perform their jobs.²⁵ American ginseng extract has been found to stimulate insulin production and prevent beta cell loss through the inhibition of mitochondrial uncoupling protein-2 (UCP-2), resulting in an increase in the ATP level.²⁶

L-taurine is an amino acid found mainly in the CNS and is commonly used in energy drinks. In April 2008, The Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN) authored a risk assessment for taurine, and other amino acids.²⁷ “The evidence for the absence of adverse effects is strong for taurine at supplemental intakes up to 3 g/d... Although much higher levels of each of these amino acids have been tested without adverse effects and may be safe, the data for intakes above these levels are not sufficient for a confident conclusion of long-term safety, and therefore these values are not selected as the observed safe levels.”

One of the researchers, John Hathcock, Ph.D., senior vice president of scientific and international affairs, CRN, commented on taurine as a provider of energy: “[Taurine] helps with the entry of amino acids into cells, not that taurine provides any significant amount of energy itself, the way glucose and fat does. It transports amino acids into cells, and from one cell to another, and from the cell cytoplasm, as the main fluid in the cell, into the mitochondria, which are the energy powerhouses. If there is a benefit in terms of energy and metabolism, then that is it.”

Marketers should tread lightly when referring to taurine as a stimulant instead of science-based claims. In fact, a study at the University of Minnesota, Duluth, tested taurine’s stimulant effects in combination with amphetamine.²⁸ Researchers said taurine did not act as a stimulant, neither alone nor in combination with amphetamine and noted: “...prudence is recommended in claims regarding taurine activity as a stimulant.”