Health Hotline Magazine | June 2024

NUTRITION

By Geoff Brokx and Shelby Miller

Ginseng Promotes Muscle Recovery and Reduces Muscle Fatigue Post-Exercise Ginseng has been used for centuries in traditional medicine to support physical and mental energy and is one of the most widely used herbs worldwide. Research has attributed many of ginseng’s benefits to its ginsenosides , the active compounds in ginseng, that have demonstrated antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects. This has sparked interest in researchers wanting to learn more about ginseng’s potential benefits for supporting exercise performance. A recent review in the journal Nutrients examined 12 studies including more than 276 participants to determine if ginseng plays a role in supporting exercise-induced muscle damage. After reviewing the studies, the researchers found six studies showed positive results for physiological markers of muscle damage. The researchers also found evidence that ginseng reduces muscle fatigue, and supports muscle regeneration, exercise performance, and injury prevention. The studies used various types of ginseng, including American ginseng, Korean ginseng, and red ginseng with doses ranging from 420 mg to 2 grams per day. Significant benefits were only found for participants taking ginseng for at least seven days and up to eight weeks. This research is unique because it is one of the first comprehensive reviews on ginseng’s benefits on muscle damage after exercise. While the researchers highlighted the need for future studies to determine the best forms of ginseng and the optimal dose, the research is promising because it has implications to support people’s ability to stay physically active.

Heart Health Benefits of EPA and DHA Increase with Dose

Mounting research finds the omega-3 fats, EPA and DHA, safe and effective for cardiovascular disease prevention, with higher doses providing the greatest effects. This conclusion came from a 2021 study from the Mayo Clinic that included 40 randomized controlled trials and more than 135,000 participants, which analyzed the effects EPA and DHA supplementation on cardiovascular outcomes. This study is one of the most comprehensive studies on omega-3 fats on cardiovascular outcomes to date and comes at a time when heart disease remains the number one cause of mortality in the United States. The review specifically found that people who supplemented with EPA and DHA experienced a 35 percent reduced risk of a fatal myocardial infarction (MI), or heart attack, a 13 percent reduced risk of a MI event, and a 9 percent reduced risk for both congenital heart disease (CHD) mortality and events. Benefits for CHD mortality and MI prevention were achieved with as little as 840 mg of EPA and DHA per day, however many studies found cardiovascular benefits increased with dose. For example, the risk reduction for CHD and MI events was dose dependent, meaning for every additional gram of EPA and DHA taken per day there was a 5.8 percent and 9 percent risk reduction, respectively. While EPA and DHA are found in appreciable amounts in foods such as salmon, sardines, and herring, most people are not consuming the recommended two servings of these fish per week. Additionally, benefits of EPA and DHA appear to increase when consumed in amounts much higher than what is available from food. While consuming EPA and DHA-rich food should still be a priority due to the variety of beneficial nutrients found in fish, adding an EPA and DHA supplement at doses of 1,000 to 2,000 mg per day can easily increase the total amount of these beneficial fats to ranges which appear to be most beneficial for prevention of certain cardiovascular diseases.

For references, please visit: naturalgrocers.com/issue-83

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