Er, what’s an adaptogen?
I couldn’t help noticing the blurb in this advert in the back of a triathlon magazine I was recently perusing.
Sport Elagen
combining the adaptogenic effects of ES with the anti-oxidant and catalytic
properties of Co Q10scientifically designed for sportsmen and sportswomen
Phew. I have to admit this is the kind of pseudo-scientific hogwash that really sets my bullshit detector clanging. The advert has a website at the bottom – http://www.elagen.com/
I thought I would start picking the bones out of this advert…
It turns out ES is Eleutherococcus Senticosus – a herb. Elagen capsules are “a highly concentrated pure root extract measured to the correct potency proven to provide maximum effect.”
One of the first questions you might ask is what is an adaptogen? I have no recollection of the mention of adaptogens in any physiology lecture I have attended or any textbook I have ever read. Maybe I was snoozing in my lectures but luckily the website is on hand to inform me:
In the 1950′s Prof Brekhman of the pharmacological department of the Far East Scientific Centre of the Russian academy of Sciences recognised the potential value of the root and initiated extensive research into its properties. He subsequently classified Eleutherococcus as an ‘adaptogen‘. An adaptogen is a natural plant substance, which acts to normalise the body’s systems in harmony with the normal metabolic, biochemical and immunological processes, as such adaptogens are innocuous and cause no harm. Adaptogens should have a non-specific action, such is the ability of Eleutherococcus to modulate stress and improve performance under a wide variety of stressful conditions.
So adaptogens have a non-specific action that causes the body to work normally. Hmm, never mind the hundreds of thousands of years of evolution that has resulted in the mind-boggling sophistication and elegance of human homeostasis. An adaptogen can make homeostasis even better! It would, of course, be tremendously difficult to prove it wasn’t working.
I wonder if this feeds into the psyche of some athletes when it comes to performance enhancing drugs. At one end of the spectrum is the sheer naked cheating of a blood doper. By some artificial means the oxygen carrying red blood cells are augmented. However, at the bottom end this can all get much more woolly. Does taking an adaptogen constitute cheating through performance enhancing substances? The answer is probably no; not unless placebos appear on the international list of proscribed drugs.
It’s all woo and for the gullible only, sadly.
I’m one of those crusty physiologists who teach the Northern Doctors of the future, and I’ve never heard of an “adaptogen” either.
Although, thanks to the wonders of PubMed, I can tell you that there is a recent-ish small systematic review of Eleutherococcus (aka “Siberian Ginseng”) in exercise, which doesn’t seem to bear out the manufacturer’s claims. Funny that.
And as for Coenzyme Q10… don’t get me started.
Thank you Dr Aust. You just beat me to the punch as I was teeing up another post highlighting that very study. I am still chasing some of the other claims they make…
I am looking forward to sitting down later and enjoying your Co Q10 post.
Sorry to have spoiled the punchline, ND.
It does seem to be rather a emblematic example of the “daft extrapolation” fallacy:
“It does something in cells in a dish, so of course….”
Talking of which, apparently a shedload of the stuff might make you live longer if you are a soil-dwelling Nematode worm.
So obviously good for triathletes, then.
I had a quick look for CoQ10 research on Google scholar. I am interested in this supplement as an amateur triathlete recovering from post-viral fatigue. I even bought Elagen sport! Whether it worked or not I don’t know. What would I have felt like had I not taken it? Anyway, I came across this, which suggests that CoQ10 supplementation reduces exercise induced muscular injury:
Effect of Coenzyme Q10 supplementation on exercise-induced muscular injury of rats.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18198662
CONCLUSIONS: These data indicated that CoQ10 supplementation increased total CoQ concentration in the slow-twitch muscles, and was useful for reducing exhaustive exercise-induced muscular injury by enhancing stabilization of muscle cell membrane.
Dr Dave – sorry about the delay in your comment appearing. It got gobbled up as spam and I have just retrieved it. Dr Aust has written quite a lot about CoQ10 – link in his comment above.
I would say that it is always promising if a substance shows some beneficial effect in lab rats but does it translate into a safe, effective Rx for humans?
I do not know all the science behind adaptogens, but all I know is that a blend of adaptogens helped me fight off my allergies. My immune system is finally working at its best. All I did, or change, in my life was taking the blend of adaptogens. So, in turn my running times has increased because being able to breath is a big part of running.