It’s time to supercharge your medicine cabinet.
Supplement stacking — taking several dietary supplements as part of a daily routine — can target specific health goals at once when done correctly.
If your stacking leaves you groggy and low on energy, you might want to try making certain tweaks to your regimen.
Nutritional biochemist Dr. Erin Barrett, director of product innovation and scientific affairs at Shaklee Corporation, told The Post that the answer to persistent energy problems lies in maximizing your mitochondrial health and helping those cell powerhouses to recycle your body’s energy more efficiently.
These are the two supplements she recommends (and one she recommends skipping) for optimal mitochondrial function and increased overall energy.
Multivitamin
Though the classic multivitamin is not “super sexy,” Barrett still stands behind it.
“So often people are drained and low on energy because their diet isn’t good and they’re not getting the nutrients they need from their diet,” she said.
Typically formulated with a mix of essential vitamins and minerals like B12, D, iron and magnesium, multivitamins can “help fill those nutrient gaps and give you that energy that you were really lacking.”
Studies have also shown that multivitamins can help reduce severe irritability in teens by filling in those same nutrient gaps.
If you’ve walked down the vitamin aisle at any pharmacy lately, you know that the market is flooded with all kinds of multivitamins targeting different age groups, genders and desired outcomes.
Barrett recommends keeping it simple and sticking to something basic and foundational.
Creatine
Creatine — often sold as powders, pills or gummies — is a naturally occurring compound found in the muscles and the brain.
Seafood and red meat are good sources of creatine, but athletes have traditionally taken creatine supplements for an even stronger dose of the stuff to help with muscle building and injury prevention.
Barrett recommends creatine supplements for anyone who’s low-energy because it helps power our bodies’ cells.
Cellular energy often goes unappreciated, Barrett said, but “that’s what’s doing all the work that you need to function each day. And if you’re running on empty, then you’re not going to feel good.”
This supplement not only helps make energy to “fill up your tank,” but it also helps the body recycle its own energy.
“So when you need that quick energy, you’re not feeling like, ‘I’m running on reserves,’” Barrett explained. “’I actually have something to power me through this difficult task.’”
The Mayo Clinic also states that creatine is sometimes used to treat certain brain disorders, neuromuscular conditions, congestive heart failure and even aging skin.
‘Don’t bother with B vitamins‘
Though B vitamins are often considered the holy grail of energy boosters, Barrett is skeptical. Unless you’re a vegan or don’t eat much meat, she says most people get enough B vitamins.
Other supplements like creatine, which boost mitochondrial health and energy recycling, are doing what the B vitamin should be doing, but “much more efficiently,” she said.
Also, you should consult with your healthcare provider before starting a new medicine regimen. If a supplement stack is done wrong, you risk side effects such as prematurely aging your brain.
