Benefits Of L-Ornithine Supplements For Vitality: Ornithine Benefits

Benefits of l-ornithine supplements and the role of l-ornithine within the body are both increasingly popular topics in wellness research. L-ornithine is becoming especially popular with athletes. This is because of researched effects on the natural release of growth promoting hormones.

Ornithine is an amino acid that is not coded for by the body but may have big benefits for our health. This amino acid is directly involved in the removal of excess nitrogen from the body as part of the urea cycle. L-ornithine is primarily used in the removal of ammonia and the production of urea. Ornithine seems to have an ancestral role in our metabolism and is made by E. coli bacteria.

There is evidence that ornithine benefits our overall energy state. This is another reason why l-ornithine supplements could be of benefit to athletes. Fatigue does not just affect people who do intensive exercise. Mental and physical fatigue also effects the day-to-day person. Especially considering the increased expectations of modern workplaces and societal pressures.

Accumulated fatigue affects performance and is often an affliction of diseases. This is another big reason for an increased interest in possible fatigue reducing supplements such as l-ornithine.

In this article, the researched benefits of l-ornithine supplements and ornithine benefits for our overall health will be looked at.

Main Roles Of Ornithine

Ornithine is an amino acid that is not coded for by the body or directly involved in production of our proteins but plays a very important role in many different processes. This means it is very important to ensure that you have enough ornithine in the body and are consuming ornithine in good quantities.

It is believed to be very difficult to consume enough l-ornithine in the body from ordinary meals. This is because this amino acid is not so rich in meats or fish and could be rate limiting on optimal energy production.

Genetic damage to the enzymes involved in the ability of ornithine to directly process ammonia can cause serious issues within the body. This is because of toxic ammonia build up in the blood from urea cycle breakdown. This gives an indication as to how important l-ornithine is for the body.

L-Ornithine And The Urea Cycle

The main role l-ornithine plays is within the urea cycle. This amino acid plays a big part in the process of urine production. L-ornithine is heavily involved in ammonia processing or direct ammonia detoxification which occurs in the liver and kidneys.

L-ornithine essentially disposes of excess nitrogen or ammonia via the urea cycle. This reduction in blood ammonia levels from the increases caused by physical exercise is thought to improve the efficiency of energy production. This may then reduce fatigue.

Build ups in ammonia are considered to be a main cause of exercise induced fatigue. Exercise uses a lot of energy through ATP consumption. ATP is our main energy storage molecule with energy deficiencies forming a crucial factor in fatigue. This is why our bodies have many different methods of energy production.

Researched Benefits Of L-Ornithine Supplements

Because of the involvement of ornithine in the urea cycle, there has been a lot of research looking at links between the benefits of l-ornithine supplements and fatigue. While l-ornithine is also thought to have an influence on cortisol and overall stress levels too.

L-Ornithine And Exercise Fatigue

One important study providing l-ornithine supplements to athletes before exercise found that there were potential benefits to their peak performance. Maximum anaerobic performance was improved during high intensity physical exercise and this was thought to be because of links to the urea cycle. Blood levels of glutamic acid or glutamate and aspartic acid  were significantly higher after exhaustion with ornithine ingestion.  

Another study identified that fatigue from endurance based physical tasks was also reduced after taking an l-ornithine supplement. Researchers noted that the feelings of fatigue were significantly reduced with l-ornithine use. This further supports the potential benefits of taking l-ornithine supplements for improved energy consumption and our overall wellbeing. Based on their results the researchers stated they would recommend l-ornithine intake in cases of physical fatigue.

This study also supported evidence that l-ornithine supplements improved activation of the urea cycle. They detected increased lipid or fat metabolism and ketone bodies indicating supportive alterations to metabolic rate. These were detected alongside changes in blood ammonia levels consistent with more optimal urea cycling.

L-ornithine most likely has this antifatigue effect because of the improved efficiency of energy consumption occurring via increased excretion of ammonia. There are ornithine transporters in our energy producing mitochondria which could assist with ammonia metabolism in the liver and kidneys. Transporters help to move key molecules between and inside cells.

Ornithine Benefits For Tissue Recovery

Other studies show that ornithine supplementation enhances wound healing. This could also have benefits for athletic recovery following exercise. Other studies have identified that l-ornithine supplementation could improve levels of growth hormone. It may do this through stimulating the pituitary gland.

Increased levels of this anabolic hormone would then improve muscle growth. This would be another possible benefit of ornithine supplementation for more optimal athletic performance and recovery. Growth hormone also promotes the metabolism of carbohydrates, proteins, and lipids which could explain some of the benefits to wound healing or recovery.

L-Ornithine And Stress

Because of influences on the urea cycle and resulting improvements in efficiency of energy consumption, l-ornithine could have benefits on our overall stress levels. This has been the subject of various research studies.

One study noticed that l-ornithine supplements could have benefits for reducing levels of stress through reducing overall cortisol levels. Cortisol levels are a key indicator of stress as perceived by the body. Levels of anger and perceived sleep quality were also reduced with ornithine supplementation. This could therefore be another of the benefits from l-ornithine supplements.

Research outlines that there are potential benefits of l-ornithine supplements for our wellness. Especially for reducing fatigue. Some suggest that further potential benefits need to be looked into immediately considering how promising initial studies have been.

Summary

Benefits of l-ornithine supplements are popular research topics because of links to athletic performance and fatigue. Ornithine is an amino acid that is not coded for by the body but may have wider health benefits that may assist our overall wellbeing.

The main function of this amino acid is within the urea cycle. This is a process where the body removes excess nitrogen via urea production. L-ornithine detoxifies ammonia as part of this cycle. The lowering of blood ammonia is thought to promote improved energy levels. Ammonia is a main contributing factor to fatigue.

Various studies show that there are potential benefits to l-ornithine supplements for reducing fatigue. Some go as far as recommending l-ornithine supplements for physical fatigue. L-ornithine supplements could also have potential benefits for improving anaerobic exercise performance.

Because of influences on growth hormone l-ornithine supplements could have benefits for more optimal wound healing and exercise recovery. This would also influence future exercise performance and muscle growth.

Some studies have found links between l-ornithine and stress. L-ornithine supplements seem to have an overall lowering effect on cortisol levels and body perceived stress.

L-ornithine has researched benefits for supporting natural energy levels within the body, while encouraging tissue recovery and possibly lowering stress levels.

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How Do I Boost My Energy Naturally: Feeling Fatigued & Exhausted All The Time

With the pace of most people’s day-to-day lives, many are searching for ways to maintain their energy and to boost their energy levels naturally.

Pressure to achieve at work and in one’s personal lives means that people have so much to do every day nowadays. It is also easy to underestimate tasks and this can leave you feeling, tired and exhausted all the time.

Boosting low energy is essential to managing your day-to-day tasks and ensures that you also feel revitalised every day. Allowing you to enjoy your life.

Managing fatigue and boosting your energy can help you see better results in the gym, at work and in your personal life. It can help you go the extra mile in your relationships too.

Many people turn straight to quick fixes like coffee to boost low energy levels and prevent fatigue. While this does help, it might not be the best long-term solution. We will cover why this is later.

Feelings of tiredness, fatigue and exhaustion, especially if it is all the time, usually indicate a whole-body issue that needs to be addressed.

How Do I Boost My Energy Levels naturally

There are several reasons why you may be feeling tired and fatigued all the time, but the solutions are generally quite straightforward. Whether that is a lack of certain vitamins, other essential nutrients or restful sleep.

Most people are not getting enough nutrients to support their day-to-day functions and this dangerous imbalance can lead to burn out or fatigue later on.

While always sensible to contact a healthcare professional in serious cases of fatigue, as there could be another underlying issue, there is no harm in exploring ways to improve and boost your energy naturally.

Boosting energy levels affects many different processes in your body. It also helps to maintain your mood. Let’s cover some of the best ways to get an energy boost naturally to prevent you feeling exhausted all the time.

How Do I Boost My Energy: Energy Boosting Vitamins

B-Complex Vitamins

All of the B complex vitamins are essential to normal energy production. They play key roles in respiration where energy is formed from glucose or other input molecules.

Certain foods, drinks or supplements that are high in some of the key B complex vitamins such as B1, B3, B6 and B12 can boost energy levels and protect against fatigue.

Supplementing with high doses of vitamin B1, Thiamine, and vitamin B2, riboflavin, helped to reduce key markers of physical fatigue.

Many of the B complex vitamins are essential cofactors for the energy production cycle. Your energy production and boosting capacity can be severely limited without these essential vitamins.

Deficiencies in the key B vitamins lead to mental fatigue, severely reduced memory and brain functioning.

Vitamins such as nicotinamide or niacin form one of the earliest starting points of ATP or energy production.

Vitamin B3 (Niacin) is one of the most highly conserved vitamins in higher organisms. One of the reasons we eat mushrooms is because of their B vitamin content.

Vitamin B12

Your intestinal bacteria also produce vitamin B3 and other B vitamins. We have a symbiotic relationship with many difference microbes in our gut and they can boost energy production from fermentation of foods that we eat.

This is why it is important to look after your gut health, as quite often you gut bacteria are performing duties that are essential for your health that you can’t see.

Microbes help with your vitamin B12 intake in the gut, as it is one of the most difficult vitamins to obtain from your diet. It is also essential to healthy red blood cell and energy production. Folic acid or folate, Vitamin B9, is essential for healthy red blood cell formation and energy production alongside vitamin B12.

B12 is quite interesting, in that the mouth is sensitive to it, being permeable through the underside of the tongue in high quantities. You can supplement for vitamin B12 and quite often B12 deficiency is a cause of fatigue and tiredness. There aren’t actually that many gut bacteria that can make B12, which is also why healthy gut bacteria are so important.

Because of the amounts of pesticides in our foods there are less healthy bacteria in our guts. This can reduce vitamin B12 levels so it is important to make sure you eat fresh foods to have optimum levels of B12.

B complex vitamins on the whole are absolutely vital for optimum energy levels and reducing fatigue.

To obtain adequate amounts of B complex vitamins you must consume different foods including red meats, yoghurt which specifically contains high levels of B12, fish, leafy greens and eggs.

Because of this B complex vitamin supplements are very popular.

Vitamin C

The relationship between vitamin C and energy production is not really discussed. However, vitamin C has a direct impact on levels of iron in the blood.

Iron affects oxygen intake and energy production. Taking vitamin C can help to boost energy production through this increase in iron uptake.

In the most serious cases of vitamin C deficiency, you can develop scurvy. The symptoms of this include fatigue and muscle pains.

Supplementing with vitamin C has been found to significantly improve symptoms of fatigue.

You can find vitamin C in pretty much any bright coloured fruit. The brighter coloured the better and there is reason for that.

Bright coloured fruits are ripe, ready to eat and also contain the most vitamin C.

We have built a symbiotic relationship through eating fruits that have high amounts of vitamin C. They provide vitamin C we ensure their continued existence and grow more of them.

Energy Boosting Minerals, Herbs and Compounds

Caffeine

We previously spoke about caffeine in relation to fatigue and boosting energy levels. Caffeine can be useful to combat fatigue and tiredness as a temporary measure but its effects do wear off.

Also, caffeine is not really tackling one of the causes of fatigue, it is just masking symptoms of tiredness. While caffeine has been shown to boost workout productivity it is masking the effects of tiredness.

Caffeine inhibits the feeling of tiredness through certain receptors in the brain.

While caffeine could be quite useful, it is not the best way to boost your feelings of energy or boosting energy levels.

You can also get adrenal fatigue from caffeine use and this can contribute to feelings of exhaustion in the long term.

Caffeine also slightly elevates cortisol and oestrogen levels in the short term. Higher oestrogen levels acutely reduce overall energy requirements.

You can find caffeine in a strong coffee, tea or green tea. I would not recommend drinking tea or coffee after 12 noon as you won’t be able to sleep properly.

Polyphenols

Compounds known as polyphenols stimulate the movement of oxygen into the brain. They are found in green teas and dark chocolate.

Polyphenols help to improve energy production in the brain, which uses most of your body’s energy reserves. They can therefore help you to feel less tired and more energised.

Iron

One crucial mineral to optimum energy levels is iron. We’ve spoken about iron before, but it’s important to state the importance of iron in terms of fatigue and boosting energy levels.

Iron is important because of haemoglobin. Red blood cells, containing haemoglobin, carry oxygen to the brain and muscles. The oxygen then takes part in energy making from sugar and other molecules that you eat.

Restricted oxygen supply to the brain impairs your brain functioning and causes fatigue. After heavy brain use your bodies glucose and oxygen levels decrease massively and this leads to mental fatigue and tiredness.

Your oxygen carrying red blood cells are made of haemoglobin. Naturally iron and supplementing with iron can reduce feelings of fatigue, allowing the body to feel revitalised.

It’s not just the reduced oxygen levels that can cause fatigue but also decreased activity of enzymes that contain iron.

When iron levels are dramatically reduced, this is classed as a medical condition known as anaemia.

Supplementing with iron has been shown to increase work capacity an take home pay range from up to 30% of previous levels.

Copper

Copper is linked with iron for improving and boosting energy levels.

Found in high amounts in nuts, copper is crucial for red blood cell formation. Copper is very much overlooked when managing fatigue and low energy levels.

Copper is a rate limiter on making red blood cells.  

Magnesium

Magnesium is another mineral that is overlooked when one thing to boost energy levels and reduce fatigue but it is quite important.

With a magnesium deficiency you may experience fatigue, staggering and lethargy.

We have covered magnesium previously and it is very crucial for normal functioning of the muscles.

Magnesium may make muscle respiration more efficient and increases glucose availability in the brain. This is how it is thought to reduce fatigue.

Supplementing with magnesium has been shown to reduce perceived fatigue from exercise and illness in various studies.

Chromium

Chromium is essential to the healthy processing of natural sugar in the body for energy production. It has been linked to healthy ATP production. So, this is another mineral that is vital for energy boosting and combating tiredness.

Eating healthy sugars is important to maintaining energy levels throughout the day.

Of course, too much sugar can lead to other health issues such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease and weight gain. This is to be avoided.

People try to avoid eating sugar through choosing diet forms of certain brands. Often these contain high levels of sugar mimicking sweeteners.

This could actually be worse than eating sugar, as often they are unnatural to the body and your cells don’t really know how to process these.

Some sweeteners are up to 1000 times sweeter than sugar and can lead to insulin hormone disruption. This is one of the leading causes of diabetes. This can also be a cause of feeling fatigued all the time.

You can find chromium in pepper spice, seafood or meats.

Electrolytes: Chloride & Iodide

Many of the minerals we’ve mentioned here are known as electrolytes. With excessive exercise many of these electrolytes are lost through sweating. Maintaining electrolyte balance is essential for the proper functioning of your body and muscles.

Sometimes muscle fatigue can result from electrolyte imbalances or deficiencies in certain minerals. This can include electrolytes such as chloride or iodide that are essential to normal metabolism.

These electrolytes also have partners, for iodide this is usually selenium and this found in high amounts in soil growing vegetation. Selenium is also very important for maintaining normal energy levels and protecting the thyroid gland.

You can obtain necessary amounts of these sorts of electrolytes from fish and they are important to maintaining normal energy levels.

Ginseng

We previously covered ginseng as a stress relieving adaptogen.

There are various types of ginseng and Panax ginseng in particular has been studied in relation to energy and quality of life. Ginseng is often used to boost and maintain natural energy levels.

Studies on animals and human use has shown that Panax ginseng and other varieties improve energy utilisation and reduce fatigue.

Ginseng is thought to boost energy levels through protecting the mitochondria.

Rhodiola

We also discussed Rhodiola rosea, a plant used to relieve exhaustion and stress.

Rhodiola is used in natural medicine because of its potential to increase muscle endurance, protect the body from inflammatory agents and to protect the heart.

Rhodiola rosea contains various plant exclusive compounds such as salidroside, rosavins and Rhodiola specific flavonoids that exert antioxidant activities within the body.

These activities are thought to be responsible for the improvement in ATP production and stress reduction that is seen when taking Rhodiola extract. For these reasons Rhodiola could help to boost energy levels and reduce feelings of fatigue when taken over a long time.

Ashwagandha

Another favourite adaptogenic plant here is ashwagandha. We have also discussed this in some detail as a supplemental adaptogen that can help with sleep quality and mental awareness.

Through aiding healthy sleep and cognitive alertness ashwagandha could be beneficial in boosting energy levels and reducing fatigue felt throughout the day.

Coenzyme Q10

Coenzyme Q10 or Co Q10 is an essential molecule for healthy energy production in the body. Co Q10 has antioxidant activity within your energy producing areas of the body, known as mitochondria.

Co Q10 therefore protects proper energy production in the body. Coenzyme Q10 supplementation could help to reduce fatigue and can help to boost energy levels too.

Coenzyme Q10 is found in large amounts in red meats and avocado.

Creatine

Creatine is used in sport to drive higher results through improved muscle energy levels. A compound found in large amounts in red meat, creatine is essential to maintaining healthy energy levels.

Creatine is used by most professional athletes to aid healthy muscle recovery and increase performance levels.

Supplementing with additional creatine over a long period of time is generally considered to be quite safe up to a certain point.

There are risks with supplemental creatine and it is generally recommended that you vary your intake of creatine. You should also slightly increase your water intake to avoid dehydration.

Creatine misuse can cause long term effects such as higher fatigue, through kidney or liver issues. The body can become desensitised to creatine with excess intake.

Creatine can therefore be used effectively to combat fatigue and boost energy levels.

Amino Acids and Proteins: Glutamine, Leucine & Tryptophan

The body requires a certain amount of protein and constituent amino acids.

Some of the essential amino acids are more important than others in combating fatigue but some amino acids do not influence energy levels much.

For example, glutamine supplementation increased muscle glycogen synthesis and reduced muscle damage. Glutamine slightly reduced muscle fatigue in some studies.

Another amino acid called leucine, was able to reduce muscle soreness and fatigue in sports players.

Often patients with chronic fatigue display abnormalities in amino acid levels, showing the importance of amino acids in boosting energy levels.

Other amino acids such as tryptophan can temporarily increase feelings of fatigue through natural changes in hormones such as melatonin. Though these wear off fairly quickly.

People can feel sleepy after eating tryptophan rich foods such as Turkey or avocado.

How Do I Boost My Energy: Healthy Sugars

Sometimes you just need a hearty meal and a quick fix of sugar to really get your energy levels up.

While digestion and absorption might take a while you will start to feel your energy levels picking up again.

You will want to eat foods with a high glycaemic index that release lots of sugar into the blood. For example, a commercial cereal.

There are various types of sugars available from the foods you can buy at the grocery store.

Beta-glucans, like those found in porridge, are slow sustained release and will last the entire day. This gives you a steady release of energy throughout the day.

Alpha glucose is the body’s preferred energy input, a more usual sugar than Beta-glucans, that is rapidly broken down. You find alpha glucose in most breakfast cereals and wheat-based pasta in high amounts.

All sorts of sugars are used by the body including fructose, from fruit, but must be converted to glucose first to be used.

Your body can use protein and fats as a source of energy, known as ketogenesis.

This is not preferred for energy production and usually happens when the body is fasting, when sugar is not available. This is why diabetics faint if they don’t manage their diabetes properly.

If you are feeling tired a lot or all the time, you might want to avoid this sort of scenario.

Reducing Highly Processed Foods

Eating a healthy diet with reduced amounts of highly processed foods can also help to protect your energy levels and reduce fatigue in the long term.

While processed foods and fast food might provide a short-term energy gain through calorie content, they might not contain a lot of the vitamins and minerals that you need every day to support proper energy function.

In the long term, you ideally want to be eating as many fresh foods from varied sources as possible to boost your energy levels and reduce feelings of tiredness.

How Do I Boost My Energy: Rest and Sleep

Rest and sleep are essential to preserving overall energy levels. Sleep allows the body to rest, recover and reset.

Most importantly sleep allows the brain to become inactive. All these things reduce overall energy costs to the body.

About 8 to 9 hours of sleep are recommended each night, any more than this might be detrimental to your health. However, you might find you really needed some rest.

How Do I Boost My Energy: Relax and Take a Break

From work professions to sports, rest breaks are integrated in to ensure full focus and concentration.

We have talked about the importance of sleep, resting is similar to sleep and allows the brain to run on a reduced functioning capacity. This process reduces the energy used and results in a temporary net energy gain.

If you try to reduce the amount of stress and stressful circumstances in your life, you might find that you have a renewed sense of energy too.

Conclusion

Here we’ve covered some of the most effective methods to revitalise and boost your energy levels.

Obviously proper nutrition should come first, eating the right foods and even taking supplements to assist with a normal energy balance.

In addition to healthy sugars, amino acids seem to play a role in fatigue reduction.

The foundations of reducing fatigue and maintaining high energy levels are making sure you have adequate levels of the B complex vitamins and iron. You should also ensure you have a good intake of minerals and electrolytes, such as magnesium and copper.

Proper sleep and rest are also very important. This allows your body to repair itself so you are ready for the next day.

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