Condition
Athletic Performance
Athletic performance is how well your body handles exercise, shaped by strength, endurance, hydration and recovery. The evidence is moderate for electrolytes, as trials found sodium-containing drinks helped people retain fluid and restore body water after exercise better than plain water. Thai ginseng improved grip strength in two small trials of athletes, but the evidence is limited, and most other options rest on small studies or animal work.
Sources: PMID 10919961; PMID 25957542
- Updated
- How we grade
- 19 studies cited
- Supplements studied
- 9
- Graded outcomes
- 9
Evidence by supplement
- Strong
- Moderate
- Limited
- Very limited
| Grade | Outcome | Effect | Size | Studies | People | Studies list |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Post-Exercise Rehydration Multiple human trials show electrolyte-containing beverages significantly improve fluid retention and total body water restoration after exercise compared to plain water. Some studies also report reduced post-workout lactic acid accumulation. Sodium content appears to be the key driver of improved fluid retention by maintaining plasma osmolality. | Improves (the measure goes up) | Moderate effect | 2 studies | 500 people | ||
Studies that measured post-exercise rehydration | ||||||
| Grade | Outcome | Effect | Size | Studies | People | Studies list |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fatigue Resistance In rodent models, Trichopus zeylanicus extracts (250-500 mg/kg) significantly increased swimming endurance time in young rats (p<0.005) and aged mice (p<0.01) without amphetamine-mimetic activity. Multiple independent groups have confirmed anti-fatigue effects, with one study showing enhanced free fatty acid utilization over glucose during exercise. Traditional use by the Kani tribe for sustained physical activity is consistent with these findings. | Changes; see studies | Moderate effect | 5 studies | |||
Studies that measured fatigue resistance | ||||||
Tetraselmis Chuii
- Exercise Recovery: improves
| Grade | Outcome | Effect | Size | Studies | People | Studies list |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Exercise Recovery Three small human RCTs (n=19-32 each) found 25 mg/day Tetraselmis chuii for 14-16 days reduced creatine kinase by 14% post-exercise, preserved squat jump power (15% less decline vs placebo), and improved perceived recovery by 16%. Force development returned to baseline only in the supplementation group. | Improves (the measure goes up) | Moderate effect | 4 studies | 70 people | ||
Studies that measured exercise recovery
| ||||||
East Indian globe thistle
- Muscle Strength and Exercise Performance: improves
| Grade | Outcome | Effect | Size | Studies | People | Studies list |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Muscle Strength and Exercise Performance Two RCTs of a proprietary S. indicus + Mangifera indica blend in young healthy men found significant improvements in bench press (+27.6 kg vs +4.95 kg placebo), leg press, handgrip strength, and treadmill endurance over 8 weeks. The blend also improved lean body mass and reduced cortisol. Note: human trials used a botanical blend, not S. indicus alone. | Improves (the measure goes up) | Moderate effect | 2 studies | 139 people | ||
Studies that measured muscle strength and exercise performance
| ||||||
Thai Ginseng
- Physical Performance: improves
| Grade | Outcome | Effect | Size | Studies | People | Studies list |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Physical Performance Two double-blind, placebo-controlled RCTs in athletes show consistent grip strength improvements. In 60 soccer players (180mg/day, 12 weeks), right-hand grip strength was significantly increased. A larger trial in 194 adolescent athletes (360mg/day, 12 weeks) found significant increases in grip strength, back-leg strength, VO2max, and sprint speed, though flexibility and agility were unaffected. | Improves (the measure goes up) | Small effect | 2 studies | 254 people | ||
Studies that measured physical performance
| ||||||
Alanine
- Exercise Performance (with BCAAs): improves
| Grade | Outcome | Effect | Size | Studies | People | Studies list |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Exercise Performance (with BCAAs) In exercising mice, a BCAAs plus L-alanine combination improved muscle force output, reduced fatigability, and enhanced the pAMPK/AMPK ratio compared to controls. The effect of L-alanine independent of BCAAs is unclear, and no human trials have tested this combination for performance outcomes. | Improves (the measure goes up) | Small effect | 4 studies | |||
Studies that measured exercise performance (with bcaas) | ||||||
Vitamin B5 (Pantothenic Acid)
- Exercise Endurance
| Grade | Outcome | Effect | Size | Studies | People | Studies list |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Exercise Endurance No Significant Effect | NoneNo effect | 120 people |
Pinitol
- Creatine Retention: improves
| Grade | Outcome | Effect | Size | Studies | People | Studies list |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Creatine Retention One small human trial (Greenwood 2001, n=12) found low-dose D-pinitol (1 g/day) co-ingested with creatine increased whole-body creatine retention over a 3-day loading phase. However, a double-blind RCT (Kerksick 2009, n=24) found creatine plus D-pinitol did not improve lean mass, strength, or body composition over 4 weeks of resistance training compared to creatine alone. | Improves (the measure goes up) | Small effect | 36 people |
ZMA
- Muscle Strength: improves
| Grade | Outcome | Effect | Size | Studies | People | Studies list |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Muscle Strength The original patent-holder-funded study reported strength gains in football players supplemented with ZMA. Independent RCTs (e.g., Wilborn et al., 2004) found no significant improvements in muscle strength, power output, or training adaptations compared to placebo in resistance-trained men with adequate zinc and magnesium status. Strength benefits appear limited to individuals correcting an underlying zinc or magnesium deficiency. | Improves (the measure goes up) | Small effect | 85 people |
Key findings
- Post-Exercise RehydrationImproves (the measure goes up)
- Fatigue ResistanceChanges; see studies
- Exercise RecoveryImproves (the measure goes up)
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Studies cited
19 studies from PubMed
- A botanical extract blend of Mangifera indica and Sphaeranthus indicus combined with resistance exercise training improves muscle strength and endurance over exercise alone in young men: a randomized, blinded, placebo-controlled trial
- A proprietary blend of Sphaeranthus indicus flower head and Mangifera indica bark extracts increases muscle strength and enhances endurance in young male volunteers: a randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled trial
- Supplementation of Kaempferia parviflora Extract Enhances Physical Fitness and Modulates Parameters of Heart Rate Variability in Adolescent Student-Athletes: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Clinical Study
- Side effects of amino acid supplements
- Marine Phytoplankton Improves Exercise Recovery in Humans and Activates Repair Mechanisms in Rats
- Marine phytoplankton improves recovery and sustains immune function in humans and lowers proinflammatory immunoregulatory cytokines in a rat model
- Phytoplankton Supplementation Lowers Muscle Damage and Sustains Performance across Repeated Exercise Bouts in Humans and Improves Antioxidant Capacity in a Mechanistic Animal
- Ergogenic Effect of BCAAs and L-Alanine Supplementation: Proof-of-Concept Study in a Murine Model of Physiological Exercise
- Safety assessment of a lyophilized biomass of Tetraselmis chuii (TetraSOD) in a 90 day feeding study
- Effect of Kaempferia parviflora Extract on Physical Fitness of Soccer Players: A Randomized Double-Blind Placebo-Controlled Trial
- Fluid and electrolyte needs for training, competition, and recovery
- Trichopus zeylanicus combats fatigue without amphetamine-mimetic activity
- Antioxidant and DNA protecting properties of anti-fatigue herb Trichopus zeylanicus
- Adrenocorticosterone alterations in male, albino mice treated with Trichopus zeylanicus, Withania somnifera and Panax ginseng preparations
- Fluid and electrolyte supplementation for exercise heat stress
- Cerebral alanine transport and alanine aminotransferase reaction: alanine as a source of neuronal glutamate
- Adaptogenic activity of seeds of Trichopus zeylanicus Gaertn, the ginseng of Kerala
- 'Arogyappacha' (Trichopus zeylanicus Gaerin), the 'Ginseng' of Kani Tribes of Agashyar Hills (Kerala) for Ever Green Health and Vitality
- Amino acid metabolism in exercising man