on Profile of Mood States (POMS)
Talbott S, Talbott J, Jackson V, Larsen W.
SupplementWatch, Inc. and Treehouse Athletic Club
Draper, UT, USA.
The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of a dietary supplement containing a traditional Asian medicine (TAM) on perceptions of mood, energy, tension, and fatigue in active men and women following a marathon run. TAM is a blend of 16 herbal/fruit extracts with historical uses in traditional Asian medicine for increasing energy levels and boosting mood. The TAM blend contained hot-water extracts of longan, lycium (goji), astragalus, jujube date, gac, cili, hawthorn, seabuckthorn, coriolus, rhodiola, schisandra, tangerine peel, ginger, mangosteen, durian, and litchi (lychee). Each ingredient is known to possess various individual effects including antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, vasodilatation, and others – but the overall effect of this TAM formulation has not been evaluated. A logical mechanism exists whereby each ingredient may be expected to influence mood, energy, and related psychological parameters. For example, chemical analysis of longan has identified polyphenols (J Agri Food Chemistry 2005) and cerebrosides (Arch Pharmacal Res 2003), while studies in rodents have shown longan feeding to induce anxiolytic and analgesic effects which the authors attribute to adenosine content (Planta Medica 1999). Based on the traditional uses and nutritional content of TAM, we hypothesized that marathon runners may benefit from consumption of TAM during the critical 2-week post-marathon period when oxidation, inflammation, tension, and fatigue are especially elevated. Subjects (N=39, 17 men, 22 women, age = 36 + 9 years) were recruited prior to a marathon run (26.2 miles) and randomly assigned to TAM (3 ounces daily suspended in a fruit juice blend, N=20) or to a control group (orange juice, N=19) for 2 weeks. Each participant completed the marathon and a Profile of Mood States (POMS) survey before (baseline) and 2-weeks (post) following the marathon. There were no significant differences between groups on Global Mood State or any of the 6 POMS subscales at baseline. Following the marathon, the TAM group experienced significantly higher scores for Global Mood State (+16%, p=0.03) and Vigor (+30%, p=0.03), compared to control. The TAM group also showed significantly lower scores for Tension (-49%, p=0.02), Fatigue (-53%, p=0.02), and Confusion (-43%, p=0.04) compared to control. Indices of Depression (-66%, p=0.06) and Anger (-56%, p=0.06) were also lower in TAM compared to control, but did not reach statistical significance. These results suggest that daily TAM consumption is associated with improvements in subjective perceptions of mood, energy, tension, and fatigue – and provide support for the historical use of this TAM formulation in traditional Asian medicine. Additional studies of TAM supplementation are warranted to determine effects in other subject populations and to elucidate the mechanisms underlying such effects (e.g. antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anxiolytic, etc).
Disclosure statement: This study was funded by the distributor of a TAM-containing juice (GoYin) and S. Talbott serves as a paid scientific advisor to the company.
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