Conscious Choice: Fighting Fatigue...<i>Naturally</i>

February 2003 | Health Conscious

Fighting Fatigue...Naturally

by Bill Sardi

Fatigue is a common symptom reported by up to 20 percent of patients seeking care from primary care physicians in the United States according to Melvin R. Werbach, M.D., a faculty member at the University of California at Los Angeles, patients should start by modifying their diets: avoid simple carbohydrates, caffeine, and sugar, and selectively use food supplements to overcome that too-common run-down feeling.

Several common origins of fatigue may be iron or B-vitamin deficiency anemias (red blood cell shortage); iron overload; or a shortage of nutritional co-factors involved in producing energy, adenosine triphosphate (ATP) at the cellular level.

The nutritional factors contributing to fatigue vary with age and gender. Menstruating women are more likely to feel tired because of an iron deficiency, whereas men 40 years and older are more likely to tire from iron overload. Poor absorption of vitamin B12 causes a high percentage of older adults to feel tired. Post-surgical patients may tire easily from blood loss (anemia).

Iron In The Balance

Both low and high iron levels may induce fatigue. Low iron levels are a common reason for women feeling tired. While anemia may be understandably common among menstruating females — as prevalent as one in five women — only two percent of males are anemic. But the anemia rate of adults older than 85 may be similarly high — ranging from 17 to 28 percent. Anemia in this population not only increases symptoms of fatigue but is also associated with higher mortality rates.

Anemia has many underlying causes. Because the body stores 80 percent of its iron in red blood cells, blood loss can cause fatigue. Blood donation, malabsorption, menstruation, peptic ulcers, and pregnancy are common causes of iron shortage and subsequent fatigue.

Iron overload is the flip side of iron-linked fatigue. In a state of iron overload, fatigue is often accompanied by arthritis, diabetes, infertility, male impotence, skin pigmentation, and liver or heart disease. The only reliable way to distinguish iron overload from anemia is to conduct a blood test that measures the amount of iron being transported back to the liver, the percentage of saturation, and serum iron and ferretin levels.

Supplemental Approaches

Because fatigue often demands a quick remedy, food supplements are often employed rather than foods alone.

* Vitamin B12 deficiency may cause fatigue. It may initially be accompanied by indigestion or diarrhea and by short-term memory loss, sore tongue, and tingling, burning, or numb feet in advanced stages. This deficiency disease is also called pernicious anemia. Deficiency symptoms also include confusion, loss of vibration sensation, and walking and balance disturbances.

* Coenzyme Q10 (Co-Q10) is vital for the production of cellular energy (ATP) and heart-pumping action. Heart failure is likely to produce symptoms of fatigue and swelling. The onset of a heart attack may be preceded by unusual tiredness, which may indicate a need for more Co-Q10. Studies indicate doses of 100-255 milligrams (mg)/day supplemental Co-Q10 have successfully reversed heart failure. In one study, the daily provision of 200 mg Co-Q10 produced universal relief from fatigue and shortness of breath among seven U.S. patients with enlarged hearts. A review of 14 studies conducted between 1984 and 1994 showed that Co-Q10 improved heart performance in patients with congestive heart failure.

* Vitamin B6 supports natural Co-Q10 production in living tissues, so supplementing with this B vitamin and Co-Q10 is reasonable. Magnesium also is an essential nutrient in the production of ATP.

* Herbal approaches to overcome fatigue may also be beneficial, particularly because of minimal side effects. Rhodiola (Rhodiola rosea) has been reported to reduce stress-related fatigue. In a placebo-controlled, double-blind, crossover trial, low-dose treatment with a standardized extract of rhodiola reduced symptoms of fatigue in 56 young, healthy male and female physicians on night duty. Subjects in the two-week study took 170 mg/day, containing approximately 4.5 mg salidroside.

Fatigue often has elusive origins, but accompanying symptoms often provide clues. Nutritional factors play a primary role in fatigue resolution.

Bill Sardi is a health journalist writing from Diamond Bar, Ca. He is the author of The Iron Time Bomb (Bill Sardi, 1999).

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