Dr Alan C. Logan, ND, FRSH

Energy Crisis

By Dr. Alan C. Logan, ND, FRSH

Every day, it seems, there is a new technological advance that diminishes our need to use calories. Today, we can do so many things with a simple touch of a button. We use batteries, electricity and fossil fuels in order to make life simpler and conserve our own energy. Yet despite it all, North Americans are more fatigued than ever.

Almost 40% of otherwise healthy North Americans feel that a lack of energy is interfering with daily function. Employees both in North America and Western Europe are tired and fatigued. A European study found that 70% of employees describe themselves as tired most or all of time, and 50% use the word exhausted. It doesn’t matter if you have the cushy corner office or you are on the front lines of assembly – employees of all ranks are fatigued. Approximately one-quarter of about 12,000 employees report both fatigue (as measured by cognitive problems, reduced motivation and/or low levels of activity) and significant psychological distress in the workplace. Fatigue is one of the most common medically unexplained symptoms reported to primary care doctors – more than 25% of patients in a general practice report fatigue as a symptom.

Why the human energy crisis? Why is it that we reach for the so-called “energy drinks” - you know the 250ml tin can with almost 30 grams of sugar (or nice dose of aspartame)? There is no single answer to that question - there are lots of contributors to us being a fatigued bunch. The modern sedentary lifestyle and stressors are likely huge factors, and the calorie-dense, nutrient-poor diet only compounds the situation. Our diminishing hours of restful sleep may be a key player in promoting fatigue, stress and poor dietary choices.

Here is some food for thought:

According to research published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (2005), over 61% of Americans aged 2 and older do not meet even the minimal recommended intake of magnesium. This is likely because magnesium is abundant in deeply green vegetables and whole grains. A sad state when you consider that magnesium is critically important in maintaining energy and balancing our sleep cycle.
According to research published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (2005), over 73% of Americans aged 2 and older do not meet even the minimal recommended intake of zinc. Again, a sad state when you consider that low zinc levels have been associated with fatigue – from low endurance in athletes, to more significant fatigue in chronic fatigue syndrome, low zinc zaps energy levels.
Dietary antioxidants reside in our most healthy foods – whole grains, deeply colored fruits and vegetables, berries, nuts, green tea, and culinary spices. However, the North American diet is not top-heavy in these foods. On the contrary, just five foods – canned tomatoes, onions, iceberg lettuce and potatoes (predominantly frozen) make up 50% of our vegetable intake. Only a mere 3.5% of our energy intake from grains is accounted for by nutrient and fiber-rich whole grains. Antioxidants can help to promote energy and endurance. A host of new experimental studies are now showing that dietary antioxidants lower fatigue-inducing lactate and enhance the use of fat as an energy source. The endurance-improving effects of antioxidants such as green tea are mediated, at least partly, by increased metabolic capacity and utilization of fatty acid as a source of energy in skeletal muscle during exercise. A new human study using the multiple antioxidant-food powder greens+ supports the animal studies on antioxidants and energy. Researchers at the University of Toronto showed that greens+ (with 24 plant-based, antioxidant-rich ingredients) compared to placebo led to significant improvements in energy and vitality in over 100 fatigued, but healthy Torontonian women.
Sleep is absolutely essential for optimal energy levels, yet we are getting less and less of this precious commodity. The proportion of young adults who are sleeping eight or more hours has been cut in half between the years 1960 and 2002. During the same period, the proportion of young adults sleeping less than 7 hours per night has also more than doubled. More and more young adults are turning to sleep medications – from 2000-2004 there has been a 200% increase in spending among 20-44 year olds on sleep medications. Even the use of sleep medications among 10 to 19 year olds has increased by 85%. Lack of sleep promotes mental and physical fatigue and ignites the stress branch of the nervous system. Humans and animals who are sleep deprived eat more total calories and are more likely to turn to high-sugar and high-fat dietary choices. This of course promotes greater fatigue and so it goes.
Stress is intricately involved in the fatigue epidemic. The physiological changes which occur through chronic stress, even low levels of so-called daily hassles, will rapidly zap energy. A stressful environment overtaxes the inhibitory centers and in the brain which are like filters that allow for focus on the task at hand. The stressful environment impairs vigilance and mental performance. Thanks to some of our technological advances the line between work and home/recreation has become blurred – email and cell phones mean that we are always on the clock. In the past co-workers wouldn’t have dreamt of calling a home phone at night or on the weekend – not so in today’s world where the cell and PC are an extension of work. Preliminary studies are showing that this intrusion, where work comes into the home via technology, is exhausting, promotes irritability and leads to psychological distress in the home. Stress can interfere with sleep and it can further promote fatigue-inducing dietary choices.