Supplements for Gamers – WholeFoods Magazine

About 3 billion folks around the globe participate in video video games and about 74% of households in the U.S. have at the very least a person family members member who performs video clip video games (1). Furthermore, approximately 76% of People in america below 18 and 67% of older people perform game titles, whilst 7% of people today older than 65 engage in video online games.

With the raising reputation of video gaming, it’s no shock that gamers have grow to be more competitive. This has led to “eSports” (i.e., electronic sporting activities), a form of level of competition using video video games (2). Taking the form of organized, multiplayer online video game competitions, by the late 2000s dwell streaming saw a big surge in recognition in eSports through spectatorship of specialist avid gamers (3,4). Then, in Oct of 2017, the International Olympic Committee lent legitimacy to video gaming by acknowledging the increasing reputation of eSports, concluding that competitive eSports could be regarded as as a sporting exercise (5).

In thing to consider of the rise of eSports, not to mention the sporting wish to attain your particular most effective in the sport of your option, this all offers an chance to build nutritional health supplement formulas for avid gamers. The objective of this kind of formulations would most likely be to enhance gamers’ concentration, endurance, accuracy, selection building, and reaction time—as well as giving them with protection versus damaging blue mild (additional on this afterwards). So now, let’s appear at people nutraceuticals that have been researched in human medical exploration for these functions.

Inositol-increased arginine silicate

A double-blind placebo-controlled review (6) examined the result of an inositol-increased arginine silicate oral dietary supplement (nooLVL, 1500 mg + 100 mg of added inositol) on cognitive general performance and energy in eSport avid gamers. Sixty healthful guys and gals who invested 5 or a lot more several hours a 7 days enjoying online video game titles have been randomly assigned to consider the nutritional supplement or placebo for 7 days. On day 1 and 7, in advance of and 15 minutes just after dosing, topics accomplished the pursuing cognitive tests:

• Trail Creating Check (TMT) – Steps visible attention and task switching.
• Stroop Exam – Actions selective notice capability and skills, and processing pace.
• Profile of Temper States (POMS) Questionnaire – Steps temper by focusing on rigidity-stress, melancholy-dejection, anger-hostility, vigor-activity, tiredness-inertia, and confusion-bewilderment.

Subjects then played a movie activity for 60 min. Right away just after, cognitive tests were repeated. Self-noted vitality degrees amplified, anger diminished, and TMT test glitches diminished in the complement team in comparison to placebo (p < 0.05). Fatigue, TMT score improved in the supplement group compared to baseline (p < 0.05). After 60 min of gaming, supplementation decreased Stroop Test errors and TMT time (p < 0.05). These data appear to support the use of inositol-enhanced arginine silicate in eSport gamers looking to improve their accuracy, decision making, and reaction time during gaming.

Aronia melanocarpa extract

An open label study (7) was conducted to investigate the effects of a proprietary Aronia melanocarpa extract (BrainBerry) on self-assessed cognitive performance and mood in young, healthy female and male amateur gamers. Participants took part in three gaming sessions at the end of which they had to fill out an online questionnaire to rate their perceived gaming skills, mood, and sleep quality. The first gaming session was played without any supplement intake (baseline). On the second trial day the 7-days supplementation began with a daily dose of one Aronia extract effervescent tablet (65 mg Aronia extract 9.17 mg caffeine, 2.9 mcg vitamin B12). The same questionnaire was completed after acute and following 7 days of supplementation. Results were that a significant improvement in perceived eye-hand coordination, focus, energy, concentration and reaction time scores were observed following acute and 7-day ingestion of Aronia extract in comparison to baseline. Differences in perceived multi-tasking ability and happiness scores were also significantly (P < 0.05) increased after 7-day Aronia extract supplementation compared to baseline.

In conclusion, short-term administration of Aronia extract resulted in significant beneficial effects on self-assessed cognitive performance and mood during a video-gaming session. This is the first study to demonstrate acute & short-term improvement in eye-hand coordination, focus, energy, happiness following supplementation with a clinically validated Aronia extract. It should be noted that no negative impact was recorded on quality of sleep, fatigue and anxiety. This data suggests that Aronia extract could be a meaningful addition to any dietary supplement that aims to improve gaming performance in a natural way.

Lutein and zeaxanthin

Digital devices, such as video display terminals on computers (monitors), projects a wavelength of light called blue light which penetrate deeply into the eye, and has great potential to damage retinal tissue by inducing free radicals, etc. (8-11). Research indicates that headache, eye fatigue and other indications of eye strain are associated with the daily use of video display terminals on computers and other electronic devices, and are common with 3 or more hours/day of exposure and such exposure is common. In fact, 30% of adults spend more than half their waking hours (more than 9 hours) using a digital device, 50% of Americans use digital devices more than 5 hours a day, and 70% use two or more digital devices at the same time. 

Research (12) has shown that the following values of symptom prevalence were found in women and men, respectively who had extended daily exposure to blue light: eye strain 50.7% and 32.6%, disturbed visual acuity 38.3% and 21.2%, mucosal dryness and eye burning 46.5% and 24.2%. Such visual health related symptoms in adults and children resulting from blue light digital exposure is now referred to as Computer Vision Syndrome (CVS) (13). Clearly, gamers are at high risk for CVS.

The good news is that supplementation with lutein and zeaxanthin isomers can provide substantial protection against blue light damage. These carotenoids are located in the eye—specifically the macula region of the retina. Because these carotenoids are yellow, they selectively absorb high-energy blue light, effectively protecting the retina region from the light spectrum that can cause tissue damage, and limiting the ability of light to generate free-radical oxygen and inflammation. Essentially, they act as primary filters of high-energy blue light. You might think of them as an internal pair of sunglasses for your eyes.

Multiple studies (14-18) have demonstrated that a specific blend of lutein and zeaxanthin isomers (Lutemax 2020) reduced headaches, eye fatigue and eye strain, improved visual performance and total antioxidant potential, reduced psychological stress and improved sleep quality. Doses used in these studies ranged between 10-20 mg of lutein and 2-4 mg of zeaxanthin.

Video gaming/ eSports has become a prevalent activity amongst Americans, and many gamers may wish to improve concentration, endurance, accuracy, decision making, and reaction time—as well as gain protection against harmful blue light. Supplementation with inositol-enhanced arginine silicate and a proprietary Aronia melanocarpa extract, as well as lutein and zeaxanthin, may help gamers to achieve those goals. Dietary supplement brand owners would do well to consider a gaming supplement as a potential addition to their product line.

Related: Naturally Informed Education: E-Sports & Gaming
Nutritional Keys to Mentally Sharper & Stress-Free!

References

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5.  Grohmann, Karolos (28 October 2017). “E-sports just got closer to being part of the Olympics”. Reuters. Retrieved 5 November 2017.
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11.  Scientific Committee on Emerging and Newly Identified Health Risks (SCENIHR). 2012. Health Effects of Artificial Light. Accessed from http://ec.europa.eu/health/scientific_committees/emerging/docs/scenihr_o_035.pdf.
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16.  Contrast sensitivity – Accepted (IOVS) in press
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18.  Stringham JM et al. Short-term macular carotenois supplementation improves overall sleep quality. ARVO 2016 Annual Meeting Abstracts