ELAGEN SPORT TRIATHLETE TRIAL A ROAD TO RECOVERY?

Results Convincingly positive
“It gives those using it an unfair (very!) advantage over those who don’t” - Erik Seedhouse

Back in March 1995, Triathlete magazine published an article highlighting the dangers of over-training and the subsequent consequences of developing fatigue states. It was argued that increasing training loads or level of competition without adequate rest or training whilst suffering from a seemingly trivial viral infection, can lead to varying degrees of fatigue, an insidious decline in form, and eventually a breakdown in the body’s ability to fight off infections and illnesses.

In response to this article, we introduced you to a possible “remedy” to the above: Elagen, a natural sports supplement based on the standardised extract of the root of a Siberian shrub combined with the energy catalyst Co-enzyme Q10.

The response to this second article was so strong that we decided, in conjunction with the manufacturers of Elagen, to commission a study using a cross-section of triathletes throughout the U.K. (Included within this group were several sufferers of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, otherwise known as Post Viral Fatigue or M.E.

Study Criteria

The study was based on questionnaires and progress reports collated during a three month trial period. Triathletes were asks to titrate the dose of Elagen from between 2- 10 capsules daily according to their individual responses. Eleutherococcus takes a minimum of three months to exert its full effect and therefore, most weight was placed on the final report.

A large proportion of the 23 chosen athletes were selected because of their top ranking status. The rationale was that we believed they would be more used to taking detailed performance records and would have an established training regime, as well as being expected to be the more compliant and reliable subjects for a trial.

Results Speak for Themselves

Alan Powell is 53 years young, is a GB age grouper and was the eldest participant in the trial.

“It was particularly noticeable after a hard session of several disciplines . The next day I was more able than the previous to take on extra work. This was particularly noticeable after the Nice race where I won bronze in the 50 -54 age group. The day after the race which should have been hell, was quite the contrary and I spent quite an active day with the family.

“When working in the pool on threshold or overload sets, I was recovering back from 165/170 to 120bpm about 5 secs quicker than prior to my intensive regime. I believe that ES has assisted my sporting performance.”

From the eldest we move to the youngest “guinea pig”, Gavin Smith aged 16.

“I have not been ill at all during the past three months, something I am sure that ES has contributed to. There has been no change in recovery rate as far as HR is concerned but I do feel as if my body is recovering quickly and better from strenuous exercise. There has been no real change as far as my race performance but I haven’t felt sore after a hard race which I would normally expect”.

The majority who had suffered from fatigue related problems and recurrent viral illnesses reported reduced fatigue, improved ability to train and significantly fewer viral infections. Only one participant reported a lack of progress and this could have been attributed to the fact that it could have been more beneficial to have taken a higher dose of ES initially to counteract the effects of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) before commencing the normal dosage for training purposes.

A typical report was from Helen Cawthorne, current GB captain who is recovering from CFS.

“Throughout this period (three months) I have taken ES and I believe that it has aided my recovery significantly. I did have a two week break from the program ( ran out of capsules) and experienced notable effects - more tired, irritable, lethargic.

“My morning HR was around 32 most days and only increased significantly when I had a bad cold/sore throat towards the end of the period. - Many people had the same illness and took two weeks to recover... I felt fine after three days.

“I have carried on taking ES and after 6 months, I have better recovery after hard training, less muscle fatigue, a lower resting HR and feel generally more stable. Another benefit was that I had no colds last winter. I usually get loads.”

Erik Seedhouse’s weekly training regime is equivalent to most of our monthly programmes, so he seemed an ideal candidate to assess the effects of Elagen.

“Having read some of the literature concerning Eleutherococcus, I have to say that I was very impressed.

“Having now used it for three months, I can only see one problem with the product -It gives those using it an unfair (very) advantage over those who don’t!

“During March and April, I was training heavily 15 - 17km swimming, 500+k cycling and 130km running per week) in the run up to the World Endurance Triathlon Championships and supplemented my regime with ES. Usually it is quite difficult to gauge changes during high volume training but this time there was a definite improvement in overall quality. In addition ES acted as an insurance policy against infection- I will definitely be using it from now on.”

To Sum Up

Considering the relatively small time scale and the diversity of the chosen athletes, the results were even more positive than expected. The objective results were that over half the athletes experienced an average fall of 4bpm in resting heart rate (HR) with a noted improvement in recovery time.

The bulk of the retrieved information was observational and a clear improvement attributable to the capsules was noted by 21 out of the 23 volunteers with regards to recovery from strenuous training consistently and without developing fatigue or related problems.

All but one of the athletes wished to continue using Elagen Sport after the trial was over.

A full report of the trial is available from Eladon Ltd., the makers of Elagen Sport.