With the ever-increasing rise of health-conscious consumers, the demand for high-quality energy supplements is skyrocketing. Cognitive performance and active nutrition play a critical role in supporting the many needs of consumers’ complex and busy lifestyles. 65% of consumers are worried about their energy level plummeting. That includes mental prowess, working memory, focus, and alertness. 31% of supplement users admit to taking dietary supplements in order to boost their energy. Although increased energy is a welcomed benefit in any task, one of the largest emerging trends is in sports nutrition. The ability to play harder and longer requires an increase in energy, focus, and mental alertness. Even though caffeine is a popular stimulant that can effectively raise energy levels, it can present some challenges. OmniActive offers a nootropic that may help support performance with little to no side effects.
What to look for in a caffeine alternative
An overwhelming 83% of caffeine users indicate that they are willing to try a non-caffeine energy product as long as it provided similar benefits for their lifestyle’s energy needs. When choosing a nootropic supplement as an alternative to caffeine, it’s important that the science backs it up. How effective is it when addressing mental alertness, focus, and attention without impacting a drop in energy levels? Many energy formulas use caffeine. Can the caffeine alternative complement a pre-caffeinated formula without over stimulating or causing harmful side effects? Will the caffeine alternative disrupt the user’s sleep? Proper sleep is extremely important for supporting cognitive health. Caffeine alternatives should support energy and mental alertness without impeding sleep.
Caffeine alternative that supports mental alertness
OmniActive’s answer to a caffeine alternative that has been clinically demonstrated to support mental alertness is enXtra–a Alpina galanga extract. It does so by focusing on a cognitive process known as “Attention Network Function” (ANF). This is the brain’s ability to funnel processing resources to a specific task. The ANF system plays a vital role in mental alertness and the ability to hold attention on the job at hand.
Native to Southeast Asia, Alpina galanga is a rhizome in the ginger/turmeric family. It is typically used as an herb in Unani medicine as well as a spice in Southeast Asian cuisine. Alpinia galanga has been shown to be effective in helping to support aspects of cognitive health.
enXtra is a water-soluble extract and can be added to energy drinks, RTDs, bars, snacks, gummies, stick packs, and more for same-day effects!
More benefits of Alpinia galanga vs coffee
Coffee contains caffeine which is a natural stimulant. Caffeine is revered for its ability to help stimulate the brain and central nervous system, helping users to stave off tiredness while keeping alert. However, caffeine’s effectiveness appears to occupy a much smaller window than Alpina galanga. Often, people experience “caffeine-crash” around three hours after consuming caffeine. A crash refers to a steep decline in mental energy such as alertness and attention.
Caffeine keeps people alert by binding to the body’s adenosine receptors and blocking them. Adenosine is a compound that relaxes and dilates blood vessels.
In a study conducted to evaluate the effects of enXtra on mental alertness and sustained attention with and without caffeine, Alpina galanga outperformed caffeine. Evaluating 59 healthy male/female volunteers (18-40) who were habituated caffeine users, the study divided the volunteers into 4 groups: placebo, enXtra, caffeine, enXtra plus caffeine. The study yielded the following notable results:
- Singularly effective
enXtra significantly increased mental alertness at 1, 3, and 5 hrs from baseline and at 3 hrs compared to placebo.
- Caffeine
Caffeine significantly increased mental alertness @1hr from baseline but decreased at 3hrs.
- Alertness up to 5 hours
enXtra significantly increased alertness scores vs. baseline up to five hours compared to other plant extracts.
Secondary outcomes: attention and sleep quality
- Supports attention and focus
enXtra increased scores for attention and focus at 1 hr post supplementation
- Sleep
No negative impact on sleep.
With enXtra, users can enjoy same-day effects for mental alertness and focused attention. While having no impact on sleep like caffeine, enXtra also may limit the “caffeine-crash” phenomenon that coffee drinkers may experience. Even when added to a caffeinated formula, enXtra will not cause a negative “stimulant stacking” side effect when used at 300 mg/day enXtra per day combined with 200 mg caffeine/day. enXtra is effective, safe, and able to provide support for mental alertness for up to 5 hours.
To learn more about how OmniActive’s science-backed, caffeine-free enXtra can support your brand in the energy market, reach out to our knowledgeable team today!