Adrenal fatigue is one of the most prevalent conditions that affect the adrenal glands. Basically, this condition results when the body becomes fatigued and runs out of resources to respond to ongoing stress. Considering the several different complications that may result from adrenal fatigue, there has been extensive research into understanding and managing the condition. Much of the focus of the research has been on nutritional supplements, and below, we examine one of the best: Adrenal Stress Control. What makes this supplement so special? Let’s find out.
In society today, stress is often viewed with a negative lens, as something bad to be avoided. And most people only acknowledge it when they reach their physical or mental limits. But stress is essential to a healthy life. According to the WHO, stress is a state of worry or mental tension that arises due to challenges and threats in life. When the body encounters stress, it is stimulated to react with more energy, focus, and speed to what it sees as dangers. Therefore, stress is a necessary defense mechanism for the body.
Naturally, our body has an effective mechanism for tackling stress, known as the NeuroEndoMetabolic (NEM) Stress Response. The NEM response consists of six circuits comprising different organs and systems that respond to stress and help the body maintain homeostasis. A lot of this system’s actions are based on the ability of the adrenal glands to release the body’s anti-stress hormone, cortisol.
However, if the body faces chronic stress (that is, persistent, prolonged stress), the pressure on the adrenal glands increases, and they eventually become “fatigued.” This can then progress into different serious health conditions, notably including Adrenal Fatigue (AF). Adrenal fatigue is a condition that arises when the body’s stress response cannot keep up with life’s chronic stressors. It is the non-Addison’s form of adrenal dysfunction.
People with adrenal fatigue react to stress differently and usually exhibit different symptoms, including fatigue, low sex drive, hormone imbalance, metabolic syndrome, depression, brain fog, and gastrointestinal disorders, among others. While the symptoms and severity vary among individuals, if left unmanaged it can become very serious.
Adrenal fatigue is a complex condition to manage, but it can be done. The overarching principle in managing adrenal fatigue is reducing the impact of stressors on the body. This can be done by reducing stressors in your life, improving the body’s response to these stressors, or both. The earlier the implementation of these strategies, the higher the chances of managing and recovering from Adrenal Fatigue.
One of the best ways of improving the body’s response to stressors is the use of nutritional supplements. This strategy may rouse some doubts, considering the vast number of supplements on the market today that just do not work.
However, with the right supplement, it is still possible to manage certain health conditions, including adrenal fatigue. The question is how to know which supplement is right if you have adrenal fatigue.
When searching for the right supplements, you should consider three key factors. Firstly, the manufacturer of the supplement. The regulations the FDA imposes on supplements are not nearly as stringent as those on orthodox drugs and medications. This implies that there is a much higher risk of counterfeit or low-quality supplements.
The second factor to consider is the ingredients of the supplement. The effectiveness of any supplement boils down to what ingredients it contains. The right supplement for managing adrenal fatigue will contain ingredients that can improve how the body handles stress.
Finally, it is imperative to consider the side effects of the supplement. This is a severely underrated and overlooked factor when people try to choose new supplements. Ensure first that the manufacturer has stated the side effects of the supplement, then examine it to ensure you are not at risk of reacting negatively to it. Do not forget to also talk to your provider or health coach before taking a new supplement.
Fully considering all of these factors, one of the best supplements for managing adrenal fatigue is Adrenal Stress Control. This supplement focuses on replenishing the adrenal glands, improving their ability to handle stress. Furthermore, Adrenal Stress Control is formulated by Dr. Lam®, who has a good reputation and experience in adrenal fatigue and its management.
Adrenal Stress Control contains vitamin C, calcium, and a proprietary blend of amino acids, carbohydrates, and bioflavonoids. These ingredients are presented in a special formula that ensures you get enough of each ingredient to rejuvenate the adrenal glands. Below is a more detailed insight into the ingredients of this supplement and how they work.
While the antioxidant and immune-building benefits of vitamin C extend to different organs and systems in the body, its concentration is highest in the adrenal glands, brain, and pituitary glands. Particularly, the adrenal cortex and the medulla contain elevated levels of ascorbate, and the vitamin is required for the proper functioning of the adrenal gland. Therefore, supplements that contain this vitamin have an important role to play in improving the body’s stress response.
Also, vitamin C supplementation can help lower the level of the cortisol hormone in patients with adrenal fatigue.1 This may seem counterintuitive since cortisol is essential for managing stress, but in the early stages of adrenal fatigue, there is an increase in cortisol production by the adrenals. This is in an attempt to compensate for higher stress levels, but it has the downside of accelerating the burden on the adrenal glands. Therefore, vitamin C supplementation is essential for managing adrenal fatigue, especially when used in the early stages of the condition.
Adrenal Stress Control contains 1250mg of vitamin C, which is about 15 times more than the normal daily intake. The supplement contains vitamin C as calcium ascorbate (the form that accumulates in the adrenal cortex and medulla), ascorbic acid, and ascorbyl palmitate.
Present as calcium ascorbate in Adrenal Stress Control, calcium has multiple benefits in managing stress among individuals with adrenal fatigue. The calcium in the diet helps in muscle relaxation and an improvement of cellular function. Calcium can be likened to shock absorbers for the adrenal glands, allowing the body to regain homeostasis after the release of cortisol to manage stressors.
This supplement contains 112.7mg of calcium, increasing the daily intake of calcium. According to research, higher calcium intake coincides with lower perceived stress levels, higher resilience scores, and better mood.2
Proteins are essential to maintaining good health in the body, supporting key processes like protein synthesis, muscle recovery, detoxification, and energy production. Adrenal Stress Control contains a proprietary blend of proteins that positively impact adrenal fatigue management. They are as follows.
Lysine is one of the nine essential amino acids (that is, amino acids that we can only obtain from diet). This amino acid plays a crucial role in maintaining the neuroaffect circuit of the NEM system, allowing the body to better manage the stress that may affect the brain, microbiome, and autonomic nervous system. Several studies also confirm lysine’s mood-boosting properties, making it suitable for the management of anxiety. This function is attributed to its ability to increase serotonin production.3
Glycine is a non-essential amino acid, which means the body can synthesize it through interorgan metabolism. This amino acid has several functions in the body that can assist the body’s response to chronic stress. These properties help alleviate stress, particularly stress on the neuroaffect circuit of the NEM.
Proline is another non-essential protein in Adrenal Stress Control and it has diverse roles in cell biology. These include stimulating collagen production, energy production, mood regulation, modulating cell signaling pathways, and modulating cell morphology. Proline’s more specific role in adrenal fatigue management is as an antistress molecule, protecting against potentially harmful stressors.5
Carnitine plays a key role in energy production by transporting long-chain fatty acids into the mitochondrion, allowing their metabolism into adenosine triphosphate (ATP). The amino acid also has antioxidant properties, helping in the management of oxidative stress, justifying its use in Adrenal Stress Control.6
L-arginine is a building block of protein as well as a substrate in nitric oxide synthesis. This allows its several positive roles on the cardiovascular, pulmonary, immune, and digestive systems. Arginine supplementation also helps in promoting detoxification, reducing the stressors in the body, and by implication, improving the management of adrenal fatigue.7
Known as FOS, fructooligosaccharides are typically used as sweeteners in many supplements because they have fewer calories than sugar. However, FOS has other important physiological roles that benefit people suffering from adrenal fatigue. For example, it provides a prebiotic effect, improves mineral absorption, and lowers cholesterol levels.8 These functions particularly benefit the bioenergetics and inflammation circuits of the NEM, promoting adrenal fatigue management.
There are risks and side effects associated with any supplement, and Adrenal Stress Control is no exception. The side effects of supplements arise from their specific ingredients. In this supplement, the elevated vitamin C amount is primarily responsible for digestive difficulties like bloating, cramps, diarrhea, and nausea. Adrenal Stress Control may also cause headaches, fatigue, and pain.
Not everyone can safely use Adrenal Stress Control. Individuals with underlying health conditions, especially those that affect the digestive system, blood sugar level, and chronic pain, are at high risk of adverse reactions when using this supplement. Also, pregnant and lactating women should speak to their healthcare provider before commencing the use of this supplement.
Regardless of health condition or status, though, ensure you speak to your health coach or provider before using any supplement. Also, if you notice adverse reactions when you start using this supplement, discontinue it immediately and continue 48 hours later at 50% of the previous dose. If the adverse reactions persist, consult your healthcare provider for further instructions.
Adrenal Stress Control is a promising supplement in the management of adrenal fatigue. It comes from a reputable manufacturer in Dr. Lam® and has a blend of the right ingredients to support adrenal gland function and improve the body’s response to stress. These ingredients include vitamin C, calcium, amino acids, and fructooligosaccharides. Despite the positive reviews of the supplement, however, it may lead to digestive difficulties, headaches, and pain in some people. Therefore, it is essential to speak to your health coach or provider before commencing its use.
For more information about adrenal fatigue and its different management strategies, do not hesitate to contact us. We offer a free, no-obligation phone consultation at +1 (626) 571-1234 where we will privately discuss your symptoms and various options. You can also send us a question through our Ask The Doctor system by clicking here.
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Beglaryan, Hakobyan G., and Nazaretyan E. "Vitamin C Supplementation Alleviates Hypercortisolemia Caused by Chronic Stress." Stress and Health, 2023, pp. 1–7. https://doi.org/10.1002/smi.3347.
Du, C., Hsiao, P. Y., Ludy, M. J., and Tucker, R. M. "Relationships between Dairy and Calcium Intake and Mental Health Measures of Higher Education Students in the United States: Outcomes from Moderation Analyses." Nutrients, vol. 14, no. 4, 2022, p. 775. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu14040775.
Jalal, K., et al. "Anxiolytic, Anti-nociceptive and Body Weight Reducing Effects of L-lysine in Rats: Relationship with Brain Serotonin an In-Vivo and In-Silico Study." Biomed Pharmacother., vol. 152, 2022, p. 113235. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biopha.2022.113235.
Razak, M. A., et al. "Multifarious Beneficial Effect of Nonessential Amino Acid, Glycine: A Review." Oxid Med Cell Longev., vol. 2017, 2017, p. 1716701. https://doi.org/10.1155/2017/1716701.
Patriarca, Eduardo J., et al. "The Multifaceted Roles of Proline in Cell Behavior." Frontiers in Cell and Developmental Biology, vol. 9, 2021, p. 728576. https://doi.org/10.3389/fcell.2021.728576.
Bene, J., Hadzsiev, K., and Melegh, B. "Role of Carnitine and Its Derivatives in the Development and Management of Type 2 Diabetes." Nutr & Diabetes, vol. 8, 2018. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41387-018-0017-1.
Wu, G., et al. "Role of L-Arginine in Nitric Oxide Synthesis and Health in Humans." Adv Exp Med Biol., vol. 1332, 2021, pp. 167-187. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-74180-8_10.
Sabater-Molina, M., et al. "Dietary Fructooligosaccharides and Potential Benefits on Health." J Physiol Biochem., vol. 65, no. 3, 2009, pp. 315-328. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03180584.
Stress is inevitable in life, and it is impossible for any supplement to prevent the body from facing stress. However, Adrenal Stress Control supports the adrenal glands and make it easier for the body to manage stress, especially among individuals with adrenal fatigue.