Dietary supplementation and symptoms of sub-health

None listed

Individually and as the constituents of proteins, amino acids perform numerous and often essential functions. The current researchers have previously demonstrated clearly defined population subgroups based upon urinary amino acid profiles in chronic fatigue and pain patients, each group with specific nutritional requirements for amino acids. The same subgroups were also identified in healthy individuals with profiles differing from the patient groups only in the degree of excess or depletion of amino acids. The current project aims to determine whether distinct subgroups can be identified in healthy individuals reporting sub-health on the basis of urinary amino acid patterns. Sub-health is typically seen as a reduction in energy levels, change in sleeping patterns, increased incidence of viral infections and a loss of vitality with no defined disease being diagnosed. It can be defined as a chronic condition of deteriorated physiological function between health and illness. The project also aims to assess the ability of amino acid supplementation to improve the general well-being of individuals experiencing sub-health based upon membership of the subgroups identified in stage one. The current researchers have developed a nutritional formulation to alleviate fatigue containing a complex range of amino acids. The study will trial the amino acid supplement in subgroups of healthy individuals reporting sub-health. The study will involve a large group of adults reporting fatigue and sub-health but who are free from any significant medical or mental illness. Prior to supplementation all participants will be required to provide a urine sample and to complete general health and fatigue questionnaires. Urinary amino acid excretion patterns will be assessed with the aim of identifying subgroups based upon differential amino acid homeostasis. Once the subgroups have been differentiated, smaller groups of twenty individuals from each subgroup will trial the supplement for 30 days. At the completion of the trial participants will provide another urine sample and again complete the general health and fatigue questionnaires. General health, fatigue and urinary amino acid levels will be analysed to determine whether supplementation can bring about changes at both a symptom and biological level. It is believed that participants will derive significant benefits such as reduced fatigue but that the response to supplementation will be influenced by amino acid profile subgroup membership. This study will determine whether readily identifiable amino acid profile subgroups exist, each with specific amino acid requirements, allowing for the development of more effective dietary supplements in the future. The project’s hypotheses are as follows: 1. It is possible to identify major subtypes of amino acid homeostasis in a population. 2. Amino acid supplementation is capable of alleviating symptoms of sub-health and the symptoms and degree of alleviation will be determined by membership of subgroups based upon amino acid homeostasis.