Who doesn’t need more energy?  I’m an intermittent insomniac so to say I’m someone who lacks energy is an understatement.  I like my 1-2 cups of coffee per day but the plethora of energy drinks available scare me silly.  However, when I saw fellow fitness enthusiasts talking about a the 100% natural spirulina algae pill-shaped ENERGYbits on Twitter, I was intrigued….and lucky because the company sent me a sample to road-test and some literature (shown below).

ENERGYbits

For readable information see energybits.com

I’m the first one to admit that I love good packaging and ENERGYbits certainly delivers in that area.  The materials were modern looking and the product itself was in a palm-sized circular tin much like mini-Altoids.  I will say I was a bit floored to read that the dose was 30 pills (30!?) and when I opened the tin to see the volume of what 30 pills would look like, I was instantly brought back to my high school biology class with the smell of chlorophyll (which to me was not unpleasant).  Hey, it’s algae so what can you expect?  I wasn’t too freaked out by the serving volume.

ENERGYbits, algae, supplements, runchat

However, as a natural born skeptic and an educated Registered Dietitian with a marketing background, my inner nerd needed to read the materials, do my own research and then take the supplement before reviewing so here’s what the materials state:

What ENERGYbits says about their product:

“ENERGYbits are 100% organically grown spirulina algae, which not only has the highest
concentration of protein in the world (64% protein) and three times that of steak, but also is
the ONLY protein in the world that also contains:

  1. Antioxidants (which reduces inflammation and speeds healing from workouts or athletics)
  2. Omega 3 (which protects the heart and the brain, especially from concussions)
  3. Chlorophyll (which is alkaline and builds the immune system)
  4. Electrolytes (which replenishes and restores the chemical balance of your body)

NO OTHER PROTEIN offers these benefits. Algae is the only protein source that does this.  All this and 40 vitamins/minerals too. All for just one calorie per tab!”

What my research brought forth:

The Good:

  • ENERGYbits are 100% natural and organically grown.  No sugar, no caffeine and contain no athletically banned substances.
  • Spirulina algae is a complete protein with all essential amino acids (the building blocks of protein that cannot be made by the human body and therefore must be supplied via dietary intake)
  • Antioxidants and electrolytes are important for reduced inflammation, healing and replenishment in athletes.
  • Spirulina algae is a low source of omega-3 fatty acids (which are actually being used in concussion and traumatic brain injury research) but is a rich source of the omega-6 fatty acid, gamma-linoleic acid (GLA) which “some research indicates that it may promote more efficient conversion to omega-3 than other land plants” (link from Today’s Dietitian about essential fatty acids).
  • Kudos to ENERGYbits for not promoting their product as a vitamin B12 source for vegetarians (spirulina has a biologically inactive form of vitamin B12).

Oh, how I hesitate to do this….the Not So Good:

  • I’m a huge stickler for typos in printed materials and I found 2 on the website’s featured flyer for the mineral phosphorous and the amino acid histidine.
  • Touting chlorophyll as alkaline implies health benefits of an Alkaline Diet (eating certain foods to keep the body within the alkaline pH balance of 7.35-7.45) a correlation not supported by clinical trials.
  • There are no warnings for possible drug interactions or health conditions (like pregnancy, breastfeeding or autoimmune diseases) on the website.  I couldn’t find the ENERGYbits content levels of Vitamin K but generally spirulina is known to be high in Vitamin K which can interact with anti-coagulant (blood thinning) medications if not kept at a consistent intake level.

ENERGYbits

Despite the Good and the Not So Good, I did try ENERGYbits and I liked them.

Although the smell was pungent, I kind of liked it. I was surprised that I had no problem swallowing 30 pills at once.  On two different occasions, I took 30 pills 30 minutes before my 50 minute WundaBar Pilates classes (and while I’m not sure I felt an extra boost or anything), on one of the days I hadn’t really slept the night before and I got through my workout without stopping.  I also didn’t crash heavily at 7pm on the day I took ENERGYbits (as I’m known to do on nights of 4 hours or less of sleep).

 The Verdict:

I’m still on the fence.  I don’t have a health condition and despite not embracing every claim made, I wonder if activity level and dietary intake remained stable over a distinct period of time (90-120 days) while taking ENERGYbits, if bloodwork or body composition tests would reflect measurable changes attributed to the product? 

I know a few fitness bloggers who love ENERGYbits and I understand why – this Boston based company (Boston Strong!) is extremely social media friendly, and their product is portable, easy to take (the bits can even be put into smoothies!),  NON-GMO organic, vegetarian/vegan friendly, low calorie and may have health benefits.

Bottom line, if I were going to use ENERGYbits, I’d need to have a talk with my physician.  Even though ENERGYbits calls their product a food, it is a dietary supplement.  Did you know that the FDA regulates dietary supplements differently than they do “conventional” food and drug products?   While many would debate about the US government’s standards for food and drug safety, it unnerves me that dietary supplements do not need to be approved by the FDA for safety before being marketed to the public (but that’s a topic for another post).

Disclaimer: I was given the above sample for review.  All opinions and photos are my own and here’s hoping that ENERGYbits and their Ambassadors don’t hate me.

Is there a dietary supplement that you take regularly?  Who advised you to take and what do you think?