Effects of Four-Week Supplementation of Ashwagandha and B-Vitamins on Mood and Stress Relief
Abstract
Currently, about 77% of Americans regularly experience physical and emotional symptoms caused by stress. The present study examined the combined effects of ashwagandha and B-vitamins on mood and stress relief.
In a pre- and post-intervention trial, forty women, 30–50 years of age, with a body mass index between 25 and 35 kg/m,2 were assigned to consume a taffy containing ashwagandha and B-vitamins twice daily for four weeks. Self-reported mood, sleep duration, and levels of stress hormones were assessed over the course of four weeks. Paired t-tests were used to compare variables across all possible pairs of time points, and linear mixed models featuring random intercepts were employed to investigate linear changes over time in the same set of variables. Pearson's correlation coefficient was used to establish the strength of the relationship between selected variables. The statistical significance level was set at 0.05.
Perceived levels of stress, state anxiety, and traits anxiety scores were significantly reduced by 19.6% (P < 0.001), 14.3% (P = 0.03), and 12.2% (P = 0.01), respectively at four weeks compared with baseline. Negative affect was significantly reduced by 15.6% (P = 0.02) at two weeks compared to baseline, then remained constant thereafter. Our findings also showed that participants’ hours of sleep was found to change significantly over time after controlling for participant age and BMI. Older participants with larger BMI's generally had the least amount of…
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