For years I’ve struggled to keep muscle on. No matter how much I worked out or how much protein I consumed, my body never reflected the intensity of my workout routines. It wasn’t until I began to dive into some research on digestion, my thyroid condition (Hashimoto’s), and my food allergies that I began to put some of the pieces together. Benfotiamine has been a key ingredient in increasing my energy, decreasing muscle loss, aiding in digestion, and decreasing ALL of my aches and pains. If any of these sound familiar, this may be the next supplement you test out!
What is Ultra Benfotiamine?
- Ultra Benfotiamine contains the fat-soluble thiamine vitamin called benfotiamine, plus activated vitamin B6, alpha lipoic acid, grape seed extract and pine bark extract to support healthy peripheral circulation and nervous system, normal kidney function, and AGE (advanced glycation end-product) inhibition that is related to healthy blood sugar metabolism.
Benfotiamine appears to have better absorption than other Thiamin-related structures that get metabolized into free Thiamin.
My Personal Results
Normally, I’m not able to take the B vitamin group very well. It seemed every time I took a complex of vitamin B, my body would fight back. I’d get swollen, grumpy and irritable which was the exact opposite of what I wanted. It turned out that my body wasn’t using the B vitamin. Instead, it floated around my blood irritating my system, them filtering right back out of my body. However, the Ultra Benfotiamine was the exact opposite. This time, I took the vitamin and was able to see and feel a pretty immediate difference. For one, it seemed to speed up my digestion (hooray!), 2, I could think better, and 3 my strange aches and pains (mostly in my knees) seemed to level out at a rapid pace! Within days I was feeling better, and moving better! My swelling also seemed to subside and go down. I also noticed that my unexplained nagging pains in my muscles seemed to dissipate quickly and they were recovering faster from my workouts without any extra supplements (BCAA’s and Protein Shakes).
After all of these wonderful benefits had taken place, I wanted to know WHY it was working so well. Several hours later, I had the answers and ALL of it made sense!
Why does Benfotiamine Work SO Well?
1.) Degraded Intestinal Tract – You don’t have to have food allergies to have a degraded intestinal tract. Heck the toxins in the air we breath, the food we eat, the packaging our food is in, and the products we use on our bodies are all ways that our system gets bogged down. Soon, our once healthy and pink intestinal tracts develop a thin later of not so healthy toxin build up in the walls and in the crevasses of the walls. This blocks the good vitamins and minerals from getting into our system. This *can included important vitamins such as the B group. Low B1 equals low stomach acid production.
“Chronic underproduction of HCl may indicate vitamin B1 or zinc deficiency. Low levels of vitamin B12 may weaken LES, leading to GERD. Unfortunately, a number of medications (including PPIs) reduce the absorption of this vitamin (source).”
2.) Not Enough Stomach Acid – Low stomach acid is actually one of the horrible epidemics affecting Americans. The only problem is, we don’t know it’s the issue!
- Gas
- Bloating
- Indigestion
- Inability to break down proteins
- Backed up intestinal tracts
These are all signs of low stomach acid. However, many people are treating the symptoms instead of the real cause. I dove deeper into stomach acid in a previous post giving fitness tips about supplementing with enzymes.
3.) Lack of B1 and low stomach acid leads to Protein Thieves and Muscle Wasting
This is also the reason why many people can’t retain muscle mass. If your B1 absorption is too low, it will affect your production of stomach acid. This same acid is responsible for breaking down protein so your body can use it to build and repair muscle. The bottom line: without enough stomach acid you can’t keep muscle on no matter how many protein shakes you drink or pills you take!
4.) Joint Pain and Benfotiamine – While researching, I also discovered that when your body isn’t breaking enough protein down (due to low stomach acid), your body robs proteins from the surfaces of your joints! This can lead to arthritis, swelling, and pain. Without this extra protein aiding your ligaments, tendons, joint fluids and collagen surfaces; the joint begins to break down at a rapid pace. This can also cause excess grinding and clicking noises.
- After supplementing only 3-4 days, my grinding had reduced by 50 percent. This is a HUGE deal because I was already doing every other remedy known to man. Such as, foam rolling, heating, electrical stimulation, and using a knee brace.
5.) Muscle Cramps and Osteoporosis
Third, a lack of stomach acid impairs the digestion and assimilation of calcium, which can result in many health problems, including muscle cramps and osteoporosis (source).
I’ve only been on this product for 4 weeks but I can already see a difference in my moods, my muscle mass, my recovery, my digestion, and my joints! From someone who’s taken a whole host of supplements, I can assure you this is a big deal! Scientists are also researching this supplement as a way to control blood sugar (diabetes), control nerve pain and neurological disorders, as well as it’s connection to Alzheimers. My favorite company for this product is through Douglas Labs and can be purchased in the Fit Tip Amazon store.
*If you need more help in the diet and exercise area, don’t forget to check out our new program, The Body Burn 28 Day Quick Start. Meal plans, recipes, fitness tips, support, and shopping lists are just some of the things included in this program!
Adria Ali
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