Recover from Fatigue with Citric Acid! 5 Surprising Health Benefits and How to Take It

Hello, this is Nakahara.
I am studying precision nutrition and delivering useful health information to everyone!

I have returned home from Yuda Onsen in Yamaguchi Prefecture.

Perhaps because I was tired, I slept incredibly well last night.

After taking the CBD oil I mentioned before and going to bed, I fell asleep around 10 PM and was able to get about 9 to 10 hours of deep sleep until morning.

For someone like me who is naturally a night owl, this is a revolutionary change, haha.

It is hard to tell if it is the effect of the CBD or just travel fatigue... haha.

Well, today I will talk in detail about "citric acid", which is effective for fatigue recovery.

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What is Citric Acid?

Have you ever heard the term citric acid?

There must be many people who think, "I've heard of it, but what is it?"

The sour taste of lemons and pickled plums—that sour component is citric acid!

This component plays a very important role in energy production within the body and supports efficient energy generation.

In other words, consuming it makes it easier to feel energized!

I also consume citric acid consciously, and I will talk about it while incorporating my own experiences.

5 Benefits of Citric Acid Intake

1. Fatigue recovery effect

Lactic acid has the effect of breaking down and converting it into energy.

What is lactic acid???

You might have heard someone a bit muscular talking about strength training, saying something like, 'I'm putting stress on my muscles and lactic acid is building up!'

Or is that just me? Haha.

In fact, it is true that lactic acid tends to accumulate in the body after muscle exercise.

It is known that this is a cause of fatigue.

Citric acid supports the process of breaking down this lactic acid and converting it into energy.

It is also related to fermented foods and the gut, and it promotes the overall flow of lactic acid decomposition.

As a result, it promotes fatigue recovery!

2. Blood Sugar Control

It is also effective for improving the blood sugar spike that I have talked about many times before.

I would like you to read my previous posts for details, but I will explain it briefly for those hearing it for the first time.

In a general health checkup, they measure fasting blood glucose levels.

In other words, they are measuring your state when your blood sugar is not elevated, which is your most stable state.

However, when you think about it over 24 hours, your blood sugar rises sharply after eating.

This is especially noticeable in modern dietary habits.

When blood sugar rises, a hormone called insulin works in the body to lower it.

In short, lowering it when it rises is the role of insulin.

Citric acid has the function of increasing insulin sensitivity and helping to control blood sugar levels.

What is the problem when a blood sugar spike occurs?

As I have mentioned many times, it can lead to a decrease in concentration, feelings of fatigue, mental instability, and an increased risk of diseases such as cancer and diabetes.

Therefore, the point is to keep your blood sugar as flat as possible!

3. Antioxidant effect

Oxidation prevention effect.

I have mentioned this many times already.

Oxidation increases the risk of aging, arteriosclerosis, cancer, and diabetes.

It is often described as the body rusting, which is a bad situation.

Mitochondria is a topic I think I have discussed before; just think of them as the energy production factories that create energy for the body.

Mitochondria inevitably produce active oxygen when creating ATP (an important molecule responsible for storing and transporting energy), which is like energy currency.

It seems there is no way around this.

Because it is something that is produced during the creation process.

Active oxygen has the word "active" in its name, but it is not good when it becomes active (laughs).

Because it promotes oxidation.

In other words, citric acid helps to suppress oxidation!

4. Improvement of intestinal environment

This was a surprising discovery for me, but citric acid is also related to gut health.

In the gut, there exists a group of bacteria called gut flora.

I have talked about the gut before, and an unbelievable number of bacteria live inside it.

Among them, there are three types: good bacteria, bad bacteria, and opportunistic bacteria.

Opportunistic bacteria are a bit special; they are like "bat-men" who are indecisive, acting as good bacteria when things are good and as bad bacteria when things are bad, changing depending on the situation (laughs).

This collection of bacteria is the gut flora.

Apparently, flora means "flower garden".

The important thing is not to have only good bacteria, but to maintain a balance.

Ultimately, the body's condition is all about balance.

The intestinal environment is the same; balance is important.

Citric acid has the function of adjusting this balance to a good state.

Repair effect on intestinal mucosa

Furthermore, because citric acid also performs repair of the intestinal mucosa, it leads to an improvement in barrier function.

As a digestive organ, the intestine plays an important role in selecting good and bad substances, letting the good ones pass through and shutting out the bad ones.

The part of the intestinal wall responsible for this function is called "tight junctions", which control the passage of substances by opening and closing.

However, when the intestinal environment deteriorates, these become loose.

This leads to a state where even bad substances are allowed to pass through, a phenomenon known as "leaky gut syndrome."

When bad substances travel through the blood and spread throughout the body, they cause poor physical condition and various malfunctions.

By repairing the intestinal mucosa and improving barrier function, citric acid is also effective in preventing leaky gut syndrome.

5. Potential for Cancer Prevention

The fifth and final point is a field that has recently been brought to light and is attracting attention.

Approaches to cancer are also considered to be effective.

Cancer cells, like normal cells, use energy to perform metabolism, but research results suggest that citric acid has the function of inhibiting the energy metabolism mechanism of cancer cells.

In other words, it is an ideal effect that keeps our normal cells healthy while making it difficult for cancer cells to use energy.

Furthermore, although it is a technical term, there is an important mechanism called "apoptosis (programmed cell death)".

The human body is equipped with a mechanism to maintain healthy, normal cells while self-selecting and eliminating cells that have malfunctioned or are in poor condition.

Cancer cells are also a type of cell that has malfunctioned for our bodies.

Citric acid also plays a role in activating apoptosis, and it is also expected to be effective as a cancer countermeasure.

These five benefits are all attractive, aren't they?

Consumption Methods and Precautions

Next, I will talk in detail about consumption methods and precautions.

Recommended Intake

The guideline is about 1 to 3 grams per day.

Since it's hard to understand with just numbers, please think of it as about one lemon's worth.

Consumption Methods

When consuming from foods that contain citric acid:

• Lemon

• Pickled plum (Umeboshi)

• Other citrus fruits

Efficient intake via supplements is also possible.

When I was working on improving my health through a healthcare service called 8weeks.ai, which I always talk about, I was sent citric acid supplements for a period of time.

Personal Experience with Consumption

At first, when I took the amount listed as the daily intake all at once, I felt a slight pain or discomfort in my stomach.

It subsided immediately, though.

This was likely because I consumed something highly acidic all at once, and on an empty stomach, which put a strain on my stomach.

Currently, I try to consume it in a natural way, such as eating one pickled plum before meals.

Key points for timing your intake

• Take before or during meals

• Do not take a large amount at once; take small amounts while monitoring your reaction

• Adjust while observing changes in your physical condition

I also made sure to take it in small, divided doses.

People who need to be careful

Because it may put a strain on the stomach:

• Those with hyperacidity

• Those with gastroesophageal reflux disease

If you have these symptoms, it is safer to consult with a doctor before taking it.

Other precautions

Because it is an acidic substance, it may also damage tooth enamel.

After taking citric acid, be sure to take care of your teeth, such as by rinsing your mouth with water!

Conclusion

Fatigue is a common problem for many people, so I hope you will try various things.

My story is mainly based on my own experiences and the knowledge I have learned, but there is no single 'correct answer' that works for everyone.

Experimenting for yourself is the most important thing.

Personalization through precision nutrition

As a more personalized form of support, there are sessions with precision nutrition counselors.

Rather than treating illness, the approach of precision nutrition is to customize this information for individuals with the goal of achieving optimal physical condition.

From various perspectives:

• Blood tests and blood analysis

• Analysis of gut environment status

• Individual genetic analysis

• Review of total lifestyle

By approaching these from all directions, the goal is to achieve a state of peak performance.

Today, I talked in detail about citric acid.

The hot summer continues, but let's get through it energetically!

Well then, stay healthy today too!

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※The medical and health information posted on this blog is based solely on the author's experience and learned knowledge.
There is no intention to recommend specific companies or products.
When choosing medicines or medical institutions, we recommend using your own judgment or consulting your family doctor.

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List of References and Evidence

Research on Citric Acid and Fatigue Recovery

• Suzuki, I., et al. (2004). Anti-fatigue effect of citric acid and L-arginine. Journal of Clinical Biochemistry and Nutrition, 34(3), 145-152.

Citric Acid and Blood Glucose Control

• Johnston, C. S., & Gaas, C. A. (2006). Vinegar: medicinal uses and antiglycemic effect. MedGenMed, 8(2), 61.

Antioxidant effects of citric acid

• Abdel-Salam, O. M., et al. (2014). Citric acid effects on brain and liver oxidative stress in lipopolysaccharide-treated mice. Journal of Medicinal Food, 17(5), 588-598.

Gut environment and short-chain fatty acids

• Morrison, D. J., & Preston, T. (2016). Formation of short chain fatty acids by the gut microbiota and their impact on human metabolism. Gut Microbes, 7(3), 189-200.