Sports Recovery IV

Full ingredient list

Exact amounts delivered in each size. Formulas are compounded per patient and can be adjusted by your provider.

Supporting studies

• 1

  Staying properly hydrated protects real physical output — muscle endurance, strength and anaerobic power all measurably depend on fluid status.

  This meta-analysis pooled 28 published studies measuring muscular performance in hydrated versus dehydrated states. Hypohydration was associated with reductions of 8.3% in muscle endurance, 5.5% in muscle strength, and 5.8% in anaerobic power. The scale of these decrements shows that correcting a fluid deficit is directly relevant to how strong and capable a person feels and performs.

  Meta-analysis Savoie FA, et al. Effect of Hypohydration on Muscle Endurance, Strength, Anaerobic Power and Capacity and Vertical Jumping Ability: A Meta-Analysis. Sports Medicine. 2015. PMID 26178327 ↗

• 2

  When people are dehydrated, an IV restores blood volume faster than drinking the same amount of fluid.

  In this randomized crossover study, participants were dehydrated by exercise and then rehydrated either intravenously, orally, or not at all before a subsequent heat-stress exercise test. Plasma volume after rehydration was significantly greater in the IV condition than in the oral or no-fluid conditions (P<0.05), confirming that the intravenous route restores circulating blood volume more rapidly and completely than swallowing fluid, which must first be absorbed through the gut.

  Randomized crossover clinical trial (human physiology) Kenefick RW, et al. Rapid IV versus oral rehydration: responses to subsequent exercise heat stress. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise. 2006. PMID 17146319 ↗

• 3

  Even mild dehydration — barely over 1% of body weight — is enough to dull concentration and drive up fatigue, which is why hydration status matters for how you feel day to day.

  In this controlled crossover study of 26 healthy young men, mild dehydration of about 1.6% body mass produced significant adverse changes in vigilance and working memory, increased tension/anxiety and fatigue, and raised ratings of task difficulty and concentration effort. The authors concluded that degraded mood, increased perception of task difficulty, lower concentration and headache symptoms result from mild dehydration in healthy young men — establishing how small a fluid deficit it takes to affect performance.

  Randomized crossover clinical study Ganio MS, et al. Mild dehydration impairs cognitive performance and mood of men. British Journal of Nutrition. 2011. PMID 21736786 ↗

• 4

  Lactated Ringer's is built to match your own blood chemistry, and its lactate is converted into bicarbonate — the body's natural buffer.

  This clinical review in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine explains that balanced crystalloids such as lactated Ringer's carry sodium, potassium and chloride concentrations closer to those of human extracellular fluid than saline does, and therefore have fewer adverse effects on acid-base balance when infused. The review documents that operating-room trials showed balanced crystalloids rather than saline prevent the development of hyperchloremic metabolic acidosis, and notes emerging evidence that the lactate itself serves as a fuel for the brain and heart under stress.

  Concise clinical review (physiology and trial evidence) Semler MW, Kellum JA Balanced Crystalloid Solutions. American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine. 2019. PMID 30407838 ↗

• 5

  A meta-analysis of human trials found that taurine meaningfully improves endurance exercise performance.

  This meta-analysis in Sports Medicine pooled 10 peer-reviewed human studies of oral taurine and endurance performance. Taurine produced a moderate positive effect on endurance performance (Hedges' g = 0.40, 95% CI 0.12–0.67, P = 0.004), with a similar effect in the time-to-exhaustion sub-analysis (g = 0.43, 95% CI 0.12–0.75, P = 0.007). Benefits were seen across doses of 1–6 g, including from a single dose. Route: oral.

  Meta-analysis of human trials Waldron M, Patterson SD, Tallent J, Jeffries O The Effects of an Oral Taurine Dose and Supplementation Period on Endurance Exercise Performance in Humans: A Meta-Analysis. Sports Medicine. 2018. PMID 29546641 ↗

• 6

  Taurine combined with amino acids reduced post-workout soreness, swelling, muscle-damage markers and oxidative stress.

  In this randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, 36 untrained young men took 2.0 g taurine and 3.2 g branched-chain amino acids (or placebo) three times daily for two weeks before and three days after a high-intensity eccentric arm workout. The combination group reported significantly lower soreness on the visual analogue scale two days after exercise, had smaller increases in upper-arm circumference (swelling) on days 2–3, lower lactate dehydrogenase on days 1–3, and lower 8-hydroxydeoxyguanosine — a marker of oxidative DNA damage — at day 2. Route: oral.

  Randomized double-blind placebo-controlled trial Ra SG, Miyazaki T, Ishikura K, et al. Combined effect of branched-chain amino acids and taurine supplementation on delayed onset muscle soreness and muscle damage in high-intensity eccentric exercise. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition. 2013. PMID 24195702 ↗

• 7

  Taurine helped muscles regain their strength faster after a damaging workout.

  In this single-blind randomized crossover trial, 10 healthy men performed damaging eccentric exercise and then took taurine (0.1 g/kg body weight per day, split into two doses) or placebo for 72 hours. Peak eccentric torque — a direct measure of muscle strength — recovered significantly better with taurine at the 48-hour mark (P = 0.048). The authors concluded taurine taken twice daily for 72 hours after eccentric exercise-induced muscle damage may help improve recovery of eccentric performance. Route: oral.

  Randomized crossover trial McLeay Y, Stannard S, Barnes M The Effect of Taurine on the Recovery from Eccentric Exercise-Induced Muscle Damage in Males. Antioxidants (Basel). 2017. PMID 29039798 ↗

• 8

  A meta-analysis of randomized trials found L-carnitine significantly reduced muscle soreness after exercise at every time point measured, from immediately after through 96 hours.

  This systematic review and meta-analysis pooled seven randomized clinical trials of L-carnitine supplementation and markers of exercise-induced muscle damage in healthy adults. L-carnitine significantly reduced muscle soreness at 0, 24, 48, 72 and 96 hours post-exercise, and lowered the muscle-damage markers creatine kinase, myoglobin and lactate dehydrogenase at 24 hours. Benefits were most apparent in resistance-training and untrained populations. Trials used oral supplementation.

  Systematic review and meta-analysis Yarizadh H, et al. The Effect of L-Carnitine Supplementation on Exercise-Induced Muscle Damage: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Clinical Trials. Journal of the American College of Nutrition. 2020. PMID 32154768 ↗

• 9

  Magnesium cut the frequency and intensity of muscle cramps in a double-blind randomized trial.

  Eighty-six women experiencing leg cramps at least twice weekly were randomized to 300 mg daily of magnesium (as magnesium bisglycinate) or placebo for four weeks in a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. A 50% or greater reduction in cramp frequency was achieved by 86.0% of the magnesium group versus 60.5% of placebo (P = 0.007), and a 50% or greater reduction in cramp intensity by 69.8% versus 48.8% (P = 0.048), with no difference in adverse effects between groups. Route: oral supplementation.

  Randomized double-blind placebo-controlled trial Supakatisant C, Phupong V Oral magnesium for relief in pregnancy-induced leg cramps: a randomised controlled trial. Maternal & Child Nutrition. 2015. PMID 22909270 ↗

• 10

  L-carnitine is the molecule that physically carries long-chain fats across the mitochondrial membrane — without it, cells cannot burn fat for energy.

  This peer-reviewed review details how carnitine is essential for transferring long-chain fatty acids across the inner mitochondrial membrane so they can undergo beta-oxidation and generate ATP. Carnitine enters cells through the high-affinity OCTN2 transporter; when that transporter is defective, intracellular carnitine falls and fatty acid oxidation is impaired, producing low blood sugar without ketones, muscle weakness and cardiomyopathy. The review also notes that at higher supplemental doses carnitine can enter cells through alternative lower-affinity transporters. This is the mechanistic basis for using carnitine as an energy and fat-metabolism nutrient.

  Mechanistic review Longo N, Frigeni M, Pasquali M Carnitine transport and fatty acid oxidation. Biochimica et Biophysica Acta - Molecular Cell Research. 2016. PMID 26828774 ↗

• 11

  Vitamin C is a required cofactor for building carnitine, the molecule that shuttles fat into cells to be burned for energy.

  This review documents that ascorbate serves as a cofactor for two alpha-ketoglutarate-dependent dioxygenase reactions in the carnitine biosynthesis pathway: epsilon-N-trimethyllysine hydroxylase and gamma-butyrobetaine hydroxylase. Because carnitine is required for cells to generate metabolic energy from fat, the author notes this link has been proposed to explain the fatigue and weakness that characterize vitamin C deficiency. Evidence from enzyme preparations, perfused liver, and in vivo animal models is described as compelling support for ascorbic acid's participation in carnitine synthesis.

  Mechanistic review with enzyme and preclinical data Rebouche CJ Ascorbic acid and carnitine biosynthesis. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 1991. PMID 1962562 ↗

• 12

  A B-complex increased exercise endurance by 26% and lowered the blood lactate and ammonia that drive the feeling of fatigue.

  In a randomized, double-blind crossover trial, 32 healthy non-athlete adults aged 20-30 took a daily B-complex tablet (B1 33.6 mg, B2 10 mg, B6 50 mg, B12 750 mcg, plus vitamin E, inositol and taurine) or placebo for 28 days, with a 14-day washout between arms. Running time to exhaustion increased 1.26-fold versus placebo (p < 0.0001), and blood lactate and blood ammonia concentrations during exercise were significantly lower (p < 0.05). No adverse effects were reported. Route was oral.

  Randomized controlled trial (double-blind crossover) Lee MC, et al. A functional evaluation of anti-fatigue and exercise performance improvement following vitamin B complex supplementation in healthy humans, a randomized double-blind trial. International Journal of Medical Sciences. 2023. PMID 37786445 ↗

• 13

  Magnesium is a required cofactor for more than 600 enzyme reactions, including the ones that produce and use cellular energy.

  This comprehensive physiology review in Physiological Reviews describes magnesium as the second most abundant intracellular cation and an ion 'essential to the human body,' involved in over 600 enzymatic reactions including energy metabolism and protein synthesis. It maps how magnesium is absorbed, stored in bone and muscle, and regulated by the kidney, and why adequate magnesium status underpins normal nerve, muscle and metabolic function. This is the standard reference for magnesium's foundational biochemical role.

  Comprehensive physiological review (mechanistic) de Baaij JHF, Hoenderop JGJ, Bindels RJM Magnesium in man: implications for health and disease. Physiological Reviews. 2015. PMID 25540137 ↗

• 14

  Glutathione is the body's most abundant intracellular antioxidant and its central redox regulator.

  This widely cited review in Molecular Aspects of Medicine describes glutathione as the most abundant low-molecular-weight thiol compound synthesized in human cells. The authors detail its role in protecting cells from oxidative damage and from the toxicity of reactive xenobiotic electrophiles, and in maintaining the cell's overall redox balance. The paper covers where oxidants and electrophiles come from, how glutathione eliminates them (by reduction and by conjugation), and how glutathione synthesis is regulated - including therapeutic strategies for raising cellular glutathione content.

  Mechanistic review Forman HJ, Zhang H, Rinna A Glutathione: overview of its protective roles, measurement, and biosynthesis. Molecular Aspects of Medicine. 2009. PMID 18796312 ↗

References

• 1Savoie FA, et al. Effect of Hypohydration on Muscle Endurance, Strength, Anaerobic Power and Capacity and Vertical Jumping Ability: A Meta-Analysis. Sports Medicine. 2015. PMID 26178327 ↗
• 2Kenefick RW, et al. Rapid IV versus oral rehydration: responses to subsequent exercise heat stress. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise. 2006. PMID 17146319 ↗
• 3Ganio MS, et al. Mild dehydration impairs cognitive performance and mood of men. British Journal of Nutrition. 2011. PMID 21736786 ↗
• 4Semler MW, Kellum JA. Balanced Crystalloid Solutions. American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine. 2019. PMID 30407838 ↗
• 5Waldron M, Patterson SD, Tallent J, Jeffries O. The Effects of an Oral Taurine Dose and Supplementation Period on Endurance Exercise Performance in Humans: A Meta-Analysis. Sports Medicine. 2018. PMID 29546641 ↗
• 6Ra SG, Miyazaki T, Ishikura K, et al. Combined effect of branched-chain amino acids and taurine supplementation on delayed onset muscle soreness and muscle damage in high-intensity eccentric exercise. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition. 2013. PMID 24195702 ↗
• 7McLeay Y, Stannard S, Barnes M. The Effect of Taurine on the Recovery from Eccentric Exercise-Induced Muscle Damage in Males. Antioxidants (Basel). 2017. PMID 29039798 ↗
• 8Yarizadh H, et al. The Effect of L-Carnitine Supplementation on Exercise-Induced Muscle Damage: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Clinical Trials. Journal of the American College of Nutrition. 2020. PMID 32154768 ↗
• 9Supakatisant C, Phupong V. Oral magnesium for relief in pregnancy-induced leg cramps: a randomised controlled trial. Maternal & Child Nutrition. 2015. PMID 22909270 ↗
• 10Longo N, Frigeni M, Pasquali M. Carnitine transport and fatty acid oxidation. Biochimica et Biophysica Acta - Molecular Cell Research. 2016. PMID 26828774 ↗
• 11Rebouche CJ. Ascorbic acid and carnitine biosynthesis. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 1991. PMID 1962562 ↗
• 12Lee MC, et al. A functional evaluation of anti-fatigue and exercise performance improvement following vitamin B complex supplementation in healthy humans, a randomized double-blind trial. International Journal of Medical Sciences. 2023. PMID 37786445 ↗
• 13de Baaij JHF, Hoenderop JGJ, Bindels RJM. Magnesium in man: implications for health and disease. Physiological Reviews. 2015. PMID 25540137 ↗
• 14Forman HJ, Zhang H, Rinna A. Glutathione: overview of its protective roles, measurement, and biosynthesis. Molecular Aspects of Medicine. 2009. PMID 18796312 ↗