A new blend of nutrients could boost women’s energy levels and may help them run quicker, scientists have revealed.
The supplement, yet to be given a name by researchers, contains zinc, copper, iron, carnitine and phosphatidylserine.
Women tend to eat less meat – which is abundant in the five nutrients – than men and often have more micro-deficiencies, they said.
But by correcting their lack of the five nutrients, women are given a small energy boost, according to a small new trial.
The supplement is expected to cost around $35 (£25) for a month’s supply and the researchers are working on making it into a commercial product.
It is believed the supplement mix could also work for vegetarian men, considering the product is designed for women who lack meat in their diet.
The supplement, yet to be given a name by researchers, contains zinc, copper, iron, carnitine and phosphatidylserine – nutrients that women often lack, scientists say
Professor Robert DiSilvestro, of Ohio State University, said: ‘We know that young women, in particular, often have micro-deficiencies in nutrients.
‘Those nutrients play a role in how cells work during exercise.
‘They tend to eat less meat than men, and menstruation also plays an important role in mineral loss.
‘I decided to start with minerals that are commonly low – or thought to be low in many diets – and brought in some of the supporting cast.
‘These two nutrients [carnitine and phosphatidylserine, which are needed for cell function, are made by our bodies but also come from food we eat.’
Researchers conducted two experiments on 64 women, who regularly engaged in running, to make their findings.
The first trial involved splitting 28 women down the middle into two groups, giving half the supplement and the others a placebo.
It was sprinkled into a drink of their choice twice a day.
Those given the nutrient mix were shown to run a distance of three miles nearly a minute quicker.
They were able to cover more distance on their bike in 25 minutes and made 10 per cent more tests, the study also revealed.
All of the changes were statistically significant and were not seen in the placebo group.
The researchers wanted to confirm their initial findings by reproducing the test again on a slightly bigger group of 36 women.
The participants were this time given the trial nutrient mix in capsule form.
They discovered that women taking the supplement ran the three-mile distance around 41 seconds quicker.
Both studies were published in the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition. The women were all aged between 18 and 30.
The amount of nutrients in the supplements was well below a level that could cause harmful side effects and none were observed in this study.