What Is ActivNeeds?

ActivNeeds is a combination of 55 active ingredients that can provide you with more energy by multiple effects on cellular energy production provided by the mitochondria – the powerhouses of the cell.

All of the ingredients, active and inactive (including flavoring), are natural, meaning that they are found in the plants and animals of foods and herbs.

ActivNeeds is designed to promote an active lifestyle, at any age. Whether you’re a 20-something athlete looking for legal enhancement and faster recovery, or a 70-something hoping to spend more time on the golf course or chasing your grandchildren, this product is for you.

You could go online and buy 55 different products. Or you can just buy ActivNeeds.

How ActivNeeds Works

While energy and activity levels generally decline from young adulthood onward, there are great differences among individuals at every age. Some people are just naturally energetic, while others struggle to get through a modest day. One key difference between athletes and couch potatoes is their capability for mitochondrial energy metabolism. While some of the differences are genetic, many other differences are environmental. Known environmental factors that impact on energy metabolism include maintaining positive health habits (e.g., good diet, exercise, and sleep), and avoiding negative health habits (e.g., not smoking, alcohol in moderation). We all have heard that these factors are important to maintaining an active lifestyle, for avoiding many chronic illnesses, and for healthy aging in general, but is this all that we can do?
 
Modern science has identified multiple natural compounds that can improve mitochondrial energy metabolism. These compounds act by increasing ATP (energy) production, and/or in detoxifying metabolites made by incomplete energy metabolism (e.g., reactive oxygen species, ROS), and by protecting cells in the process. Many of these compounds are considered part of a healthy diet, while others are components of natural remedies (herbs, etc.) that have been used by some cultures for millennia.

In order to boost energy and activity level beyond that afforded through a healthy lifestyle, many people take supplements. Supplements can be found in many stores, and hundreds of different types can be found online; it is a billion-dollar industry. However, the vast majority of the products sold contain a single compound, or occasionally, a few-related compounds. The concept that one can improve health by taking an extraordinary amount of a single compound, or a few compounds, is contrary to the way in which biology works, particularly the way in which energy metabolism works. Cellular energy is produced on a biological assembly line. Electrons literally move from enzyme to enzyme, crystallized in order on the inner mitochondrial membrane. Visualize an assembly line of workers attaching parts into an automobile. If you greatly energized the guy in the middle so that he he places his part in faster, you are not making more cars, but certainly are making more chaos. Instead, visualize moderately increasing the speed of every worker along the line. That would produce more cars without more chaos. Thus, extreme-dosing of a single-compound often is disappointing in terms of the benefits, and can have side effects. On the other hand, moderate-dosing of multiple compounds has the capacity for greater improvement with less side effects.

Aging is a complex process that has many causes. However, modern science has identified mitochondrial energy metabolism as one of the key causes of aging, especially for aging-related decreased muscle strength.

 Mitochondrial contain their own DNA, which accumulates mutations faster than can be corrected in the highly-oxidized environment of the mitochondria. These mutations degrade the ability of cells to make energy over time. In particular, they affect muscle strength and endurance. ActivNeeds contains multiple compounds that reduce oxidation and thus slow oxidative damage, many of which have been shown in studies to slow the aging process.

Frequently Asked Questions

What Are The Active Ingredients in ActivNeeds

ActivNeeds is a blend of 55 different active ingredients. For many of the active ingredients, ActivNeeds contains higher dosing for additional benefit beyond achievable by even the healthiest of diets. This is done while maintaining generally moderate dosing at levels that are unexpected to result in side effects. Additional ingredients provide for comprehensive micronutrition, so that a multivitamin is unnecessary if you are taking ActivNeeds. Most of the 55 active ingredients in ActivNeeds are focused on improving mitochondrial metabolism and protection from oxidative damage. However, several additional ingredients act upon multiple other pathways, including cation channels, neurotransmission, inflammation, methylation, and neuroprotection.

  • Vitamins (A, B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, B7, B9, B12, C, D3, E, and K1)
    • Many are in activated forms with higher efficacy and tolerability than are present in most products, including B2 (riboflavin-5-phosphate), B6 (pyridoxal-5-phosphate), B9 (methyltetrahydrofolate), and B12 (methylcobalamin).
    • Other nutrients such as choline, inositol, and vitamin K2-7 are true vitamins but uncommon in most products.
  • Minerals (boron, chromium, iodine, magnesium, manganese, molybdenum, selenium, vanadium, and zinc), many of which are uncommon in most products.
  • Additional nutrients critical for energy metabolism: acetyl L-carnitine, alpha ketoglutarate, alpha lipoic acid, L-carnitine, coenzyme Q10, creatine, L-malic, and D-ribose.
  • Plant-based antioxidants to protect cells against oxidative toxicity: blueberry, curcumin, quercetin, and rutin.
  • Amino acids that stimulate nitric oxide synthase and thus maintain open blood vessels in the brain, heart, and elsewhere: L-arginine and L-citrulline.
    • L-lysine is included to balance the effects of arginine.
  • Compounds shown to slow aging: nicotinamide riboside, pomegranate (to naturally produce urolithin A), and resveratrol.
  • Nootropic compounds to boost brain alertness and to reduce mental fatigue: ashwagandha, brahmi, eleuthero, phosphatidylserine, rhodiola, taurine, and L-theanine.
  • Black pepper (trace amount to increase absorbance of many of the above ingredients).

 

ActivNeeds is intended for people of any age who want to be more active and to get more out of life. For example:

  • Young adults wishing to increase their athletic performance and endurance by safe, legal, and natural means accepted by sports organizations. In particular, the focus on the mitochondria should translate to improved recovery times.
  • Middle-aged adults working long hours, with active social lives, who refuse to admit that they are no longer in their 20s to 30s.
  • Older people wishing to improve their activity level and endurance, such as to travel, golf, or interact with their grandchildren. Many of the ingredients have been shown in studies to slow the aging process.

Consult your physician before starting ActivNeeds, or any high-potency dietary supplement, especially if you are pregnant, nursing, or taking medication. Some of the ingredients may interact with medications, in particular related to blood sugar or pressure.   

 

Suggested Use: 

Healthy adults: Take three (3) scoops [12 g] in the morning.

For prolonged effect: Take two (2) scoops [8 g] in the morning and one (1) scoop [4 g] in the late afternoon. Sensitive & elderly: Start at a lower dose (e.g., 1 scoop), and increase as tolerated.

For nootropic effects: Take with caffeine for increase focus and cognition.

“Start low, go slow” is a common saying among physicians advising their patients on starting a new treatment, whether a medication or a dietary supplement. It is prudent to give the body time to adjust to the new treatment. This is particularly true for older or more sensitive people, including those on medications. However, a slower start can benefit anyone in avoiding GI (gastrointestinal) side effects such as nausea, as can taking ActivNeeds with a meal.

How “low” and how “slow” is individualized. Consider starting at one scoop [4 g] and increasing to 1½ scoops [6 g], then to 2 scoops [8 g] every other day.

 

30 days if used at the suggested dosing of 3 scoops [12 g] a day.

If you seal the container after each use, ActivNeeds should last for several months. For unopened product, see the expiration date stamped on each container.

 

All ingredients in ActivNeeds, both active and inactive, are natural, and are components found in a variety of whole foods. The dosing for all ingredients are Generally Considered As Safe (GRAS) by regulatory agencies in both the United States and the equivalent for the European Union. ActivNeeds is fully vegan except for vitamin D extracted from sheep wool.

Any product can cause nausea on ingestion, and occasional cases of nausea with ActivNeeds ® are mitigated by taking lower dosing at first and working up, and/or ingesting with a meal.

If the product gives you too much energy, lower the dose taken.

This question is best asked to your health care provider, but some general guidance is provided herein for you and your provider.

If the amount of the nutrient currently taken is less or about the same as that provided by ActivNeeds, consider stopping the supplement at the time you start ActivNeeds. For example, if you currently are taking 250 mg a day of vitamin C a day, since the amount of vitamin C in ActivNeeds ® is 500 mg a day, you can stop the vitamin C supplement.

If the amount of the nutrient currently taken is more than that provided by ActivNeeds, consider reducing the amount of the supplement you are taking. For example, if you currently are taking 125 mg a day of magnesium, since the amount of ActivNeeds is 75 mg a day, you can reduce the magnesium supplement to 50 mg a day. This maintains the same dosage.

Most standard multivitamin tablets have quite low dosing of every nutrient, and can be discontinued when you start ActivNeeds without additional supplementation. Compare the amounts of each nutrient before making a decision.

Yes, ActivNeeds capsules can be mixed in with formula for tube feedings, especially if that tube goes to the stomach. Most of the ingredients are absorbed in the small intestine, and may or may not be adequately absorbed with jejunal (intestinal) feedings.

 

No, ActivNeeds does not include omega-3 fatty acids (“omega 3s”. Omega-3s are critical for overall health, including that of the brain and heart. Unless your diet is heavy on wild-caught seafoods, it is likely highly deficient in omega-3s, and it is highly recommended that an omega-3 source be supplemented as well. As fish oil-derived omega-3s do not directly cross into brain, but krill oil-derived omega-3s do, a product that includes krill oil is recommended by Dr. Boles for brain health, including for reducing mental fatigue. NeuroNeeds® has an omega-3 product, OmegaNeeds®, derived from both krill (for brain) and fish (for heart), as well as phosphatidylserine from sunflower seed (for brain). To learn more about why fish oil products do not directly enter brain, click here.

Your physician may wish to add additional dietary supplementation beyond ActivNeeds, tailored to each unique person.

In particular, additional coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) in the form of ubiquinol is highly recommended. CoQ10 plays a pivotal role in energy metabolism, and the dosing in ActivNeeds alone is insufficient to reach a therapeutic blood level in Dr. Boles’ opinion. CoQ10 comes in two different forms, ubiquinone (the form present in most products) and ubiquinol (a highly bioavailable form). ActivNeeds is best if taken with additional ubiquinol. Dr. Boles generally recommends adding a ubiquinol supplement on top of ActivNeeds at 200 mg twice daily (400 mg a day) for anyone age 12 years or older. NeuroNeeds® markets our own brand of ubiquinol, QNeeds®, which has excellent bioavailability, even above most other ubiquinol products.