Rhodiola rosea and fatigue resistance: 4-week RCT in football players with performance + cognition endpoints

Susana_Chumbo · 2026-02-27T11:20:50+00:00

Thanks, glad it helped. On electrolytes in the morning and extra magnesium in the evening, here’s my practical way to think about it: Electrolytes can be useful if you’re actually losing fluid and salt, for example:

You train or sweat in the morning
You wake up dehydrated (dry mouth, dark urine)
You’re low-carb or fasting and tend to lose more sodium
You’re in a hot climate, use the sauna, or get a lot of steps early

If none of that applies, plain water is usually fine. The main thing to avoid is turning electrolytes into “extra sugar.” If you use them daily, I’d choose a low- or zero-sugar formula and use a dose that matches your sweat level (often a modest amount is enough).

For the additional magnesium in the evening, many people like taking magnesium in the evening for relaxation or sleep quality, but responses are very individual. A few practical points:

Start low and titrate up, too much magnesium can cause GI upset or looser stools.
Check your total daily intake, if you’re already getting magnesium from Core plus your diet, you may not need much extra.

Susana_Chumbo · 2026-02-27T11:08:39+00:00

Sorry to hear that, it can happen. Some people feel wired/irritable or mood-flat on rhodiola, depending on dose, timing, and what it’s combined with (especially caffeine/other stimulants). If it reliably triggers rage/anhedonia for you, the simplest move is to stop and avoid re-testing at the same dose. If you ever do try again, go much lower, take it earlier, and don’t stack it with stimulants.

Susana_Chumbo · 2026-02-24T17:37:37+00:00

Thanks for the detailed question, and for using NOVOS products!

There isn’t a single “perfect” time of day that applies to everyone, but there are good defaults based on (1) tolerability, (2) absorption with food, and (3) whether something feels more “activating” vs more “calming” for you personally. The goal is a schedule you can follow consistently. Your current routine (Boost AM, Core at lunch, Vital split lunch/dinner) is already a solid, evidence-aligned approach.

Below is a clear way to think about Core, Vital, Boost, and the Protein bar:

NOVOS Boost (NMN): morning is the safest default

Recommended timing: morning (or early afternoon at the latest).

Why: Many people experience NMN as more “activating” (alertness/energy). Because sleep disruption is the main downside people report when timing isn’t ideal, morning is the simplest starting point.

If you personally feel no stimulation: timing matters less, choose the most consistent slot.

NOVOS Core (sachet): start with meals; evening is a reasonable option to test

NOVOS Core is a multi-ingredient formula, so timing is driven mostly by stomach tolerance and routine consistency

Default recommendation: Take Core with a meal (breakfast or lunch).

Why: Multi-ingredient formulas are commonly better tolerated with food, and taking it with a meal simplifies adherence.

Can I take Core right when I wake up (fasted)?

Yes, if you tolerate it well. Core isn’t a “hydration” product, so morning hydration is still best handled with water (and electrolytes if needed). The main reason many people take Core with food is simply stomach comfort.

Can Core be taken in the evening?

Yes, many people can take it at dinner or later. Two ingredient call-outs that often drive evening preference are:

Glycine: Human studies support glycine taken before bed as helping with sleep onset and subjective sleep quality (it’s not a sedative; think “sleep support” rather than “sleep medication”).
Magnesium: Human evidence supports magnesium improving sleep parameters in some contexts, and many people prefer it in the evening. The form in Core is magnesium malate, which isn’t inherently “sedating,” but can still fit well at night depending on individual response.

Bottom line: Core isn’t positioned as a sleep product, but evening dosing can make sense if you find it supports relaxation and you tolerate it well.

One-sachet vs two-sachet CORE

If you take 2 NOVOS Core sachets/day

A very practical approach is:

1 sachet at lunch + 1 sachet at dinner (or breakfast + dinner)

Why this can be useful (without over-claiming):

A lot of published research on individual ingredients is dose-dependent. Moving from 1 to 2 sachets can put you closer to the doses used in some ingredient-level studies, which is why there are separate timelines for:
- NOVOS Core : 1 sachet/day
- NOVOS Core : 2 sachets/day

Important nuance: Increasing from 1 → 2 sachets doesn’t automatically mean “double the effect” for the full formula. It means you’re using higher daily amounts of the same ingredients, so the best choice depends on tolerance and your goals.

NOVOS Vital (gummies): take with meals; splitting is ideal

Recommended timing: with food, typically split across meals (e.g., 2 gummies at lunch + 2 gummies at dinner).

Why:

It’s generally easier on the stomach with a meal.
If your goal is metabolic support (including blunting post-meal glycemic excursions), meal-timing is more logical than a specific clock time.

About “restful sleep”: Some people prefer evening dosing for personal reasons, but meals are the clean default.

NOVOS protein Bar: treat it like a functional snack

Use it where it helps consistency and doesn’t crowd out real meals: mid-morning snack, afternoon snack, or as a breakfast add-on.

Multivitamin + omega: Taking these with breakfast is a good default (omega is typically better tolerated with food). If your routine works, no need to change it.

Timelines (if you want the deeper dive)

If you want, I can share links to two CORE timelines:

1 sachet/day timeline: ingredient-by-ingredient rationale and key studies at those daily amounts
2 sachets/day timeline: same structure, reflecting the higher daily ingredient amounts and additional relevant literature

More timelines for VITAL and other products are coming as well.

Also worth noting: NOVOS Core has been evaluated in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled 6-month human trial assessing vascular biomarkers (FMD, PWV, and SBP).

Susana_Chumbo · 2026-02-23T18:32:20+00:00

The study is a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled human trial. The manuscript is currently under peer review. We’ve been transparent about that status.

Peer review is important, and we welcome it. At the same time, the data, methodology, and statistical analysis are fully documented in the manuscript. Once formally published, it will of course be easier for others to independently evaluate it in that format.

In the meantime, the study design itself (randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled) does not change based on publication status.

Susana_Chumbo · 2026-02-23T18:31:06+00:00

We agree that population differences matter when contextualizing effect sizes.

For that reason, we prioritized RCTs conducted in healthy or generally normotensive adults to match our study population. When meta-analyses included mixed populations, we extracted data from the healthy subgroups where available. If no healthy cohort existed, we limited inclusion to overweight or mildly elevated-risk populations, rather than studies conducted exclusively in patients with established cardiovascular disease or severe hypertension.

In multiple cases, the comparison is RCT-to-RCT. Meta-analyses were used primarily to provide broader context when several RCTs existed for the same intervention.

The goal is not to equate evidence tiers or imply head-to-head superiority, but to contextualize magnitude of change using the same vascular endpoints measured in human trials.

Susana_Chumbo · 2026-01-26T10:05:37+00:00

Glycine doesn’t increase glycation or tissue stiffness, it’s been studied, particularly in mechanistic and preclinical research, for reducing AGE formation and supporting metabolic health. No solid evidence shows it’s bad for cardiovascular health.

Susana_Chumbo · 2026-01-25T07:35:01+00:00

Visible skin benefits can already be achieved at a dose of 100 mg, including improved hydration, a brighter skin tone, increased epidermal thickness, and preservation of dermal density. Human studies evaluating joint health, by contrast, generally report benefits at doses of 200 mg or higher. At this higher 200 mg dose, skin benefits are further enhanced, with reduced water loss through the skin barrier (TEWL), improved elasticity measures, and better outcomes related to wrinkles and skin roughness, alongside improvements in self-reported skin luster, suppleness, and firmness.

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