grace chin

A systematic review of 199 products sold to counter the effects of air travel, covering 183 different ingredients, found solid supporting evidence for only 12 of them, and melatonin dominates that short list (reducing felt jet lag with an effect size of -0.76 eastbound and -0.66 westbound), not the vitamin C or B vitamins found in Oronamin C. Caffeine does have real data behind it in healthy travelers: it raises alertness and helps resynchronize hormonal rhythms after transmeridian travel, with the known trade-off of worse sleep if taken too late. Pocari Sweat (sodium, potassium, magnesium) is a sensible pick in this specific context: a long-haul flight genuinely dehydrates you (cabin air is very dry), and a controlled trial of a caffeine-and-B-vitamin-fortified electrolyte drink found it reduced felt fatigue and confusion after drinking it, with no measurable improvement in objective cognitive performance over a plain electrolyte drink. That last point matters: it's likely the electrolytes and sugar correcting dehydration- and low-blood-sugar-driven confusion that do the work, not the added vitamins. So the instinct — rehydrate with electrolytes and get some caffeine in after a flight — holds up, as long as you don't give the credit to the bonus ingredients in the Japanese combo.