Vitamins and supplements for athletes

There are thousands of nutritional supplements out there, and you can make a strong case for including many of them in your diet. Unfortunately, this is not cost-effective and does not contribute to a happy life. Who wants to swallow pills all day long to ensure the correct time of administration, absorption and effectiveness of the drugs?

We have compiled a list of the top 7 supplements for athletes, also known as essential supplements. Start with them to see how you feel. If something is still missing, consider adding supplements specific to your situation.

Omega 3 (fish oil)

probably one of the most used supplements on the market today, and with good reason. When high-quality fish oil is consumed in high enough amounts, it provides the most bang for your buck when it comes to nutritional supplements. Most people are aware of improved cardiovascular health and function, improved lipid profile (reducing triglycerides), improved brain function and mental acuity, and its powerful anti-inflammatory properties without harmful side effects.

You should start with 600 mg of fish oil (it lasts only about 8 hours in the body), and gradually increase the intake to 1200 mg per day.

B vitamins

These vitamins increase energy production and are neurotransmitter cofactors, so they help improve our mood and help us flush out the toxins we need after exercise (and overeating). The process of building and repairing muscles (protein processing) depletes B vitamins, so if you lift weights or damage muscle tissue during training or work, you need to take additional B vitamins to help the recovery (strengthen) process because you burn them at an alarming rate.

Look on the label for riboflavin 5'-phosphate (B-2), methylcobalamin (B-12), pyridoxal 5'-phosphate (B-6), and benfotiamine (B-1), as these are the absorbable forms of your body. body can use. Avoid any B vitamins in hydrochloride (HCL) form as they are cheap and not absorbed by your body.

Be sure to take this supplement in the morning as B-12 will keep you awake. Your urine may be yellow or even orange, so don't worry.

Magnesium

It is probably one of the top three most recommended nutritional supplements for athletes as it is an essential element of biological systems and most athletes are likely to be deficient in it.

Magnesium is important for athletes because it regulates heart rate, allows muscles to contract and relax properly, lowers blood pressure, and is essential for the production of ATP (the main source of energy in our cells), which must be bound to a magnesium ion in order to be biologically active.

Magnesium is best taken after a workout on an empty stomach. Sedentary people need 300 mg per day, and larger athletes on a heavy training regimen can take up to 600 mg per day.

Vitamin D

This vitamin is more like a hormone than a medicine. It is produced by the body when exposed to sunlight, and most of us do not produce enough of it (25,000 IU/day), even if we are in the sun a lot. In addition to working with calcium to improve bone density, vitamin D helps reduce inflammation, the risk of colon and breast cancer, improves mood and upper respiratory health by helping fight infections caused by viruses and other pathogens, and allows the brain to release melatonin so that we could fall asleep easier - for example, when you were in the sun all day and were tired as soon as night fell. This is why vitamin D is most effective when taken at night, about an hour before bedtime, and sublingual drops are the best form.

Studies show that vitamin D supplementation up to 30,000 IU is safe, and there are European studies showing that 150,000 IU for three days treats upper respiratory tract infections, which can be viral in nature.

Protein

If you take protein 10 minutes after a workout, it will reduce the amount of stress hormones (mainly cortisol) released. This makes a huge difference to belly fat (no pun intended). But don't overdo it - 20-30g per hour is the maximum your body can digest, and you only need 0.8-1.4g of protein per pound of muscle each day. Too much protein leads to hyperacidity of the body, which leads to many other problems. But the right amount of protein—in addition to providing energy—repairs tissues and reduces muscle soreness. Protein should be consumed in food - predominantly of animal origin - throughout the day and, of course, within 10 minutes after training.

Vitamin C

Promotes the production of our old friend ATP (nucleoside triphosphate, which plays a major role in cell energy metabolism), promotes wound healing and is a cofactor for collagen production and muscle repair.

The recommended daily dose is 90 mg, which is sufficient to prevent "index" diseases such as scurvy. Athletes and other special populations should take no more than 2,000 mg per day.

Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10)

An important antioxidant, also known as ubiquinone. Coenzyme Q10 is the only antioxidant found inside cells and it allows the mitochondria to produce ATP. It also gets rid of lactic acid. CoQ10 should be in the news more often due to its important effects on the heart, which is rich in CoQ10 to keep us going when it gets depleted from the stress of athletic training.

In recent years, several young ultra-distance runners have dropped dead from heart failure, and the discovery has been a lack of CoQ10 in their hearts, causing scarring and damage from years of training.

Do not take CoQ10 at the same time as fish oil because it can actually slow down the rate of absorption. The recommended dose of CoQ10 for a healthy adult is 200 mg (taken for 3-4 weeks, then reduced to 100 mg). For people leading an active lifestyle, athletes and hypertensive patients, a dose of 200 mg is unchanged.