Vitamin & Mineral Intake For Athletes
Do not under estimate the importance of vitamins, minerals, and anti-oxidants in the diet. Vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants assist the body and play a key role in energy production, free radical damage, immune function, muscle recovery, and hormonal balance. There are thirteen essential vitamins. All act as catalyst, speeding up various chemical reactions that athletic performance depends on. Without vitamins to catalyze these reactions, they can’t take place quickly enough to support life.
The body cannot produce or synthesis vitamins, so they must be consumed consistently in adequate amounts in food and supplements. There are two basic categories of vitamins: water-soluble and fat-soluble. The body can store fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K in small amounts within fat tissues, but cannot store the water-soluble vitamins (B complex and C), so it is important to consume these daily. The B-vitamin complex and vitamins C, D, and E are especially important for strength and power athletes. The B vitamin group aids in releasing energy from carbohydrates, fats and proteins as well as assists in building proteins from amino acids. Vitamin C is the only vitamin present in every cell in the body. It is a potent anti-oxidant that can help prevent viral infections that athletes are more susceptible to due to intense training. It can also help to blunt the catabolic effects of cortisol during difficult workouts. Vitamin D is important for the development of strong bones essential to strength athletes. Vitamin E is another powerful anti-oxidant that helps maintain cell integrity by helping to limit the loss of protein, and reduce both inflammation and soreness after an intense workout. (Nutrient Timing, Ivy & Portman)
There are major problems in the American diet that are causing an epidemic of vitamin deficiencies. Scientific studies have shown that a majority of Americans (athletes’ included) are deficient in many essential nutrients. According to the United States Department of Agriculture, more that 80% of women and 70% of men consume less than two thirds of the Recommended Daily Intake (RDI) for one or more nutrients. To bring more clarity to this problem, consider that RDI merely represents the amount of a nutrient that is required daily to avoid a deficiency disease, such as scurvy or pellagra. It is not recommended to achieve optimal health and surely not sufficient enough for athletic performance and the stresses that accompany competing at a high level. Even athletes who feel they eat well, or that small percentage of individuals who actually meet the RDI’s, may not realize their true potential for vibrant performance without nutritional supplements.
Indeed, we live in a land of plenty and have a variety of foods at our fingertips. How is it that we eat more, yet get fewer nutrients? The answer is eating empty calories. These are foods that contain very little nutritional value. Some common sources of empty calories include heavily processed foods, baked goods, soda, candy, and desserts. Add to this the fact that many common aspects of daily living can deplete your body of the nutrients it needs to function properly. Consider the following nutrient-depleting factors:
• Junk food
• Caffeine
• Antacids
• Pesticides (on fruits and vegetables)
• Stripping the soil (we do not let the soil rest)
• Hormone/Antibiotic injected meat and dairy (this hinders our immune function and free radical damage to cells)
• Prescription medications (antibiotics, diuretics’)
• Over the counter mediations (antacids, pain relievers, ect)
• Stress (whether its emotional, physical, environmental, or metabolic)
• Illness (cold, flu, infection, arthritis, heart disease)
• Injury
• Intestinal problems (leaky gut, IBS, yeast, decrease in good bacterial)
• Soda
• Nicotine
Taking diet and environmental factors into consideration, it may be necessary to take a high quality vitamin, mineral, and anti-oxidant supplement to ensure adequate quantities are ingested. Otherwise performance may be compromised. Realizing that most athletes have diets deficient in vitamins, minerals and anti-oxidants, every athlete that trains at PSI is recommended to take a high quality vitamin, mineral, anti-oxidant, and fish oil. Currently we are using Bodywise AM / PM vitamin and mineral, Nanogreens anti-oxidant, and Metagenics fish oil.
Remember, not all supplements are created equal. When it comes to protecting your health, quality should be your number one priority. This is simply because, in most cases, the quality of a supplement dictates its effectiveness. Look for supplements manufactured by Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) certified labs.
Vitamins, minerals, and anti-oxidants are a very important part of the athletic diet. In a perfect world we could all eat enough quality food to supply adequate amounts of these important nutrients to not only maintain our health but also to recover from intense athletic workouts. This is very difficult. If you want to maximize your performance supplementation with high quality products may be required.