Nutritional Supplementation for Athletes

By Jessica Heller, DC

Many athletes want to know what the best supplements are for them to take. There are many options, depending on the sport the athlete is involved in, as well as their individual biochemical makeup.

All athletes should take a good quality B-complex vitamin. B vitamins aid in bodily repair, and the body need more B-complex as energy expenditure increases. Another supplement all athletes should consider is Vitamin C. Vitamin C is essential for building strong connective tissue, which is often injured or broken down with heavy exercise. It also affects the function of most biochemical processes in the body. Heavy exercisers should take one to two grams per day.

Many athletes take protein supplements or powders to aid in muscle building. A protein supplement should include all amino acids (the building blocks of proteins), and should contain more individual amino acids than complex proteins, so that the proteins do not need to be broken down. Whey protein has been shown to be the highest quality, most efficient, and most bioavailable source of protein. If the athlete is over fifty years old, he should have more tyrosine (an amino acid) in the supplement than average, because as one ages, he can no longer metabolize tyrosine from phenylalanine (another amino acid.) dietary protein should represent approximately twelve to fifteen percent of the calories consumed by athletes in hard training. For athletes who may decrease total caloric intake (wrestlers, boxers, gymnasts) the percentage of caloric intake represented by protein should be raised above fifteen percent. Carbohydrates should represent fifty-five to sixty percent of dietary calories to reduce the potential breakdown of proteins. Daily protein requirements for endurance athletes range from 1.2 to 2.2 grams per kilogram of body weight.

If the athlete is feeling low on energy or fatigued, he should consider taking chromium to increase ATP production (our body's individual "packets" of energy.) Chromium also helps to regulate blood sugar levels throughout the day, so one can avoid roller coaster energy levels. 100-200 micrograms of chromium should be taken daily.

Athletes that engage in primarily aerobic exercise should take 500 mg of L-carnitine per day. This supplement allows the heart to use short-chain fatty acids directly for energy, instead of biochemically processing glucose. Aerobic athletes should also take Co-enzyme Q10, because it plays a key role in ATP production and is nature's best anti-oxidant, helping to rid cells of the byproducts of metabolism.

All athletes (and all of the general public, for that matter) should take two to four grams per day of omega-3 fatty acids (also known as fish oil or EPA/DHA). They are strong anti-inflammatory agents, and also improve the delivery of oxygen and nutrients to muscles. In athletes, the ratio of EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) to DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) in the supplement should be five to one.

If an athlete chooses to use a sports drink, he should choose one using the following guidelines. The drink should not contain sucrose, artificial flavors, artificial colors, preservatives, vitamins, or aspartame. It should contain 20-30 grams of carbohydrates, including fructose, which the body can utilize with very little insulin expenditure. The drink should also contain all electrolytes and phosphates.

For long distance athletes, timing of refueling is important. Up to 1-2 hours before the event, the athlete should consume twenty to twenty-five ounces of water and up to 800 calories of food that is 90-95% carbohydrate. From the beginning of the race and for the first two hours, she should consume 6-8 ounces of water every fifteen minutes, and abstain from food consumption. Two to four hours into the race, she should drink 6-8 ounces of water every fifteen minutes, along with one hundred calories of sports drink and one hundred calories of solid food every thirty minutes. Four to six hours into the race, water consumption should remain the same as above, but sports drinks and food can be consumed every twenty minutes. After the event, the athlete should continue consuming water and enough carbohydrates to replenish themselves.

References:

Baechle, Thomas R., Ed. Essentials of Strength Training and Conditioning. 1994. 213-15.

Richardson, Dan. "Wisconsin Chiropractic Association Nutrition Module 4." Lecture and notes, December 1-2, 2007.

Dr. Heller is a chiropractor and certified strength and conditioning specialist (CSCS), practicing in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin. She has extensive experience teaching fitness classes, including aquatics, to all age groups and abilities, as well as personal training experience both on land and in the water.

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