Written by Kaz Louise Stoner
Nutrition is an integral part of sports and athletic performance. Nothing beats a balanced diet made up of macronutrients including carbohydrates, protein, and fats. Each athlete should carefully plan out their meals to ensure sufficient intake of all. However, if there is no whey an athlete is getting the appropriate nutrition to fuel their performance, supplements are a great and efficient way of doing this, if taken correctly.
Disclaimer: supplements are not meant to replace balanced meals. The ideal scenario would be getting enough from ingested food and supplements should be taken only if really needed.
There are many forms in which an athlete can ingest supplements including bars, tablets, capsules, liquids, and powders. Most of these products focus on the intake of protein, creatine, amino acids, and electrolytes.
Protein
When you exercise, soft tissues in your body (including muscles), are sustaining mini-traumas that need to be repaired. What does it mean to endure mini-traumas?
It means that the muscle is getting slightly injured and this is essential for muscle growth. These traumas result in the body repairing the muscle fibres, which in turn increases the size and mass of the muscle leading to hypertrophy. Broken down aspects of the protein that are usually received from diet (amino acids), are the building blocks that repair these muscles.
Natural sources of protein include
Vegetarian: eggs, milk and cheese, soy, tofu/ tempeh (or many other meat substitutes), nuts, seeds, beans, lentils, and pulses
Non-vegetarian: fish and meats.
If your diet does not consist of enough protein, you can supplement this with many different types of protein powders and bars. Below are a couple of examples.
- Whey protein – this type of protein comes from milk. It is quick to digest and rich in amino acids. Studies also find it to reduce appetite.
- Casein protein – this is also a derivative of milk. It’s digested more slowly however. It offers muscle a more steady exposure to the protein reducing the rate of breakdown.
- Pea protein – a great plant-based protein alternative coming from yellow split pea. It is particularly rich in BCAAs.
BCAAs – Branched Chain Amino Acids
Amino acids are the building blocks to protein. There are 20 different types. 11 are naturally produced by the body however 9 have to be ingested. Of these 9, there is a group of 3 that are fundamental to muscle hypertrophy: leucine, isoleucine, and valine. Although these words sound confusing the concept is quite straightforward and similar to the protein system previously mentioned. The main focus should be on leucine.
Evidence shows that with exercise, leucine decreases in the body and thus, to increase protein synthesis, it needs to be included in diet. There is some evidence also suggesting that BCAAs can reduce fatigue and decrease delayed onset muscle soreness (Doms or qtugh ta laham).
Contrary to popular belief, however, BCAA supplements are not essential to getting these amino acids in one’s diet. A good intake of these BCAA rich foods should be enough for an athlete: chicken, eggs, cottage cheese, tinned tuna, and wild salmon. But if you insist on intaking more, BCAAs can be used as a supplement. These usually come in 2 forms; powder or tablet. So… which is better?
Powder is mixed with a liquid that allows them to get to the body very quickly. Tablets are easier to consume and more time efficient.
Creatine
This is one of the most researched and also most effective supplements that is currently on the market. Creatine is a molecule that is found in all muscle cells and is primarily made in the liver. Its job is to store high energy phosphate groups which enhances energy carrying in the body. The phosphocreatine is a stored energy in cells and it aids the body to produce more ATP (which is a high energy molecule commonly known as the body’s energy currency).
Essentially; more ATP = more energetic performance.
Creatine can also lead to changes in cell function that can lead to muscle growth giving more muscle gain to the athlete.
Creatine can be taken in different forms but the most researched and conclusively beneficial form is creatine monohydrate. Always check the correct safety dosage according to your physical activity level, weight, and height.
Electrolytes
Sodium, potassium, magnesium, and calcium are all forms of electrolytes that the body needs a certain amount of. All water contains electrolytes, unless labeled distilled. Electrolyte water (usually sold under brand names such as gatorade or powerade) dissolve electrolytes in water in the hopes of:
- Regulating blood pressure
- Preventing dehydration
- Maintaining appropriate blood acidity (pH)
When we sweat, we lose a lot of these electrolytes and thus, sports drinks aim to replenish these lost nutrients. The same concept applies when someone is sick with nausea and vomiting. It’s recommended to drink sports drinks, to replenish what was lost. Water is usually enough to meet general hydration needs. In training situations where the body is extremely over-exerted, the athlete has a lot of exposure to the sun, or the athlete loses a lot of fluids via sweat, electrolytes can be supplemented.
You can buy these from a store with the sports drink brands as previously mentioned or bought in powder form to mix into water.
The Bottom Line
Whilst supplements can definitely enhance performance, we recommend always speaking to a nutritionist and trained professional to get the best out of your sports nutrition.
