10 SPORTS SUPPLEMENTS TO IMPROVE YOUR PERFORMANCE - NUTRITION - 2024

Sports supplements can help improve your sports performance and be key in achieving your goals, whether you are an athlete, hobbyist or professional. The diet of human beings is not only intended for a pleasant function through its organoleptic characteristics (taste, smell, color, consistency and others) or to serve merely as a tool for social gathering with other individuals.

Also in the biological aspect, it seeks to satisfy the energy requirements and macro / micro nutrients to be able to carry out our daily activities correctly (walking, writing, talking, brushing our teeth or even breathing).

Each food has its own nutritional contribution, determined by the quantity and quality of nutrients it has and which in turn have a predominant function in particular:

• Carbohydrates: Energy
• Proteins: Form structures.
• Fats: Reserve energy.
• Vitamins and minerals: Regulation of metabolic pathways.

What happens if I also play sports?

In a general way, your energy, macro and micronutrient demands will increase, because you will spend much more energy in the processes of muscle contraction, cardiac output, remodeling of tissues damaged by the wear and tear of discipline, among many other factors to consider.

So how much more should I eat?

The answer is not so simple, and in some certain case it will not even be necessary to increase your intake.

Various factors influence this aspect, such as the particular sport discipline, position, training loads, your age and your weight, but above all I want to make it extremely clear to you that it is diametrically different to be an amateur athlete or also called a "weekend athlete ”, Than seeing you faced with the enormous physical and psychological demands of professional or elite athletes.

What is a nutritional supplement?

Let's start from the fact that they are "supplements" because they should only be used if you cannot meet your nutritional requirements through conventional food (say, for example, eat rice, meat, fruits, vegetables etc.).

Therefore, if you are not at least a semi-competitive athlete or you do not have adequate access to food, you will hardly need to invest in a nutritional supplement, except for a specific one. To clarify this question, it is essential that you visit a nutritionist or dietitian.

Sports nutritional supplements are ergogenic aids

After these important conceptual and clarifying points that I could not ignore in my role as a health professional, I present a summary of some of the best-known sports nutritional supplements that in turn have been shown to have some probable positive effect on performance sports.

1- Carbohydrates

Source: Alberto

As we have commented previously, carbohydrates are the main responsible for delivering energy to, for example, resist a 10-kilometer race or finish a football game in good condition.

They are stored in our body in the form of glycogen, and for many events (such as a marathon) it is vital to arrive with a good reserve of these.

Its importance is prior to the activity, during it (especially if the physical effort will exceed 60 minutes in duration) and later to replace what was lost.

You can find them as carbohydrate concentrates (typical powders in jars), energy bars (there are many, some better than others) and as sports gels. They are the ones that are usually used because of how comfortable they are to ingest during long runs or we even see them in tennis matches.

In what cases to use them? Sports of more than an hour duration (bars or gels) or if you need to gain weight you can use the powder concentrate.

2- Protein hydrolysates

Source: Mike1024

It is undoubtedly one of the most popular especially in the area of ​​bodybuilding and gyms in general.

To summarize, when you are looking to gain muscle mass you must generate a positive protein balance. This means that you must eat more than you spend, since if you train hard what you do is generate micro ruptures of the muscle fibers, which must be repaired, and if you provide a good amount of protein the muscle will get bigger.

The combination for muscle hypertrophy (larger muscles) is well-planned training, proper nutrition, and rest. If you fail one of them, you will not achieve your goal.

The most common are buttermilk but there are other options such as meat, and they come in many flavors (chocolate, raspberry, vanilla, cookies, etc.).

You should not abuse its use. Doses of up to 2.8 grams per kilogram of weight have not been shown to exert any harm to health, although no real benefit of doses over 2.4 grams per kilogram has been demonstrated. Get advice from a professional.

3- Branched amino acids

Source: Freekhou5

The truth is that a well-planned diet for an athlete should provide more than enough of these amino acids (valine, leucine and isoleucine).

However, they are still one of the most used products in the world of sports, especially at the level of the fitness or crossfit world. Either by placebo or real effect, it is postulated that they can improve sports performance by delaying fatigue, especially at the level of the central nervous system.

They are usually ingested about 30 to 45 minutes prior to physical activity and their presentation is generally in capsules.

4- Glutamine

Glutamine supplement. Source:

It is the most abundant non-essential amino acid and its synthesis is higher in skeletal muscle than any other, because, for example, it is widely used in immune function.

It has been insisted on as an anti-catabolic muscle product, but its main benefits would be to delay the onset of fatigue, favoring muscle recovery after intense exercises (for example, a hard weight session) and the already known function of strengthening the immune system.

Its protocol of use is generally 15 grams in 150-200 cc of water divided into 2-3 times a day. There may be individual variations in your response and dose.

5- Creatine

Source: Bogdan29roman

Another of the star and best-selling products. We must start by saying that our body synthesizes creatine naturally from arginine, glycine and methionine.

On the other hand, it is a nutrient that we obtain from foods of animal origin, this being its exogenous source (foreign to our body).

Its usefulness as a sports supplement has to do with increasing the availability of energy for intense muscle contractions, where a lot of strength and speed (power) is needed, such as weightlifting or the popular crossfit.

Is it really effective? Yes, let's say it improves your performance in terms of power (strength in speed), but specifically for short sports or intense repetition sprints.

Any possible unwanted effects? Creatine causes water retention, so you will gain some weight.

6- Hydroxy Methyl Butyrate (HMB)

HMB capsules. Source: Seppi333

It is a product originating from the metabolism of leucine and its relevance would lie in its role in reducing the catabolism (destruction) of muscle proteins and protecting their cellular integrity.

Its real efficacy is still under evaluation, since most of its positive effects on physical performance have been studied in sedentary subjects who started a sports program, so it could also be a placebo effect or that of the training itself.

Of the products that I have presented to you so far, it is the one that I know the least, but the specialized literature speaks that the consumption of 1g of HMB takes approximately 2 hours to reach its peak concentration and lasts 90 minutes in the blood.

It would be more effective if your sports level is basic or low. No specific adverse effects have been reported.

7- Glycerol

Source: Tonisup

This product is quite controversial and would be used by certain endurance athletes (long breath) and in adverse conditions (temperature, humidity).

Glycerol can be used for energy generation, but the most interesting thing about its justification as a sports supplement is that it would be able to maintain a correct state of body hydration, in addition to reducing the perception of fatigue.

Personally, I advise you to be advised by a doctor or nutritionist if you are really interested in using it, although if you are a beginner in the world of sports, I do not think that the supposed benefits are more useful for you.

8- Carnitine

Source: Airman 1st Class Daniel Brosam

Has it ever been offered to you to lose weight? Sure so, or have you heard that it is a "fat burner". Although deep down it has some truth, the concept is very misused because fat does not "burn" (a topic that we can touch on another occasion).

If we go to cell physiology, the fat in our body can be used to generate energy, but this reaction is too expensive and complicated, since a "transporter" is needed for the fatty acids to enter the mitochondria and be occupied.

Precisely that "transporter" is carnitine, so the more "transporters" we have, the more fat from our body we can eliminate through this process. It is not that simple, as it depends on the type of exercise you do and some people respond better than others to this supplementation.

In short, the evidence regarding carnitine is not 100% conclusive, so I do not assure you that it achieves its role in you. I would recommend, if your goal is to reduce your body fat percentage (in addition to losing weight), consume it before cardio sessions (jogging or similar) of approximately 30-45 minutes.

Any Considerations? It must be expressly in its "L" form Carnitine.

9-Caffeine

Source: Magnavol

Do you think of a cola drink or instant coffee? I am not referring to that type of caffeine, but to the "pure caffeine" that usually comes in capsules.

Its physiological principle is that it increases the levels of catecholamines (adrenaline and norepinephrine), which increase the heart rate and with it the amount of blood that reaches your muscles during physical activity. With this blood there can be a higher rate of contributions of nutrients and especially oxygen, thereby increasing resistance.

Another usefulness attributed to it is to facilitate the use of fatty acids (this property is much more discussed).

The dose is 6mg / kg of body weight and supplements usually bring between 90 and 300mg. I would recommend using it only in aerobic and individual disciplines.

Any Considerations? It can cause gastrointestinal upset, arrhythmias, dizziness, excessive sweating or headaches. Its use is not recommended for hypertensive or heart patients.

10- Isotonic drinks

Source: BODYARMOR Nutrition, LLC

They are very useful for replenishing water and electrolytes. Its intake is recommended during prolonged efforts (from 1 hour onwards) or extreme atmospheric conditions (heat, humidity).

If you only go for a run for about 20 minutes or do light intermittent activity, just drink water.

Final thoughts

You should try any of these products during a training session, never during a competition!

Do not forget that before using any of these supplements, it is important that you visit a doctor or nutritionist to advise you, because health is not a gamble and in addition, you can lose a lot of money if you do not use these products correctly.

Have you tried any of these sports supplements? What experiences do you have?

References

1. Jeukendrup A, Gleeson M. Sport nutrition: an introduction to energy production and performance. Human Kinetics. 2004.
2. Juhn M. Popular sports supplements and ergogenic aids. Sports Med 2003; 33: 921-939.
3. Cramp T, Broad E, Martin D, Meyer BJ. Effects of preexercise carbohydrate ingestion on mountain bike performance. Med Sci Sports Exerc 2004; 36: 1602-9.
4. Blomstrand E, Saltin B. BCAA intake affects protein metabolism in muscle after but not during exercise in humans. Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab 2001; 281: E365-74.
5. RJ Maughan (2005) Contamination of dietary supplements and positive drug tests in sport, Journal of Sports Sciences, 23: 9, 883-889.
6. Kreider RB, Wilborn CD, Taylor L, Campbell B, Almada AL, Collins R, et al. ISSN exercise & sport nutrition review: research & recommendations. J Int Soc Sports Nut 2010; 7: 7.
7. Image source.