What Vitamins do Athletes Take?
Vitamins are necessary for everyone, even children know about it. And indeed, without these substances, the body simply can not function normally, their lack can lead to serious consequences. Well, vitamins for athletes are simply necessary, and in doses one and a half to two times higher than usual. After all, with the increase in physical activity, increases the body’s need for many substances. Vitamins trigger biochemical reactions, regulate metabolic processes, help to synthesize energy, prevent cell destruction and perform many more functions.
The following vitamins will be especially useful in sports:
Vitamin C
It can undoubtedly be called the main vitamin for athletes. It will be useful both for weight loss and for gaining muscle mass. This component helps cells to recover after heavy loads and saturate the muscles with oxygen. In addition, it is also an excellent antioxidant, ridding the body of free radicals. Vitamin C is also involved in the production of collagen, the main material of connective tissues, as well as the synthesis of testosterone. It normalizes cholesterol levels and improves blood quality. This vitamin belongs to the group of water-soluble, so it does not accumulate in the tissues, and therefore does not harm even when entering the body in large doses. It is heavily spent in training, so its stock should be replenished regularly. Vitamin C is present in many vegetables, berries and fruits.
They are especially rich in these foods:
- rose hips
- citrus
- sauerkraut
- sea buckthorn
- sweet pepper
- sorrel
Its minimum daily dose is 60 mg, people involved in sports need no more than 350 mg.
Vitamin A
It promotes the creation of new muscle cells, as well as the accumulation of glycogen. Retinol is needed to form a healthy bone system, improve collagen production and cell regeneration.
It is found in liver, dairy products:
- fish oil
- sweet potatoes
- carrots
- apricots
- pumpkin
Vitamin E
This component is a powerful antioxidant, which is of great importance for metabolism. It protects against damage to the cell membrane, and their integrity is the key to the successful course of the cell growth process.
It can be found in:
- olives
- flax and sunflower seeds,
- vegetable oil
- nuts
On the day of tocopherol, the female body requires about 8 mg, the male about 10 mg.
Vitamin D
This component plays a huge role in the absorption of such valuable substances as phosphorus and calcium. The latter are necessary to maintain a good condition of the muscles and bones. Calciferol is available in butter, sea fish, liver, dairy products, in addition, it is formed in the body under the influence of sunlight.
Vitamins B
They contribute to oxygen saturation of the blood, regulate energy costs, support fat and carbohydrate metabolism. Most of them are necessary for protein metabolism. In addition, vitamins b will help to maintain good health, help to remove “used” carbohydrates, prevent stress and chronic fatigue, increase productivity.
These substances are found in:
- meat
- fish
- cereals
- milk
- liver, etc.
Naturally it is best to get vitamins in natural form with food. However, with very active training, even the most useful and balanced diet, fully meet the needs of the body can not. Athletes usually receive less than 20 to 30 percent of vitamins. And if we take into account the fact that people who are actively engaged in fitness, often also adhere to different diets, these indicators can increase even more. The way out of this situation will be additional vitamin complexes.
Vitamins for Male Athletes
Almost every man wants to build muscle mass, the processes that contribute to this, can not take place without vitamins, they are a mandatory “building material” of a beautiful body. Therefore, those wishing to get a spectacular relief, you need to make sure that these substances enter the body in the right quantities.
Vitamins B1, B6, B3, B12, B2 will be especially useful in muscle building, they will significantly accelerate this process.
- Without vitamin B1, the protein will not be synthesized and the cells will not grow .
- B6-improves productivity, acts on growth processes and utilizes carbohydrates.
- B3 during training nourishes the muscles, contributes to the flow of energy.
- B2 regulates the metabolism of proteins and glucose, increases muscle tone.
- Thanks to B12 brain signals are better muscles, it regulates carbohydrate absorption and increases the effectiveness of training. And the more protein consumed, the more vitamin B is needed.
Vitamin C is also necessary, with its lack of muscle simply will not grow, since it helps to digest the protein. In addition, it stimulates the production of testosterone, which is also very important for men.
Vitamin D will support muscle health, bone strength, help develop endurance and increase strength. Also necessary vitamins for the sports men is A, E, and N. The first promotes increased muscle growth, the second – contributes to maintaining the integrity of cell membranes. Biotin helps produce energy and is involved in metabolism. With its deficiency, it can be difficult to build muscle.
Now there are many complexes designed for use in high physical activity, they can be found in each pharmacy. On the market you can find special medications for male athletes Optimum Nutrition Opti-Men, Animal Pak, Anavite, Gaspari Nutrition Anavite, GNC MEGA MEN.
Vitamins for Female Athletes
Women who do not engage in sports professionally, there is no urgent need to take special sports complexes, since at moderate loads the need for sports in nutrients from the fair sex does not increase much. Additional vitamins in sports need only athletes who actively train every day for more than three hours.
Those who just regularly engaged to maintain the figure in good condition simply take care that the diet was healthy, varied and balanced. Unfortunately, not everyone has the opportunity to do so. In this case, vitamin complexes will help to enrich it, and even the simplest ones will be suitable for this. If desired, you can try and special vitamins for fitness, intended for use during intense physical activity, for example, Orthomol Sport, Opti-Women Optimum Nutrition, Gerimax Energy, etc.
Thank you for bringing all this information together – we often forget about the ‘other’ vitamins, aside from the Vit C and A…
Hi,
You are quite welcome. Yes we do tend to forget about some of the essentials vitamins that our body needs to thrive. Thank you for stopping by and commenting. Have a healthy, happy & blessed.