Elite athletes use dietary supplements to maximize performance and reach training and competition goals. Many research-backed supplements exist, such as protein, creatine, and omega-3 fats.
Creatine supplements have been shown to boost muscle mass, power/strength, and performance during short-term high intensity exercise sessions. Their exact effectiveness may differ between individuals; therefore it must first be tested thoroughly during training prior to being included into competitive settings.
Vitamins
Athletes can obtain most of the vitamins and minerals they require for peak performance from diet. Supplements are also available to boost performance; various nutrients, such as leucine, beta-alanine, creatine, glucosamine, and green tea extract have been shown to enhance sports performance by helping speed up rate-limiting processes.
Other supplements may provide indirect advantages to performance, such as enhanced recovery between exercise bouts or reduced oxidative stress that enhance training adaptations. Antioxidant products like N-acetylcysteine have also been found to significantly decrease oxidative stress levels while supporting adaptive responses during physical activity.
Young athletes should never take supplements without consulting with a nutrition professional first, as many products on the market lack clear evidence of ergogenic benefits and can even be harmful in large doses. Furthermore, some supplements have even been linked to adverse side effects during or post exercise sessions like gastrointestinal distress.
Minerals
Minerals are inorganic substances with a distinct chemical composition and highly ordered atomic arrangement, found both naturally as part of rocks or produced artificially in laboratories. Minerals can be divided into trace minerals (containing elements like molybdenum, selenium, zinc, iron) and macrominerals (including calcium magnesium potassium sodium phosphorus and sulfate).
Athletes require micronutrients in order to maximize training capacity and performance, whether through eating healthily or supplementation. Athletes can gain these essential vitamins through eating well-balanced diets or taking nutritional supplements.
Zinc has long been known to increase muscle strength and focus in athletes. Furthermore, it may help prevent the oxidative stress caused by intense or extended exercise sessions as well as enhance performance by improving blood flow; this allows oxygen and nutrients to reach muscles more quickly [253]. [254]
Coenzyme Q10
Coenzyme Q10 plays an integral part in energy production and acts as an antioxidant, present in mitochondrial membranes where it plays a vital role in oxidative phosphorylation process. Coenzyme Q10 exists in three oxidation states – ubiquinol (Q10 H2), ubisemiquinone and its fully oxidized ubiquinone state – with highly lipophilic, water-soluble molecules with an atomic radius of 3.0nm capable of accepting or donating electrons respectively.
Low levels of CoQ10 can contribute to fatigue and reduced exercise recovery time, but supplementation with this molecule has been shown to both increase muscle function and decrease ROS (reactive oxygen species) production in muscles.
Food sources of CoQ10 include meat and fish (especially oily varieties like tuna and salmon); nuts; and vegetable oils like olive, canola and soybean. Biosynthesis of CoQ10 requires pantothenic acid (vitamin B5) and pyridoxine (vitamin B6); therefore any deficiencies could impact production of CoQ10. Coenzyme Q10 may also help alleviate muscle weakness associated with taking statin medications although evidence supports this claim.
Iron
Iron is a vital nutrient for athletes, as it’s necessary for making red blood cells that carry oxygen directly to muscles. But too little iron may lead to fatigue and restless leg syndrome (RLS), an uncontrollable urge to move your legs.
Results from a double-blind, placebo-controlled study indicate that routine use of low dose 3.6 mg/day oral iron supplementation improves stress, mood state and fatigue-sweating profiles in non-anemic male soccer/futsal players with sweaty training exercise habits over four weeks’ training exercise regimen. This effect was achieved through maintaining hemoglobin level while simultaneously increasing stress biomarkers (salivary a-amylase, salivary cortisol and salivary immunoglobulin A).
Studies indicate that increasing iron intake through daily oral iron supplements of low dose (3.6 mg) could be accomplished with use of high bioavailability products with reliable manufacturing processes and less likely to cause gastric distress and more easily absorbed in the body.
