Now beauty and a healthy lifestyle are in fashion – and that is great. But the industry adapts to any fashion: we are offered sports supplements and special nutrition for health and maintaining our desired shape. Opinions on whether to use these supplements are divided: some consider them bad for your health, some consider them important and necessary for achieving great results, and some consider them completely dangerous. We at Cave Mode understand the real situation: what sports supplements are, why they are needed, and whether they cause side effects or not.
What are supplements?
Sports supplements are designed not only for professionals but also for amateur athletes and those who lead an active lifestyle. The function of supplements is to improve athletic performance, support the body and improve health. Supplements help achieve different goals: increase strength and endurance, accelerate muscle growth and increase volume, as well as normalize metabolism.
Most often, sports supplements use these main nutrients: proteins, fats, carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals, and amino acids.
Why should you take supplements?
The main purpose of supplements is to balance the diet. They will not replace a good and high-quality diet, but they will help to “fix” it so that you receive the substances in the required amount. For example, if you want to build muscle, then you will need a building material – proteins. Consuming them from regular food is not always effective: drinking a protein shake is easier and more convenient than eating a few chicken breasts or packs of cottage cheese. In addition, supplements use such forms of substances that allow them to be quickly absorbed. In short, less effort, more results.
Sports nutrition is an accurate calculation of the nutrients and increased calorie content that are needed to achieve sports results. If you are not actively involved in sports or do not set any goals for which it is important to strictly follow the diet, then you do not need supplements.
Let’s take a look at the most popular supplements
There are many supplements, and which one to take depends on the goal. Let’s figure out what are the main popular supplements, and how they work.
Protein
Why is it needed? To make up for the insufficient amount of protein in your diet.
The daily protein intake varies depending on gender and individual needs, but on average it is about 60-80 grams for an adult. If your goal is to build muscle, then this requires a lot of protein: approximately 2 g per kilogram of body weight. That is, even with an average weight of 70 kg, you will already need 2 times more protein than normal. To get the right amount, you can use protein powders. They are different, depending on what they were made of: there are casein (from milk), egg, and beef.
Proteins come in different structures, on which the rate of their breakdown and assimilation by the body depends. Conventionally, these are “fast” and “slow” proteins. Both are used in protein powders. They are needed for different purposes, and which one to drink depends on the training program and goals.
“Fast” protein powders are labeled whey. They have a very simple structure. The simpler the structure of the protein, the faster it breaks down into its constituent parts – amino acids. Amino acids are absorbed by the body and then used for the needs of the body. From amino acids, for example, proteins are built again, which are needed to build muscle mass.
Amino acids
Why is it needed? To make up for the insufficient amount of protein in your diet. Sometimes to increase stamina, speed up recovery, and for other purposes.
Amino acids are the building blocks that proteins break down into when they enter the body. From them, then the body builds new proteins or uses them for other purposes. Supplements come from one specific amino acid or from a complex.
Complex ones – for example, BCAAs – are most often used just to replenish protein and build muscle. Different singles – depending on the goal: to increase endurance in long workouts, speed up recovery after them, or achieve a fat-burning effect.
Weight Gainer
Why is it needed? To make up for the insufficient amount of proteins and carbohydrates, increase the caloric content of your diet, sometimes – to increase endurance, speed up recovery, and get a burst of energy before training.
Proteins and carbohydrates in gainers can be in different ratios, but the “classic ratio” is 3 parts of carbohydrates and 1 part of protein. Everything is clear with protein: it is a building material for muscles. The main function of carbohydrates is energy.
Carbohydrates are also conventionally divided into “fast” and “slow”, depending on how they break down. In gainers, both are usually used. So the athlete will receive a surge of energy immediately before training thanks to “fast” carbohydrates, and then the “slow” carbohydrates will slowly begin to disintegrate, and the body will again receive a portion of energy – and this will increase endurance.
Creatine
Why is it needed? To increase endurance, get a burst of energy, and accelerate muscle growth.
Creatine is involved in energy metabolism in muscle and nerve tissues. The supply of creatine allows you to keep the amount of ATP and ADP at the proper level, during the breakdown of which energy is released. In addition, creatine has a precursor – creatine phosphate.
Creatine phosphate triggers glycolysis in the body – the process of glucose oxidation, in which energy is also formed and stored. Therefore, it is advisable to use creatine together with a gainer: carbohydrates from a gainer just break down into glucose molecules, and creatine phosphate triggers glycolysis and makes energy out of them.
In addition, creatine phosphate neutralizes the acids that form in the muscles during exercise and cause fatigue. Creatine contributes to muscle growth due to the effect of increasing body weight and also by helping to create new muscle proteins.
L-Carnitine (levocarnitine)
Why is it needed? To increase endurance, and accelerate fat burning.
Levocarnitine is found in muscles and liver, and is involved in energy metabolism: it supports the activity of coenzyme A (CoA). CoA is involved in the synthesis and oxidation of fatty acids. That is, under load, it actively oxidizes fatty acids, which means it facilitates the process of fat burning.
When fats are oxidized, energy is released, plus, levocarnitine itself is contained in the muscles – this increases endurance.
True, there is a caveat with levocarnitine: some studies show that if there is enough of it in the body, then it will not have an effect and will not improve athletic performance. Nevertheless, it continues to be used: some athletes say they see a tangible effect from it. Like all supplements, it affects everyone’s body differently.
Side effects
Sports supplements are not harmful or dangerous, because they are the same substances that we already get from food. The stereotype about harm is most likely due to the fact that many confuse them with doping – substances that forcibly increase the physical and psychological activity of the body.
There is also an opinion that sports supplements are harmful because they are not natural, but chemical. This opinion has no confirmation: firstly, most supplements are made from natural products, and secondly, specific substances are important to our body, and where and how they came from is not so important. The protein that is eventually digested from a chicken is functionally no different from the protein that is digested from an egg or a protein shake.
It is important to understand that side effects from supplements can still occur if consumed in excess of the recommended amount. For example, an increased creatine content in the body contributes to the development of kidney failure. Therefore, it is important to consult with a trainer or doctor and follow the recommendations for the use of supplements. It is also important to monitor your well-being: no one has canceled the individual reaction to supplements.
And remember that no supplements can compensate for the impact of poor nutrition, lack of sleep, and technical errors during training.