|
» »
Vitamins and minerals in sports: dosages and misconceptions
Author: Nikolai Borisov - coach, champion of Russia in powerlifting. All articles by the author ➤
Table of Contents
Part 1. Vitamins - Dosages for AthletesLife without vitamins is impossible – this is known to almost everyone. However, how much is needed for an athletic lifestyle is known to few. The lack of knowledge is compensated for by advice from friends or sports nutrition sellers. The former heard something from someone, while the latter are always interested in inflating dosages to sell more. We will try to clarify the vitamin needs of athletes. I should note that any figures determining nutrient intake are approximate. Firstly, the bodies of individuals are unique; secondly, it is impossible to measure the physical load of a specific athlete or fitness enthusiast precisely. There are only approximate assumptions that the metabolism of some average athlete is about four times more intense than that of the average non-athlete. Laborers and diggers should be categorized as athletes in terms of nutrient needs. The nutritional norms commonly established for ordinary citizens in Russia hardly differ from the "subsistence minimum" accepted by the WHO. For instance, let's take vitamin C. What does the daily requirement of 60 mg signify? If you consume only 59 mg in a day, you can expect a humanitarian aid package from the UN. In Germany, the daily requirement is set at 100 mg. For residents of the Arctic, even this amount may be insufficient. We can illustrate the difference in various protein norms. The WHO's subsistence minimum for men is 37 g per day, while the WHO's recommended amount is 55 g, and the recommendations in Russia range from 65 to 117 g per day. Now, tell me, how much protein should a respectable athlete consume daily? There's your proportion, which also applies to vitamins. Part 2. Common Misconceptions1. Separate intake of vitamins is necessary. Manufacturers of certain vitamin-mineral complexes claim that some vitamins and minerals interfere with the absorption of others. They might do so, but the importance of this fact is greatly exaggerated to promote their products on the market, where substances are divided into different tablets. In natural food, vitamins and minerals are not separated into groups, meaning the metabolism is adapted to the consumption of everything mixed together. 2. All necessary vitamins can be obtained from food. This is claimed by people who have never calculated the vitamin content in their diet. A balanced diet can provide you with the necessary minerals under moderate physical activity, and minerals are quite well retained in food when prepared using traditional methods. Significant losses of minerals occur during the thawing of products; avoid repeated freezing! Vitamins are highly unstable compounds. Only D, E, PP, and B6 can withstand heating up to 120-200 degrees. However, there are many other factors that destroy vitamins: light, contact with metals (stainless steel is fine), oxidation by oxygen (sealed packaging helps), rapid thawing (fast is worse), repeated reheating, etc. The vitamins that remain in the food at the time of consumption will not be fully absorbed. Full absorption can also be hindered by theine from traditional drinks: coffee and tea. All these factors make it impossible to obtain sufficient quantities of vitamins from food. 3. Vitamins should be taken in courses. People with unhealthy imaginations may take meat, eggs, onions, and everything else in courses. Vitamins are nutrients, and like any nutrition, they should be regularly consumed by the body. Let’s turn to the figures - http://vmede.org. We are interested in the half-life of the ingested dose of vitamins in table 15-3 (F-2 right column); for water-soluble vitamins, it ranges from 2 hours for ascorbic acid to 8 hours for riboflavin. The exception is B12, which can remain in the body for years, which is why vegans don’t die immediately. For fat-soluble E, the half-life is around 13-14 hours. It should be noted that the experiments were not conducted on athletes. As mentioned above, athletes' metabolism is several times more active. Based on this, we should assume that the half-life periods of vitamins in athletes are even shorter than those indicated in the table. From this, a logical suggestion follows: to replenish the depleted vitamins every few hours, that is, with each meal, as nature intended when food was always fresh. A daily intake of vitamins 3-4 times a day will ensure that they are consistently present in the athlete's body (not in constant concentrations but at an acceptable level) for ongoing recovery processes. 4. Overdose is dangerous. Some abstract danger may arise if you regularly exceed the European Union sports physicians' recommended doses by more than 5 times. For vitamins K, B2, B5, and B12, the upper toxicity limit is so high that it is not defined (http://nsp-zdorovje.narod.ru). Personally, I have seen dozens of sailors consume 300-500 dragees of Genkavit or Undevit in one go (we issued cans with a thousand dragees each from the warehouse at the end of the quarter instead of providing a single dose daily at the canteen), and no one felt unwell from the quarterly dose. 5. Vitamins do not improve strength indicators, so why take them? Yes, against the background of steroid use, you may not notice an increase. For a natural athlete, a course of milgamma or an equivalent of 10 ampoules per month intramuscularly can yield an increase of up to 25 kg in powerlifting. Half of that result can be attributed to cyanocobalamin at 10 ampoules of 500 mcg. Vitamin E can help many to gain a few kilograms of muscle mass, and with it, strength. Regular intake of vitamins strengthens immunity. Thus, it reduces the chances of getting sick and disrupting competition preparation, adding vigor and health. And separately about rutin – vitamin P. I started taking rutin (usually in the form of Ascorutin) as an addition around the age of 37. The reason was the appearance of a small vein on the surface of my leg, likely due to overexertion while combining powerlifting with kettlebell sports. Since then, the vein has not increased. Additionally, I unexpectedly experienced a very useful result. Previously, my gums bled when brushing my teeth, and I thought it was a normal consequence of applying too much pressure with the brush. Since taking rutin, my gums have stopped bleeding forever. It seems that all the vessels in my body became healthier. This means that all my organs, including my muscles, got better. 6. Vitamins cause addiction. Many confuse vitamin complexes, vitamin-mineral complexes, and sports blends like “Animal Pak”, which consist of vitamins, minerals, digestive enzymes, amino acids, and substances that manufacturers call activators. These mixtures are often simply referred to as vitamins, leading to confusion among novice fitness enthusiasts. The doses of vitamins and minerals in such mixtures can greatly exceed the daily needs of an athlete. Splitting the granules into several parts is problematic, and taking them all at once is pointless; only a small portion will be absorbed. Huge doses of vitamins should be introduced intravenously or intramuscularly. Many mixtures contain so-called "activators," or in Russian, stimulants. Most of them have dubious or unproven effectiveness. The majority of activators are of plant origin: ginseng, eleutherococcus, guarana, ephedra, hawthorn, milk thistle... Experts agree that the effects of plant adaptogens can generally be realized in the form of alcoholic tinctures, often in the form of broths and water infusions. In tablet form, they don’t work at all! Milk thistle in a pill is something like a princess in a frog. However, most athletes notice the stimulating effect of such mixtures, probably not just due to placebo. So what actually works? It is clear that not 4 g of dried beef liver. It is quite possible that an undeclared component is present in the mixtures. This unknown component stimulates the CNS before training, thus hooking customers on the product. And in case of discovering an undeclared component by regulatory agencies, they can simply say: "it accidentally got mixed with milk thistle," as there is a long list of useless components in the composition. Complexes consisting of vitamins and minerals cannot cause addiction! 7. Research has not shown an increase in lifespan due to vitamin intake. Almost the truth. They did not reveal. It was not studies, but observations (translation issues, large-scale observations are not funded in Russia). The difference lies in the absence of a control group, whose lifestyle corresponds exactly to that of the test group. The researchers-observers themselves noted that among the subjects, there is a tendency to compensate for deviations from a healthy lifestyle by taking vitamins. Many of the subjects tried to mitigate the consequences of unhealthy eating, alcohol, smoking, etc. in this way. And they succeeded, equalizing their life expectancy with those who led a healthy lifestyle and considered vitamins superfluous. Part 3. When to take what?1. Vitamin complex - for life. For example: Gendevit or Undevit. Both contain all necessary water-soluble vitamins in good proportions. About 6 dragees a day will meet the needs of a 90-kilogram athlete. Gendevit is designed for pregnant women, as the same substances are needed for fetal growth as for athlete growth. Undevit is created for the elderly; I started taking it early, around 16, and I think it was beneficial. 3-4 times a year, it's worth switching to a complex with minerals for a month, like Complivit. By studying the compositions of various preparations, you can independently choose a suitable complex. Try to choose one where your required daily doses are not in one tablet, but in 3 or more. This way you can maintain good vitamin levels in the blood around the clock. 2. Fat-soluble - separately. They are not absorbed from dragees, you need to take them in capsules with oil. Aevit - 1 capsule a day, less often for lighter individuals. Vitamin E, with heavy loads, about 100 mg per 25 kg of body weight. Don’t forget to account for E contained in Aevit. Recently, Aevit with lower vitamin A content than the traditional 3.5 mg has been found in pharmacies. Always carefully check the composition on the packaging! 3. Cyanocobalamin can be taken in courses; B12 accumulates in the body. A minimum of 2 courses a year, 10 ampoules containing 500 mcg. Don’t forget it is part of Milgamma and its analogs. If you relaxed with the red and white while on vacation, a course is necessary "right after." 4. Rutin (vitamin P). In recent years, it has not been found separately in pharmacies; we take Ascorutin, it works better with ascorbic acid. It is indicated for vascular problems for life. Once veins have protruded, it won’t take them back; it is a preventive measure. It is believed that rutin reduces symptoms of many types of allergies. It works in this case with regular intake, not when it has already started. 5. Vitamin C. Prevention of colds. Take immediately if you have gotten cold or wet. 2-5 g of powder in tea, preferably with aspirin. 6. Antioxidants. These are the already mentioned A, E, and C. Without details, they work like this: they bind free radicals that threaten proper body functions. Therefore, the doses of these vitamins need to be increased with various harmful exposures, for example: harmful production, a chimney smoking near your house; radiation, including sunlight, the closer to the equator, the stronger; overcooked food; smoking. It is believed that for each cigarette, an additional 50 mg of vitamin C should be taken (it's clear that it's easier not to smoke), including passive smoking; and much more. In general, for every contaminating factor, the dose of antioxidants needs to be increased. By how much? There are no concrete numbers. There is evidence that free radicals are formed in the body as a result of heavy physical exertion. This means that athletes need even more antioxidants. Part 4. Minerals. Intake "at a glance"Let's start with the factors that increase the likelihood of mineral deficiencies in your body:
Unfortunately, the daily requirement for minerals for athletes is not defined, and calculating what you've eaten in food is not simple, but it needs to be estimated. You can regularly donate blood to test for mineral levels and adjust mineral intake based on the results. This method requires regular financial and time investments. In some cases, laboratories are completely inaccessible, such as on hikes: by bike, in kayaks, or on foot. And it is precisely on hikes that increased physical exertion and dietary restrictions coincide. For the reasons listed, it is more convenient and cheaper to estimate mineral losses "at a glance." Remember that sweating and the concentration of substances in sweat vary greatly among people; most of these features are genetically predetermined. From the table (F-3) it is clear (http://www.sportelement.ru), that we lose sodium and chlorine the most through sweat. Based on this, salt intake should range from 3 g on a winter day without training to 15 g during a bike tour in the heat. Remember to account for all the salt contained in food, not just what you add yourself. Further increasing salt intake is not advisable even in desert conditions, as the body, adapting to the heat, reduces the concentration of minerals in the sweat and urine produced. Typically, a non-athlete consumes excess chlorine. The average person’s sodium needs are also met by normal nutrition. People with high blood pressure are advised to limit sodium intake to 1.5 g per day, and healthy individuals to 2.3 g. Potassium and magnesium losses should be replenished with Asparkam. If you sweat moderately during a medium workout in a cool gym - take one tablet. If you sweat significantly during a heavy workout in a warm gym - take two. Similarly, after a hot bath or sauna. If you sweat on a bike for an hour and a half – take 1 tablet. If you sweated for three hours – take 2 tablets. If you cycled all day in 37-degree heat - you need to take 6-7 tablets of Asparkam and 1-2 packets of Regidron throughout the day. If you had a bit of beer - replenish what was washed out of the body in the morning. This helps maintain the balance of potassium, magnesium, sodium, and chlorine, which are constantly lost through sweat. The courses recommended by some are meaningless. Mineral losses should be replenished "here and now," immediately after or during losses. Without potassium, you may not survive to the next course in the heat. A monthly course is needed for women. 10 days of 3 tablets of Asparkam, coinciding the tenth day with the last day of menstruation, this is to replenish potassium and magnesium lost with blood. This monthly course accumulates with the aforementioned sports needs. For beginners, I will briefly cover the other minerals. Calcium. Data on its absorption varies. Manufacturers of calcium preparations claim that their product ensures good absorption. Independent studies show the opposite, often regarding effectiveness approaching zero. It is considered that about 40% of the calcium in cabbage is absorbed (in all plant products, fiber interferes with absorption), about 80% from meat, and about 95% from milk. The optimal option is to consume sufficient amounts of cottage cheese, milk, cheeses, and other dairy products, including less commonly known items in the Moscow region, such as buttermilk and acidophilus paste. Iron. Very poorly absorbed. From animal food, 15-35%, from legumes - less than 1%. Based on this, iron-rich soy (16 mg per 100 g) is better fed to livestock; they have different stomachs and may absorb some of it. Tea and coffee reduce the percentage of absorption, while ascorbic acid increases it (https://ru.wikipedia.org). Data about good iron absorption from buckwheat remain unconfirmed, as there is no money for research in Russia. And where there is money, there is no buckwheat. Fluoride. About 2/3 of the requirement comes from water. Notable amounts of fluoride are found in fish. Anything in other products can be called traces. Conclusion: analyze the water you drink (if necessary, you can rely on data by regions: (http://www.presi-dent.ru). If the water has low fluoride, you will need to make up the deficiency with mineral water. If fluoride exceeds the norm, either filter it or buy another type. Everything else your body is sure to get if you eat a varied and rational diet. What constitutes a rational diet will be covered later in a separate article. SIMILAR ARTICLES
COMMENTS |