by admin | Apr 8, 2019 | Vitamins
There is a wide range of nutritional supplements available on the market. This makes it quite difficult to choose the ones made for you and your fitness goals. We can help you out in your endeavor of choosing the best supplements in order to improve your fitness. However, before you buy any of these nutritional supplements, I’d recommend you to consult your doctor and then take them so that they don’t interrupt with any illness you might have.
- Fish Oil
Fish oil has eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). Both these are Omega-3 fatty acids, which help in decreasing the risk of heart disease. Moreover, fish oil supplements help in neuromuscular improvement for endurance athletes.
When it comes to female athletes, studies state that supplements that contain DHA result in many motor benefits. This includes added advantages for sportspersons since they require reaction time effectiveness and decision making skills.
- Branch Chain Amino Acids (BCAAs)
BCAAs have leucine, valine, and isoleucine, all of which play a significant role in the synthesis of protein and glucose uptake in our cells. They are quite important when it comes to post-exercise. These amino acids also help in building and recovering muscles, along with regulating the immune system for sports events. You can take BCAA supplements or eat lean protein. Additionally, studies show that BCAA supplements can decrease muscle damage that comes from endurance exercise.
- Vitamin D
Deficiency of Vitamin D is found in a lot of people, including athletes, around the world. You can get vitamin D through natural sunlight or dairy products. It’s necessary that you include a vitamin D source in your everyday diet so as to maintain optimal fitness and health. Studies show that vitamin D enhances athletic performance in athletes who have a deficiency of vitamin D.
In addition, Vitamin D can protect athletes from various chronic and acute medical ailments. In fact, trainers and athletes in the early 1900s believed that UVB radiation helped in improving athletic performance. Thus, vitamin D plays a significant role in skeletal muscle with a great impact on injury and performance of young and healthy athletes.
- Caffeine
Caffeine is widely known for its fat burning abilities. Therefore, it’s used in a wide array of performance enhancers, fat burning supplements, and weight loss products. Black coffee is a natural stimulant. It boosts your body’s metabolism as well as provides your body with additional antioxidants. However, caffeine is not good when you take it in large quantities.
Studies show that caffeine can improve your sports performance. Nevertheless, it’s specific to the athlete’s condition, intensity, exercise mode, and duration. Furthermore, caffeine is a brain stimulant and blocks receptors, which results in a rush of energy in your body, an improved mental performance, and slow mental decline that is related to age.
So, these are the four best supplements that are supported by scientific evidence for enhancing fitness. You can use these in order to get fit. But, again I’d say first consult your doctor and ask their advice before taking any of these supplementations.
by admin | Mar 30, 2019 | Vitamins
Nearly more than half the population in America takes dietary supplements occasionally or routinely. However, there is an ongoing debate on whether these are absolutely needed or not. Studies reveal that a nutritious and well-balanced routine diet is sufficient to provide us the necessary vitamins and minerals.
But the problem arises when our diet is not a balanced one. And this is especially true for people with certain medical conditions. Such people will have a deficiency of one or more nutrients that can be dealt with effectively only with supplements. Here are some considerations.
Conditions that may require supplements
Pregnancy: In the case of pregnancy, women may have higher needs where special supplements such as Folic acid are taken. Folic acid helps in fetal development and prevents neurologic conditions like spina bifida from occurring. A prenatal vitamin with calcium and iron that has folic acid added to it is a good supplement for pregnant women. This helps them meet the needs of the growing fetus.
Older adults: Older age people do not absorb vitamin B12 as effectively as their younger counterparts. For instance, people who are under acid reduction inducing medication, there is a strong probability of the person to have B1 and iron deficiency and also a deficiency of calcium and vitamin D. Such people will need the benefits that supplements provide. A multivitamin tablet of high quality is necessary for such persons.
Medical conditions: Several medical conditions make people susceptible to deficiency of vitamins. For instance, in post weight loss surgical patients and those with ulcerative colitis or Crohn’s disease, there is a higher need for several vitamins and minerals including Vitamin A, B, D, E and K, magnesium, copper, zinc, calcium and iron. Osteoarthritic people can find vitamin D supplement very useful.
There are several other conditions that are best treated using supplements like inflammatory conditions like arthritis.
Which supplements help?
Since not all types of vitamin supplements available in the market are of good quality, you have to choose the right supplements. For starters go for the supplements that are properly tested by reputed labs such as Consumer Lab, NSF International or US Pharmacopeia. Proper testing ensures the supplement has the right ingredient without any contaminating or toxic organisms. Gummy vitamins, for instance, may not be the highest quality choice and full of sugar and chemicals but some consider them to be convenient.
Knowing about the chemical constitution of the supplement will help in choosing the right supplement. You can consult your health care provider on the type of supplements you need, the appropriate dose and any interactions with other medications you are taking to avoid any ill effects.
In case of minerals and vitamin supplements, the daily value percent of every nutrient should be checked along with upper limit. This is because sometimes excessive intake of supplements can cause harm.
Final takeaway
It is good for your health and wellbeing to take supplements along with your healthy and nutritious diet. By choosing the suitable supplement that is of good quality, you can boost your health and keep away the illnesses triggered by lack of proper vitamins and minerals.
