80A - Fit and Well Column for July 25th, 2004

80A - TITLE: "Supplements - What Works, What Doesn't"

Dear Trish and David,

As you have recommended in the past, I subscribe to a number of Fitness and Exercise magazines. I have learned a lot from them, but am also very confused.

I constantly see scores of advertisements promoting, and even pushing, certain supplements. Some for increased muscle size, some to decrease fat, and who knows what else. The way they are presented, it appears that these are very important, if not mandatory, for strength and fitness progress.

Is this true? Which one's should I be taking? HELP?

Sincerely,

Paul in Severna Park

Dear Paul,

You're not alone in your confusion! I have to suffer through the same onslaught of information every time I open a fitness magazine. And it seems that the companies are continually coming up with new products… often touted to be the "magic bullet" or "key" to promoting some specific, or overall, fitness benefit.

So let's examine some general categories of supplements, what they can do, and what they can't!

Let's start with the classic "Webster" definition…

Supplement: something that completes or makes an addition, as in dietary supplements.

Why is this definition so important? Simple. It is imperative that you view supplements as an adjunct, and NOT a substitution, for good lifestyle choices. This is true for ALL supplements, whether vitamin and mineral, strength or endurance enhancing, fat reducing, or whatever. Good diet, adequate exercise, sufficient rest, and a delicious Dairy Queen ice cream once in a while should be the core of good health. Supplements may support, or enhance, those choices.

With that being said, what are some of the available products, and what can you realistically expect from them?

The easiest way to understand supplements is to look at them in terms of what they can do for your body. You can separate most supplements into either Performance Enhancers or Health Supporters.

Health Supporters are supplement are used by the body to help you recover from the physical stress of competition or training as, for example, a protein powder that is used by the body to build muscle. Vitamins and minerals, and other products also fall into this category. They are designed SPECIFICALLY to create a healthy balance of chemicals and nutrients in your body, especially for people who engage in moderate or intense periods of exercise.

Performance Enhancers are designed to directly increase your performance. They are "real time" products, and work to mobilize additional strength and/or endurance during a period of physical activity. Stimulants will increase your energy, and other supplements may increase endurance, or offer other performance benefits.

The following are some common supplements that are available to support health and physical recovery.

VITAMINS AND MINERALS are essential for your body to function properly so they should be the first supplement on your list. We recommend that take a good multi-vitamin/multi-mineral formula once a day WITH A MEAL. For athletes engaged in strenuous sports, the demand for vitamins and minerals is higher so you will probably need to take more than one serving each day as well as adding additional single nutrients like Vitamin C and Vitamin E which help boost recovery from workouts.

You should also be aware that all vitamin formulas are not the same. Much of what you see in mass-market stores are low potency formulas synthetically produced. They will not provide all of the nutrients that your body needs. Certain vitamins need to be introduced into the bloodstream slowly and constantly… they are not stored for future use. So time-release vitamins are often a good choice.

PROTEIN is another supplement that should be at the top of your list because if you do not ingest enough protein each day your body will not be able to re-build your muscles from the strain of training much less build any new muscle. Protein contains amino acids, which are the building blocks that your body uses to construct muscle tissue.

The best type of protein to use is either Whey or Egg since they are animal based proteins and contain all of the essential amino acids that must be present to construct muscle.

When you read fitness magazines, you will see advertisements from many companies all claiming that their whey peptide formula is so much better than any other company's product. We don't agree.

What is most important with protein is to make sure you get enough. The generally agreed upon amount each day is 1 gram to 1.5 grams per pound of bodyweight. This amount is not set in stone and athletes engaged in heavy weight training sports may actually require even more. Another important point to understand about protein is that your body can only absorb a maximum of 20 - 30 grams at any one meal so products that have 50 or 60 grams per serving are causing you to waste a great deal of protein. With the right choice of protein combined with the right daily regimen of use you will get the most from your training and notice that you recover better and perform at a higher overall level.

GLUTAMINE has become a popular supplement because of the ability that Glutamine has to increase immune function and aid in recovery. Athletics and training place a great deal of stress upon the body's immune system to "recover" from the demands of competition and grow stronger.

Glutamine has been shown in research to be an integral part of the recovery process and supplementing with Glutamine helps aid the body as it recovers. Most protein powders contain L-Glutamic Acid, which can be converted by the body to Glutamine, so if you are taking a Protein supplement you are already receiving as much as two grams per serving.

GLUCOSAMINE SULFATE is a supplement that has been shown in research to help re-build cartilage which is what acts as a shock absorber in the joints of your body. Don't wait to use Glucosamine as a supplement until you have joint pain. Taking it can serve as a preventative. Since any joint pain can have a debilitating effect and destroy performance, we advocate the regular use of Glucosamine in all athletes to help prevent joint problems before they develop.