Vitamin Supplements

Should an Athlete need to Take Vitamins Supplements?

Please Note:

THIS INFORMATION IS BASED ENTIRELY UPON PERSONAL RESEARCH AND MAY NOT BE IN ANY WAY CORRECT. PLEASE CONSULT A DOCTOR FOR MORE ADVISE ON THE FOLLOWING ISSUE!!!

Before going down to your local supermarket and buying all the Vitamins on the shelf, you should consider a few things first. Firstly if you eat a balanced and varied diet, you will get a all the Recommended Daily Allowances (RDI) from nearly all the main vitamin groups. But considering that you are an athlete, most of your vitamin intake will be used up in a matter of hours (depending on the intensity of the training). For example if you train over 10 hours a week, I believe that some sort of supplement should be taken, but this is only an assumption as not everything is known about these supplements. But at the moment we do have some guidelines that can help us buying the right product, using it wisely, or not even buying them in the first place.

The next step would be to keep track of what foods you do eat and their contents. Then sit down and work out what your diet lacks and exceeds. For example if you find your diet consists of sugary snacks, late-night eating, regular binges and skipping meals, then a planned meals needs to be set each day, especially if you travel a lot. Try eating sandwich's without butter or even on multi-grain bread. The consumption of fruit, vegetables, lean meats, eggs, fish, low fat milk products and seafood, could only mean that you are eating a fully balanced diet. If your day is hectic and you feel you have no time to eat, that is just ridiculous. Prepared meals in the morning of a sandwich or roll filled with some meat, salad and low fat mayonnaise, topped off with some fruit, museli bars, and maybe a small snack, means that you will have more energy, therefore able to achieve more throughout the during the day. If you have no time in the morning to make something, look for a take-away that offers healthy options and are willing to cater for your needs.

Too many supplement users rely heavily upon their tablets to give them all they need. They believe that they can skip all the healthy foods, snack on junk food and pop a pill which will fill all the 'gaps' in their diet. Think of supplements only of cement between many strong 'good diet' blocks. After analyzing your diet, consider how much you can afford to spend on "supps" and what is the best cost ratio for improving your health and fitness. Then go out and have a look around at some prices and dosages that shops offer. I tend to find that Health Food shops offer the same quantity doses of vitamins as the cheap supermarkets, yet they charge 4 times as much. Don't get suckered into the so-called "Health Expert's" words of wisdom either. Be sure of what you are purchasing, be wary of the supplements that are surrounded with hype and ask if there is any scientific proof that the product does what it says it does. Don't be a guinea pig.

Vitamin A
Max. daily intake 2500 IU, helps growth, anti-infective, maintain skin cells, too much or too little will cause dry skin.
Vitamin C
500 -1000mg daily (max. daily intake 2000 mg), protects against oxidants, maintains body's immune system, helps in the absorption of iron, role in wound healing, fights infections.
Vitamin E
500 -1000mg daily (max. daily intake 2000 mg), helps red blood cell production (RBC carry oxygen), an antioxidant (may protect cell membranes against oxidation, this oxidation damages tissue).
Niacin/Iron
helps transport & utilise oxygen, deficiencies result in fatigue, iron is important for serious athletes.
Multi-Vitamin
This is a basic supplement with a small dosage of all vitamins, be sure not to exceed recommended dosage.

Keep track of your supplement intake and be careful not to fall into the "more is better" trap. Consider your body as a rechargeable battery, if you keep on charging it without fully using the battery, its capacity to store energy will be decreased therefore shortening its life span. So in the case of vitamins, you won't be able to utilise your vitamin storage for when you need it most. By taking supplements in sporadic bouts, you will assist in optimal uptake, reduce chances of overdosing and extend the period over which a pill or potion is ingested. When exercise is reduced, cut out the high-tech supplements and stick to the basics such as Vitamin C and E.

References Used:

  1. Triathlete Magazine #137; Joe Beer, September 1995, pages 52 -53
  2. The Bulletin; March 5, 1996, pages 15 -17
  3. Anatomy and Physiology for Nurses; Evelyn Pearce, 1973

 

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