What are supplements?
Supplements and sports food are used extensively by athletes at various levels, as well as by non-athletes. Although the use of some supplements may have added benefits in terms of improving body composition, sports performance and overall health. (Potgieter, S). Some supplements could provide a great effect for physical performance in athletics.
Classification of Supplements:
Dietary supplements may contain protein, fat, carbohydrates, minerals, enzymes, amino acids and various plant/food extracts. Some supplements can be classified as general convenience, such as energy, bars, meal replacement powders, and ready to drink supplements. These supplements help to satisfy the caloric needs and managing caloric intake, as well as to contribute with weight gain, weight loss and performance enhancement.
General information of supplements:
-Supplemental protein is a safe and convenient method of ingesting high-quality dietary protein. (Kerksick, Chad)
-Addition of creatine monohydrate to a CHO + PRO supplement in conjunction with regular resistance training facilitates greater improvements in strength and body composition as compared with when no creatine is consumed. (kerksick, Chad)
-Some athletes have shown a low deficiency in calories and vitamins; some sports nutritionist recommends taking a minimum daily dose of multivitamins and vitamins enriched post-workout with protein and carbohydrate supplements during heavy training. Also, according to the Journal of the American Medical Association recommended that Americans consume a one-a-day low-dose multivitamin in order to promote general health.
-Dietary supplementation of minerals in deficient athletes has generally been found to improve exercise capacity. (Kerksick, Chad)
-Dietary supplements can play a meaningful role in helping athletes consume the proper amount of calories, carbohydrate, and protein in their diet. It is also true that a number of nutrients and dietary supplements have been shown to help improve performance and recovery. Supplementation with these nutrients can help augment the normal diet to help optimize performance. (Kerksick, Chad)
-Creatine monohydrate supplement- the most effective nutritional supplement available to athletes to increase high intensity exercise capacity and muscle mass during training. The gains in muscle mass appear to be a result of an improved ability to perform high intensity exercise enabling an athlete to train harder and thereby promote greater training adaptations and muscle hypertrophy. (Kerksick, Chad)
-Creatine- is excellent when performing high intensity, intermittent exercise such as multiple sets of weight lifting, repeated sprints, and exercise involving sprinting and jogging. Creatine has also been shown to be effective at improving high intensity interval training. (Kerksick, Chad)
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