“I go in for sports a lot and actively: twice a week in outdoor training and twice in the gym. I would like to support the body during such loads. Can vitamins and dietary supplements help with this and how?"
Reader marieclaire.ru, 34
Expert's answer:
A balanced diet can be a great help in staying active and getting the most out of your exercise. This requires providing all-round nutritional support to the muscles, improving their growth and recovery. This can be achieved with diet and properly selected nutritional supplements.
Very often people who play sports seek to increase the presence of protein in the diet, but at the same time forget about the importance of judicious consumption of carbohydrates. Key recommendation: Limit your intake of refined carbohydrates such as sugar and refined grains. They lead to the development of insulin resistance, which in turn is associated with muscle wasting and various inflammations. Focus on healthy carbs: Eat five or more servings of a combination of vegetables and fruits daily, especially green, orange, and yellow vegetables, dark berries, and citrus fruits. These foods not only contain carbohydrates to boost energy levels, but are also rich in nutrients and antioxidants.
When actively playing sports, it is also important to consider the following important fact: exercise accelerates muscle metabolism, which leads to an increased need for the body for many other nutrients. Especially important are those that are involved in energy metabolism: B vitamins, as well as minerals - calcium, magnesium and iron.
Low iron levels in the body are most commonly associated with significant decreases in physical energy and are one of the most easily reversible causes of poor physical performance. To fix this will help the inclusion of a multi-complex with vitamins and minerals in the diet. It will provide the body with the minimum daily intake of vitamins. Such a product will be a good safety net that will support the body during and after sports.
Your body needs enough protein to accelerate muscle growth and repair. An easy way to increase your intake is with whey protein powder supplements. Whey protein is a naturally occurring by-product that occurs during the production of cheese and has the highest biological value of all proteins. Biological value is calculated by how much of the consumed protein is actually absorbed, stored and used in the body. One of the key reasons why whey protein is so bioavailable is that it contains the highest concentrations of glutamine and branched chain amino acids (BCAAs) found in nature. These amino acids are essential for cell health, muscle growth, and protein synthesis. The general recommendation for a whey protein intake is 25 to 50 grams per day.
In conclusion, we can recommend creatine - one of the most popular nutritional supplements for athletes and bodybuilders. It is used primarily to increase strength and lean body mass. Creatine supplementation increases muscle energy levels, improves muscle protein synthesis, and allows you to work harder during strength training. Dosing recommendations are based on body weight: Take 1 gram of creatine for every 25 kg of body weight.
Be sure to consult with a specialist before using dietary supplements and vitamins
About the expert:

Michael Murray
Photo: Getty Images
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