Essential Nutrients And Supplements For Athlete
Athlete and sports person need more nutrients and energy in their body compared to less active people, they demand more from their body so it is must for them to get essential vitamins and minerals daily to keep performing best in their sports activities. For athlete many a time’s sports nutrition supplements are mandatory to perform excellently at many sports events like Olympics, Common Wealth Games, etc. The more intense physical activity the greater the body needs nutrients and minerals. For intense exercise and to keep athletes or sports person bodies
perform optimally they should be familiar with eight essential nutrients and supplements that are Calcium and Vitamin D, Iron, Magnesium, Potassium, selenium, sodium, zinc, and protein.
ď ś Calcium And Vitamin D
This is the most essential nutrient for an athlete. It helps them to repair and strengthen their bones. Daily intake of calcium should be 1000 to 1500 mg. An Athlete should try consuming more as their physical activity and injuries increases compare to non-athlete person. A female athlete should be more focused on a daily intake of calcium as excessive training and physical activity more than seven hours can cause hormonal decline. Studies have shown that hormonal decline in young girls can stop menstrual. Even for male’s athlete experience testosterone deficiency that can cause osteoporosis. Vitamin D helps in keeping the immune system healthy. As athlete workout is intense they need enough Vitamin D. Lack of Vitamin D can cause weaker muscles, illness, inflammatory injury, and minimal muscle performance.
ď ś Iron Second important nutrient for an athlete is Iron. Iron helps convert carbohydrates into energy during exercise. Iron is a part of
hemoglobin in blood and myoglobin in muscles, helping deliver oxygen to cells. A male adult requires 8mg/day and women’s between age 19-50 need 18mg/day. Lack of iron in the body leads to anemia so adequate intake of iron is quite important. Anemia in the body also lowers down your physical performance so an athlete cannot bear that so they always take supplements of iron but if in the absence of anemia athlete shouldn’t take iron supplements daily intake through food will help them in getting enough iron.
Magnesium About 60% of magnesium is found in your body in bones, muscles, soft tissues and fluids including blood. When adenosine triphosphate is broken down energy is released for all muscle contractions and when an athlete and sportsperson perform their high physical activity this turnover is extremely high. Daily intake of Magnesium for endurance athlete should be 500-800 mg. Lack of magnesium leads to fatigue, nausea, muscle cramp, anemia, lower immunity, irregular heart rates, and muscle cramps. Athletes face difficulty in getting daily intakes of magnesium through food and generally get in a need of magnesium supplementation.
ď ś Potassium
Potassium helps to convert carbohydrates into energy and helps to maintain normal blood pressure. Potassium is present in intracellular fluid is responsible for total body water. It is lost through sweat and urine so athlete needs more of potassium daily. Daily intake of potassium should be 3500-4500 for a healthy adult, an athlete should consume more than this amount As athlete loses potassium through sweat they need more amount of potassium daily to perform well. Potassium helps primarily serum lactate and muscle hydration.
ď ś Protein Protein helps repair and strengthen muscle tissue. It also helps in building and maintaining lean body mass. It is recommended to take an adequate amount of protein more amount of protein is also not good as it leads to unwanted weight gain and muscle growth. An athlete should not only focus on protein but also on carbs and fats. 1.2 to 2.0 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight per day is needed for athletes. Protein powder and shake are good but not essential as an athlete will get enough protein from their daily meal itself.
Conclusion Nutrients and vitamins in sufficient quantity are very essential for an athlete to perform best in their sports activity. Sometimes they fail to get enough nutrients through food so it’s advisable to them to take sports supplements that are available online and in sports nutrition store.
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