According to the European Specialist Sports Nutrition Alliance (ESSNA), ninety per cent of the 11,000 athletes in attendance at the Olympic games in China 2008 used dietary supplements of some kind.
Many national sporting bodies have warned athletes against taking any dietary supplements due to contamination fears. In the past contaminated sport supplements have blaimed leading to positive doping tests and got athletes sent home and banned. However, in the summer Olympics of 2008 there were no supplement related doping scandals.
The fact is, as ESSNA chairman Dr Adam Carey notes, if there are safe products on the market that can benefit an athlete’s performance and overall health, it is verging on negligence to advise athletes against them. Creatine, peptides, green tea and sports drinks are just a few of those of most interest to athletes.
The dirty reputation of sport supplements seems to be about to change, and dietary supplements are becoming more clean and more used also at the Olympic level. The World Anti-Doping Agency, WADA, has performed over 5000 doping tests in Beijing 2008. Currently the WADA’s list of strong banned substances contains four thousand entries.
Source: Nutra Ingredients.
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Whey protein is the name for various globular proteins that can be isolated from whey which is a by product of cheese which usually comes from cow’s milk. Whey Protein contains a low level of fat and cholesterol which makes good supplement for anyone who might want to fit a low fat food into their diet.
Whey Protein concentrate usually contains some whey protein isolate mixed in. The main difference between the two is whey protein isolate is more expensive compared to the concentrate. This is due to the isolate being more higher quality and having a larger biological value compared to the concentrate alternative. The percentage for isolate is usually between 92% to 97% protein with the concentrate being anything between 75% to 85%.
In the 80’s it was discovered that whey, being very high quality protein, unique in its amino acid content and biologically active, outperformed the gold standard protein, egg white.
There are a lot of Whey Protein products available on the market ranging in different prices and flavours. You can usually buy whey protein supplements at your local health store or at your local gym. Personally I have found this best value for money deals to be on the internet where you can find the most competitive prices and value for money.
The other type of protein you may have heard of is soy protein. Soy protein as you may guess is found in soy beans. Soy protein is often chosen over whey by vegetarians or lactose intolerant individuals. But that’s another topic. Stay tuned!
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Protein supplements are of great importance to anyone who is training with the intention of building muscle or increasing athletic performance. Protein, or more importantly the amino acids that it supplies to the body, are fundamental in maintaining and building lean muscle tissue.
Many foods such as eggs, meat, poultry and fish (in abundant amounts) present protein. These foods should also be incorporated into any healthy diet.
The nutritional requirements of someone who trains with weights for athletic gain are higher than that of the average sedentary person. That’s why to meet these requirements its not always possible to get the necessary amount of protein from regular foods alone.
This is where protein supplements become truly valuable. Not only are they extremely convenient - there are protein powders, bars, puddings and cereals now - but they are generally engineered to such a high standard that they surpass regular foods in nutritional profile and in ease of absorption.
There many different protein supplements available and each type has it own advantages and disadvantages. Available protein supplements can be divided e.g. in whey protein, whey protein isolate, whey protein hydrolysates, and casein/micellar casein.
There will be more information of different types of protein in future post! Stay tuned.
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It’s fall again and time for many to start sport activities. The medical director of the sports medicine program at Oregon Health & Science University offers the following tips for student athletes.
- Eat breakfast. The ideal breakfast is eggs, toast, fruit and milk. If a kid won’t eat that, Carnation Instant breakfast and toast with cream cheese will do.
- Sleep well. According to a study a good night’s sleep results in fewer injuries. A good amount of sleep is around eight hours a night.
- Drink plenty of fluids adding salt to your diet. Suggested amount is two glasses of water before activities and more during the activity. electrolyte-loaded sports drinks such as Gatorade and PowerAde can be added to the mix, especially in the August heat.
- Eat healthy proteins. In addition to a steak, fish-oil and nuts are even better sources of proteins and good fats. Five vegetables and fruits daily are also very good source of energy.
- Avoid bad supplements. Most of the time caffeine in energy drinks is dehydrating and pumps up the heart rate. Protein shakes are costly and unnecessary when a well-balanced meal provides the same vitamins and nutrients.
Chesnutt also suggest to switch sports if possible. According to latest studies the most talented athletes are the ones didn’t play the sport year-round. Diversity keeps one interested and helps to refrain from burning out physically and mentally.
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To keep the body and physique in healthy position many sports person are using supplements to enhance their diets. Nowadays a wide range of fitness and sports supplements are available in the market. But before going for the usage of these supplements you must know how these supplements are working and whether they suit your body or not.
The quality and standards of these sports supplements are increasing day by day. This article lists the popular sports supplements which have been provided according to their classification and uses
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Endurance boosting supplements Most important example of the sports and fitness supplements that helps in boosting up the endurance is the branch chained amino acids also called as BCAAs. Coenzyme Q10 performs the same function and plays a vital role in metabolic processes. Other examples of boosting endurance supplements are Creatine, ginseng. HMB, iron, gamma oryzanol, pyruvate, phosphorus, yohimbe and medium-chain triglycerides (MCT)
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Fat reducing supplements from the body. They include many popular fitness and sports supplements which help in reducing the body fats. Chromium, HMB, CLA pyruvate and DHEA are such supplements to mention a few.
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Supplements for the protection of muscles and their maintenance.
Some of the examples of this category are antioxidants which guard the body from free radicals. Calcium and magnesium helps in preventing the muscle cramps. CLA and chromium helps in strengthening and enlarging the muscles. Other types are Eucalyptus, HMB, magnesium, vitamin E and OKG are used for the protection of muscles and their improvement.
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Supplements for increasing strength. Some of the examples of strength increasing supplements are octaconsanol and cordyceps. Arginine and ornithine also helps in boosting strength
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Pain reduction and temporary relief pain supplements. Main example is Brome lain which can help in reducing the pain of strains and sprains, Arnica also helps in reducing the pain and also accelerates the healing process. Cayenne is very much useful in providing temporary relief from rheumatic and arthritis pain. Chondroitin sulfate and glucosamine helps in reducing the joints pain. Other examples of popular fitness and sports supplements includes vitamin C, HMB, zinc and ribose.
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Supplements for enhancing the immune system Some of the popular examples of the fitness and sports supplements for boosting up the immune system are vitamin E, glutamine, zinc and vitamin C.
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What should I buy from the store then? Every product includes an informative label which tells the amount of calories, carbonhydrates, protein, fats, fibres, and salt. The greater the amount of calories, fats, sugar or salt, the worse is the choice. It is wise to avoid products containing a lot of salt, sugar or fat. For example 100 grams of quark includes around 60 kilo calories, while 100 grams of chips hold approximately 530 kilo calories.
Another thing to consider is the amount of food. You may have heard about the food plate model, but what does it exactly include? A meal based on the food plate model has half of the plate filled with vegetables, one quarter with meat, fish or chicken, and one quarter with potatos, pasta or rice. USDA has set definitions for the amount of food. For example one portion of meat is about 60 to 85 grams.
A food diary is a handy tool for monitoring your own nutrition. The food diary contains every nutrient that you have eaten as well as the amounts. After a week the diary shows your eating habits relatively well, and according to them, if it’s needed, it’s easy to start making the change! By reading the informative labels and monitoring the amounts it is easy to fix the base of your nutrition.
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How much of each should I eat then? It’s a good guestion. Magazines and internet are full of different values: 40/30/30, 55/15/30, 60/30/10… Zone diet is popular among some celebrities, who tuck in 40 percent carbohydrates, thirty percet proteins and thirty percent fats. According to some recommendations our diet should contain 10 to 15 percent protein, 30 percent fats, and 55 to 60 percent of carbonhydrates. On the other hand the Atkins diet is estimated to make the people on it to eat sixty percent of fats and only ten percent of carbonhydrates. What of these should I try, so my body would do well?
Protein especially has got attention as an important part of the diet of people going in for sports. Protein has been marketed as the enemy of fat and with the attention of protein also Zone and Atkins have risen to spotlights. Some facets have already suggested to change the official directions.
Let’s think about the elements of a basic diet. Two elements even allowed by many diets include vegetables and good quality protein. When we add whole-grain, fruits, and low fat milk products, we have everything we need for a basic diet. For drink we choose water, without our bodies could not function with.
The amounts of macronutrients are heavily dependent on the person. The activity level, goals and forms of excersice shape the needs of the regimen. However, recommendations form a good base. For example individuals going often to gym can increase the amount of protein, an example of this kind of diet could be H 50, P 20, R 30. A moving person must not to forget the good fats, which can be get by using olive oil and vegetable margarine.
The amount of micronutrients is safe when the nutrition has enough of different nutrients. For example it’s a good idea to eat different vegetables and fruits every day. The amount of calories needed varies among the size and the activity level of an individual. E.g. a small female uses smaller amounts than a large male.
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Everyone of us has heard about proteins, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins, and minerals. We all know that a good diet supports health and helps us to control our weight, but what on earth does the good diet include?
Macronutrients
Macronutrients include proteins, carbohydrates, and fats. The term ‘macronutrient’ suggest that we need great amounts of these nutrients.
Carbohydrates include sugars (e.g. table sugar, fruits, milk) and starches (e.g. vegetables and grain). By their structure, sugars are simplier than starches, which are formed of more than one sugar. Fibres, which are important for example for the function of our intestines, are most of the time got from carbohydrates. Every gram of carbohydrates contains four kilo calories of energy.
Meat, milk products, vegetable fats, and butter are the source of fats. Fats include fatty acids, part of them are are essential for our bodies. The type of fat (saturated, unsaturated or polyunsaturated fat) and the amount of it are connected to cardiovascular diseases and some cancers. Each gram of fats contain 9 kilo calories of energy, which makes it the most energy dense macro nutrient.
Micronutrients
Micronutrients are nutrients which we only need little amounts. Micronutrients include vitamins and minerals. Despite of the small amounts, vitamins and minerals have important meaning related for example growth of bones and moving oxygen. Combined with water, micronutrients help to maintain our bodies’ homeostasis.
Since the absorption of micronutrients is affected by many factors, the need for them varies from person to person. For example fats are needed for the absorption of vitamin A, where the need of vitamin E is affected by selenium, vitamin C and beta carotene. Vitamin C and calsium are related to absorption of iron.
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