The supplement stack of an athlete is incomplete without good vitamin tablets. Athletes are known to follow a healthy and strict diet. It is balanced with all the essential nutrients. However, they still consume vitamin supplements. Why is it so? Let us find out.
Do Athletes Really Need More Micronutrients?
It is often believed that the physically demanding lifestyle of athletes demands a higher vitamin and mineral intake. It is true that some athletes prefer to take mega-doses of these supplements to boost their performance. However, the reality is that very high micronutrient intake can cause toxicity, leading to a drastic drop in performance.
Now, in the world of athletics, the Dietary Reference Intake or DRI is very important. There are three references:
- RDA or Recommended Dietary Allowance: This is the average amount of consumption per day to meet the micronutrient requirements of healthy individuals.
- AI or Adequate Intake: This is the level that is just right but not good enough to meet the RDA.
- UL or Upper Intake Level: This is the maximum amount one may consume in a day without any adverse reactions.
Athletes must take into account these references. In addition to that, there are several other factors like age, the type of sport and the base diet that play a role in the amount of vitamins and minerals the body needs. It does not solely depend on the increase in level of physical activity.
Why Should Athletes Use Vitamin Supplements?
While the amount of micronutrient intake changes for each individual, there are some specific benefits of using these supplements in athletics:
- Higher energy metabolism means more vitamin requirement: The body of an athlete works a lot more than a non-athlete. The functions of the body are carried out at intense levels in order to support the physical activity. In this process, the vitamins and minerals that are consumed tend to be used up for various biochemical reactions. Therefore a supplement like HK Vitals Multivitamin is required to maintain an adequate supply of these nutrients.
- Faster loss of vitamins and minerals: Athletes who train for several hours a day tend to sweat more. Naturally, they lose a lot of these micronutrients. The micronutrients must be replenished to prevent issues like dehydration or chronic fatigue that can cause a dip in their overall performance.
- Better oxygen supply: Vitamins and minerals form certain oxygen supplying molecules that boost overall performance. One such molecule is haemoglobin which is responsible for the transportation of oxygen to various parts of the body. With multivitamins, you get an adequate supply of iron which boosts the production of haemoglobin. Better oxygen supply to your vital organs also means better energy levels and performance.
- Maintenance of bone health: These supplements provide important nutrients like calcium and potassium that are responsible for the mineralization of the bone. They also contain Vitamin D3 which helps in the absorption and retention of these nutrients. This helps keep the bones stronger, allowing the athletes to truly push themselves to train harder.
There are many other athletic benefits of choosing multivitamins. However, the primary reason for athletes to use these supplements is prevention of nutritional deficiencies. This prevents them from achieving peak performance and even reduces training ability. Most coaches focus on the consumption of a healthy and balanced base diet. This is followed by the addition of necessary supplements.
Now, we have established the need to use multivitamins. However, it is more important to understand how much extra you need. For this, it is best to consult an expert like a nutritionist. Many recommend that you test your body for any deficiencies and focus on tackling them first. Then, determine the average intake that you need based on all the factors mentioned above.
Lastly, choose a product that is reliable and formulated to suit the specific requirements of physically active individuals like athletes and bodybuilders.
