The Most Popular Sports Supplements - What Do You Really Need? | Physical activities slideshows | Well Being center

Why Are Supplements Used and What Are The Advantages To Using Them?

Supplements can't replace a healthy, balanced diet. But what they can do is supplement it. If you're already eating as well as you can, maybe adding some appropriate supplementation can help you reach your goals. Some supplements help your recover faster, others help you give more effort in the gym and others help to protect against the negative side effects of training. In this slideshow, we'll explore some of the most popular supplements and explain what they do and how they work, as well as looking into whether or not they're appropriate to your goals - and maybe we';ll dispel a few myths along the way!

Sources & Links

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Photo courtesy of efnnayr by Flickr : www.flickr.com/photos/efnnayr/6014002486/
www.livestrong.com/article/400178-the-best-pre-post-workout-supplements/
http://www.sheknows.com/health-and-wellness/articles/957453/6-supplements-to-boost-your-workouts
http://www.mensfitness.com/nutrition/supplements/the-5-best-supplements-for-men

Protein Powders Are Most People's First Supplement

Protein powder is available in a wide range of types and from a wide range of sources. One of the most common supplements, it's usually used either to take advantage of the post-workout anabolic window or to simply increase the amount of protein in your diet generally. For post-workout nutrition, whey protein is a good choice, while for general nutrition, casein might be better, since it's released more slowly. If you're lactose intolerant milk-derived proteins might cause a problem but proteins derived from plant sources are also available. Typically protein powders are between 70% and 95% protein, and while they're often taken as shakes, there are other ways...

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Creatine Helps With Intense Exercise by Aiding Recovery - It's Safe!

Creatine is an amino acid that increases the body's ability to produce energy. Creatine is particularly effective in explosive or high-intensity applications, and there's no real evidence that it provides benefits for endurance athletes. While any supplement that provides muscle building benefits makes people think nervously of steroids, creatine isn't a steroid at all: it's not a hormone but a part of a protein, and its main effect is to allow you to train harder than you would otherwise have been able to. The increases in performance creatine delivers come mainly from this rather than from any direct effect.

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Glutamine - An Amaino Acid That Helps With Strength Training

Glutamine is an amino acid supplement. Amino acids are the materials that protein is made of, and glutamine is the amino acid most commonly found in human blood. It's used to treat injuries and it's found in dietary sources like beef and chicken, which are also rich sources of protein. However, glutamine can be so beneficial that it's taken as a supplement. It's classed as a non-essential amino acid but glutamine is linked to improved gut health as well as increased muscle mass. The best time to use glutamine is before bed, when it raises production of growth hormones while you sleep.

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Branch Chain Amino Acids (BCAA) - Helping Recovery

Branch chain amino acids help with can reduce the amount of muscle breakdown that occurs as a result of exercise. That means you'll retain more muscle mass down the line. 'Branched chain' refers to the molecular structure of the amino acids themselves; they branched chain amino acids you'll find in supplement stores are three amino acids that the body can't produce: leucine, valine and isoleucine. While some scientists remain skeptical that BCAAs can help improve exercise performance, there's little doubt of their role in aiding recovery and reducing muscle breakdown - in fact they're used medically for this in people who are confined to bed rest.

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Omega-3 Fatty Acids For General Health Including Joint Health

Omega-3 fatty acids are a form of fatty acids found in fish and other sources, including meat, some plant sources, seaweed and offal meats. Omega-3 fatty acids are claimed to preserve the fluidity of cell membranes, decrease platelet activity and prevent unwanted clotting, and improve insulin response; they're also supposed to lower the quantity of lipids circulating in the bloodstream. However, there are skeptics who point out that the evidence for some of these suppositions is shaky. Omega 3 fatty acids are available form many health food stores and are often sold in the form of fish oils, while oily fish are among the best dietary sources.

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Multivitamins Are a Great Supplement for Active People

Multivitamins are simply a collection of vitamin supplements, usually also containing some minerals (the distinction between a 'vitamin,' named for 'vital minerals,' and a mineral, is blurry anyway). They'll usually contain Vitamin C and other commonly available vitamins, but often they contain vitamins that are hard to get if your diet is suboptimal. Many people use multivitamins as a kind of insurance - if they have a day when they don't get enough of a nutrient like Vitamin C, which can't be stored, while others use them to get hard-to-find supplementation like extra iodine. Predictably, the jury's out even on something this simple - iron from supplementation often isn't well absorbed, for instance, and some critics say reliance on vitamins as a supplement can prevent people from paying enough attention to their diets. But most people agree that a daily multivitamin at least won't do you any harm.

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Nitric Oxide - The Cell Messenger Sold as a Training Aid

Nitric oxide is a substance used as a chemical messenger in the body, to communicate between cells. It's also available as a supplement, the idea being that it increases muscle growth and activity as well as playing a role in regulating the activity of several major organs. Nitric oxide is usually taken as a supplement in the form of the amino acid it's synthesized from in the body, arginine. Too much arginine is associated with weakness, nausea and vomiting, so it's unwise to take nitric oxide supplements without checking the label, especially if you're also taking other supplements containing amino acids.

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Caffeine Improves Concentration and Makes You Feel More Energetic

Caffeine enhances speed, power and thought. It makes reaction time quicker - sometimes by as much as 0.25 of a second, which when we consider that reaction times are of the order of 1 second to 0.5 of a second, is a significant difference. It also increases the rate at which short term memory is transferred into long term memory, enhancing learning ability. But there are downsides. Caffeine is essentially synthetic adrenaline and like adrenaline it'd a diuretic associated with the need to use the bathroom and with shaking, numbness in the extremities and even panic attacks. Use caffeine - but use it in moderation!

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Green Tea is Used For its Antioxidant Effects

Green tea is commonly used for its antioxidant effects, and while it is higher in flavonoids per cup than many fruits and vegetables, its antioxidant content can vary widely depending on the origin and the way it has been processed and treated. Unliike black tea, green tea is brewed at below boiling temperature. Some studies suggest that green tea can reduce body fat by a small amount for a short time, but the majority of health claims made for it are probably exaggerated; it's unlikely to do you any harm, though, and its antioxidant effects are real and well documented.