Athletic

Exercise, Athletic Support, Work-Out Enhancement

Athletic Support Enhancement Considerations
Athletic Support Discussion
Disclaimer

All the following recommendations are for serious body builders, serious athletics, or anyone else who is adamant about obtaining maximum strength and endurance for their selected goals.

Athletic Support
Enhancement Considerations

Antioxidants: Free radical damages can be linked as one of the causative roots of many diseases, including dementia. Antioxidants help correct and then protect from further free radical damages. What is a Free Radical? A Free Radical is an unstable oxygen molecule that possesses an unpaired electron. This molecule is constantly trying to become whole by robbing cells of vital components. These biochemical compounds called Free Radicals damage our body and its cells. Both external pollutants and biochemical process of the body cause excess Free Radical reactions; Environmental pollutants, numerous food additives, and stress are only a few of the many ways Free Radicals are formed. The way in which Free Radicals are normally kept in check is by the action of Free Radical Scavengers that occur naturally in the body. These scavengers neutralize the Free Radicals. It’s important to assist our body by additionally supplementing daily with Antioxidants. Supplementation with only a few antioxidants though, gives us much less protection, than utilizing a complete array of antioxidants. This is due to the fact that the antioxidant defense system works as a team. If members of the team are missing, the outcome is poor. Maximum protection requires the complete array of established antioxidants in nutritionally meaningful amounts. Stressful living produces a much higher amount of free radicals than found in otherwise normal individuals. Free radical damage has many extreme negative complications, including faster aging, and is believed to be the root cause of many of our degenerative diseases. It is my professional conviction that "Type A" personalities will have a far greater amount of free radicals in their bodies when compared to Type C personalities. It is well known that Type A personalities die more often of heart disease, stoke and cancer than Type C personalities. Type A personalities do not handle stress well. Type C personalities are not affected by stressful situations like Type A personalities are, and they handle everyday stressors calmly. Most people I have met while working in my profession are Type A.

Multi-Vitamins: High quality multi-vitamin / mineral formulas are needed to add the necessary "co-factors" needed for enzymatic pathways. Organic chemistry studies (a requirement for medical school students), demonstrates that all enzymatic, energy, and virtually all biological pathways in the human body, need many nutrients, or co-factors, to properly complete each pathway. Shortages of needed nutrients results in dysfunction of the organs for which those pathways could not be completed properly.

Protein: To assure a complete array of all the amino acids, all the essential and non-essential, careful consideration must be made as to the quality of the protein consumed. The protein chosen should also provide maximum protein bioavailability. To achieve these qualities: First: the whey used for the protein must be from cows that were not fed any hormones! Second: The whey must only be processed under very low temperatures! Excessive heat denatures (damages) the amino acids.
For best health, it is also very advisable to combine your daily protein consumption with several, daily servings of both fruits and vegetables. Also, include a full spectrum of Omega 3, 6, and 9 essential fatty acids. Adding these two groups, the fruits / vegetables, and the fatty acids, in addition to daily protein supplementation, will provide you with the best possible nutritional foundation for sound health.

Creatine: Numerous double-blind, placebo controlled university studies have shown Creatine Monohydrate supplementation to boost size and muscle strength, speed recovery, and increase muscle bio-energetics and lean body mass. Creatine, which is produced naturally in your body, supplies energy to your muscles and may boost protein synthesis. However, it’s difficult to get enough Creatine to support optimal athletic performance through diet alone, and that’s why so many Athletes and Bodybuilders faithfully supplement themselves with Creatine supplementation. It’s a proven way to increase muscle energy and delay fatigue, so you can really crank up your workout intensity and your muscle size and strength! Creatine is considered a "must-use" sports supplement by experts worldwide.
Creatine Monohydrate Supportive Information

Lipoic Acid: The use of Red Beet and Dextrose with Lipoic Acid will assist with muscle recovery as well as enhance muscle strength and muscle mass.. The use of these carbohydrates in conjunction with Lipoic Acid have demonstrated enhanced levels of insulin resulting in significantly greater amounts of uptake of Creatine especially in the Post Workout period when muscle repair and growth occur. Taurine, in addition to it potential ability to assist in insulin production, may also decrease protein catabolism (thus preserving muscle mass) as well as serve as a cell volumizer.
Lipoic Acid Supportive Information

Athletic Support Discussion

Athletes have greater demands for nutritional support based on the body’s requirements for increased levels of macro and micronutrients to support higher levels of metabolism associated with exercise. Whether individuals participate in moderate or advanced athletic pursuits, there is an increased demand for specific nutritional supplements. Additionally, specific supplements assist in reducing post workout muscle aches and pains.

Creatine Supportive Information

Creatine, which is produced naturally in your body, supplies energy to your muscles and may boost protein synthesis. However, it’s difficult to get enough Creatine to support optimal athletic performance through diet alone, and that’s why so many Athletes and Bodybuilders faithfully supplement themselves with Creatine supplementation. It’s a proven way to increase muscle energy and delay fatigue, so you can really crank up you workout intensity and your muscle size and strength! This is why Creatine is considered a "must-use" sports supplement by experts worldwide.

Creatine is synthesized in the liver from the amino acids glycine, arginine and methionine. In skeletal muscle it is phosphorylated to form phosphorylcreatine, which is an important energy store for ATP, the major energy storage molecule of the body. Creatine monohydrate supplementation increases phosphorylcreatine levels in the muscle thus providing a ready source for the formation of energy through ATP. Creatine monohydrate supplementation has demonstrated improved performance and delays in muscle fatigue during short-duration, high-intensity exercise such as sprinting and weight lifting. A study, published in Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, found that muscle fibers change in athletes who use creatine thus enabling them to lift more weight. Creatine increases exercise related gains in lean body mass. Creatine appears to be an excellent supplement for those athletes participating in weight training, football or other high intensity athletic endeavors. It is available in a powder form.

Recommended Use:

Two methods are used for supplementing with creatine. In the loading method, 20 grams of creatine per day (in four, 5 gram divided doses) are taken for five to six days. This is excellent for rapid increases in muscle creatine. In the other method, 3 grams of creatine monohydrate per day can be taken over an extended training period of at least four weeks, during which muscle creatine rises more slowly, yet eventually reaches levels similar to those achieved with the loading method.

Additional Supportive Information:

Creatine supplementation has been reported to improve strength in rare diseases of muscle and energy metabolism. In individuals with congestive heart failure (poor pumping of the heart), creatine oral supplementation has not been effective, though skeletal muscle function does improve.

A recent double blind, placebo-controlled study found that a supplement of 5 grams of creatine plus 1 gram of glucose taken four times per day for five days followed by twice a day for fifty-one days significantly lowered serum total cholesterol and triglycerides but did not change either LDL or HDL cholesterol, in both men and women.

Creatine monohydrate is well absorbed and tolerated by the stomach.

Side Effects:

Studies over short-term (30 day) use have shown no side effects with recommended dosing. There is one case of kidney disease, which developed in an individual who consumed excessive amounts (20 grams) daily for over 30 days. No kidney toxicity has developed at lower doses as recommended. There are no known drug interactions.

References:

1. Kreider RB, Ferreira M, Wilson M, et al. Effects of creatine supplementation on body composition, strength, and sprint performance. Med Sci Sports Exerc 1998;30:73–82.
2. Toler SM. Creatine is an ergogen for anaerobic exercise. Nutr Rev 1997;55:21–25.
3. Greenhaff PL. The nutritional biochemistry of creatine. J Nutr Biochem 1997;8:610–18.
4. Mujika I, Padilla S. Creatine supplementation as an ergogenic aid for sports performance in highly trained athletes: a critical review. Int J Sports Med 1997;18:491–96.
5. Grindstaff PD, Kreider R, Bishop R, et al. Effects of creatine supplementation on repetitive sprint performance and body composition in competitive swimmers. Int J Sports Nutr 1997;7:330–46.
6. Greenhaff PL, Bodin K, Soderlund K, et al. Effect of oral creatine supplementation on skeletal muscle phosphocreatine resynthesis. Am J Physiol 1994;266:E725–30.
7. Greenhaff PL. Creatine and its application as an ergogenic aid. Int J Sport Nutr 1995;5:94–101.
8. Harris RC, Soderlund K, Hultman E. Elevation of creatine in resting and exercised muscle of normal subjects by creatine supplementation. Clin Sci 1992;83:367–74.
9. Green AL, Simpson EJ, Littlewood JJ, et al. Carbohydrate ingestion augments creatine retention during creatine feeding in humans. Acta Physiol Scand 1996;158:195–202.
10. Peyrebrune MC, Nevill ME, Donaldson FJ, et al. The effects of oral creatine supplementation on performance in single and repeated sprint swimming. J Sports Sci 1998;16:271–79.
11. Balsom PD, Harridge SDR, Soderlund K, et al. Creatine supplementation per se does not enhance endurance exercise performance. Acta Physiol Scand 1993;149:521–23.
12. Stout JR, Eckerson J, Noonan D, et al. The effects of a supplement designed to augment creatine uptake on exercise performance and fat-free mass in football players. Med Sci Sports Exerc 1997;29:S251.
13. Tarnopolsky MA, Roy BD, MacDonald JR. A randomized, controlled trial of creatine monohydrate in patients with mitochondrial cytopathies. Muscle & Nerve 1997;20:1502–9.
14. Tarnopolsky M, Martin J. Creatine monohydrate increases strength in patients with neuromuscular disease. Neurology 1999;52:854–7.
15. Andrews R, Greenhaff P, Curtis S, et al. The effect of dietary creatine supplementation on skeletal muscle metabolism in congestive heart failure. Eur Heart J 1998;19:617–22.
16. Gordon A, Hultman E, Kaijser L, et al. Creatine supplementation in chronic heart failure increases skeletal muscle creatine phosphate and muscle performance. Cardiovasc Res 1995;30:413–18.
17. Earnest CP, Almada AL, Mitchell TL. High-performance capillary electrophoresis-pure creatine monohydrate reduces blood lipids in men and women. Clin Sci 1996;91:113–18.
18. Greenhaff PL. The nutritional biochemistry of creatine. J Nutr Biochem 1997;8:610–18.
19. Hultman E, Soderlund K, Timmons J, et al. Muscle creatine loading in man. J Appl Physiol 1996;81:232–37.
20. Feldman EB. Creatine: a dietary supplement and ergogenic aid. Nutr Rev 1999;57:45–50.
21. Sewell DA, Robinson TM, Casey A, et al. The effect of acute dietary creatine supplementation upon indices of renal, hepatic and haematological function in human subjects. Proc Nutr Soc 1998;57:17A.
22. Poortmans JR, Auquier H. Renaut V, Durussel A, Saugy M, Brisson GR. Effect of short-term creatine supplementation on renal responses in men. Eur J Appl Physiol Occup Physiol 1997;76:566–67.
23. Earnest C, Almada A, Mitchell T. Influence of chronic creatine supplementation on hepatorenal function. FASEB J 1996;10:4588.
24. Almada A, Mitchell T, Earnest C. Impact of chronic creatine supplementation on serum enzyme concentrations. FASEB J 1996;10:4567.
25. Pritchard NR, Kaira PA. Renal dysfunction accompanying oral creatine supplements. Lancet 1998;351:1252–53 [letter].

Lipoic Acid Supportive Information

After exercise has been completed, muscle recovery and support should be considered.

An increase in the uptake of creatine in the post workout period is very beneficial. This is the time when muscle repair and growth occur. The carbohydrates Red Beet and Dextrose, when used in conjunction with Lipoic Acid, have demonstrated the ability to raise insulin levels. These increased insulin levels, when occurring after a workout, cause a greater uptake of creatine, which is needed for muscle repair and growth.

Taurine, in addition to its potential ability to assist in insulin production, may also decrease protein catabolism (thus preserving muscle mass) as well as serve as a cell volumizer.

DISCLAIMER This information is provided for Educational Purposes Only and has NOT been designed to diagnose, treat or cure any health conditions. Please consult a qualified Health Care Professional with Nutritional Training to diagnose your health conditions and avoid self-diagnosis. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration have not evaluated statements about these health topics or any suggested product compositions.