The Best Nutritional Supplements For Runners

April 7th, 2013 by GetFit

Nutritional supplements can help runners in lots of ways: they improve stamina, strength and overall performance and in addition support recuperation. The dietary supplements that are most beneficial include protein, amino-acids, antioxidants plus minerals and vitamins. Some other supplements that show promise are phosphates and adaptogens. Amino-acids and protein are beneficial for athletes. Supplements that fall under this category include things like soy protein, whey protein, Branch Chain Amino-Acids or BCAAs as well as creatine and Beta-Alanine.

Whey protein supplements consist of special soluble globular proteins, obtained from whey. These include alpha-lactoalbumin, beta-lactoglobulin, serum albumin and immunoglobulins. Not only do whey protein products contain a high amount of protein, they also have many minerals such as magnesium and calcium, which are important for performance runners. The body more easily assimilates these minerals (which are essential for strong bones) in liquid form, such as a protein shake, than in the form of tablets. In addition, whey protein supplements in the form of shakes are easily digested and they’re recommended even for people who are lactose intolerant, as they typically consist of egg protein, calcium caseinate protein and soy protein. Whey protein shake for runners contains all the essential amino-acids and, when compared with other protein sources, it has 25% more BCAAs.

This dietary supplement should be consumed before and after running for the purpose of enhancing athletic performance and stamina as well as muscle recovery and repair and the recommended dosage is 30-40 mg at a time. These products offer athletes all the building blocks their bodies need by improving the creation of concentrated amino-acids, essential for proper protein synthesis in the human body. This leads to better stamina and performance and in addition assists in building muscle mass. Whey protein shake also increases the metabolism along with the energy levels, very good for runners. Among the top whey supplements is Syntha-6. This product is made up of 100% isolate protein matrix, which incorporates a combination of fast and slow-release proteins. It’s available in three flavors – chocolate, strawberry and vanilla.

Runners must use BCAA supplements for a lot of good reasons. They improve both performance and training by restoring the nutrients that are lost when you run and also support lean muscle repair. The BCAAs are essential amino-acids which the body can’t produce and they consist of valine, isoleucine and leucine, important elements of protein which make up 30% of the skeletal muscle. Additionally, BCAAs supplements can help reduce the pain that accompanies muscle fatigue and help you resist lengthy, strenuous running sessions. They also enhance metabolic recuperation. The recommended dose of this nutritional supplement is 6-8 grams each morning, 6-8 grams before running and 6-8 grams after running. Amino Vital from Blomstrand is a wonderful supplement that will minimize muscle damage and help fast muscle recovery after endurance running.

L-Glutamine is one of the very best nutritional supplements for runners, because this amino-acid increases the human growth hormone levels. Even a modest dose of 2g has been proven to increase HGH. L-Glutamine will also protect against muscle breakdown when running intensely and it enhances protein metabolism. L-Glutamine is made up of 20% nitrogen, vital for muscle tissue. L-Glutamine supplements even diminish muscle damage after running for a long period and improve endurance and strength. This makes it possible to run for much longer. L-Glutamine will in addition help your immune system. It needs to be taken 3 times per day, 6-8 grams at a time, in the morning, after running and before going to sleep. The L-Glutamine produced by EAS is not hard to dissolve in water and is tasteless.

Beta Alanine (BA) is a non-essential amino-acid that occurs naturally in the human body which raises the levels of carnosine in the muscle tissues helping to improve athletic performance and protracted resistance. BA supplements raise the amount of carnosine by 60% in 4 weeks. High levels of carnosine support optimum running endurance and enhance performance, irrespective of the intensity or length of the running routine. BA supplements may also greatly reduce muscle fatigue and improve body composition and force output. During intense running exercise, the runners body gathers up large amounts of hydrogen which decrease their pH, making it more acidic and leading to intense fatigue. Beta alanine delays hydrogen build up and therefore acidity and muscle failure. This nutritional supplement needs to be taken in doses of 2-3 before and after running.

Other types of nutritional supplements for runners include multivitamin supplements and/or vitamin D, B6, B12 ( for older runners), calcium, magnesium, iron and folic acid; also, potent antioxidants fight off free radical damage and oxidative stress, crucial in protecting against muscle tissue damage and include alpha lipoic acid, omega 3 fatty acids, selenium, grape seed, beta-carotene, vitamins C and E, lutein, licopen, coenzyme Q10 and green coffee bean extract. Adaptogen supplements can also be helpful. Examples are reishi and maitake, rhodiola rosacea, Siberian Ginseng, Asian Ginseng, as well as cordyceps. A terrific brand is Optygen, which contains cordyceps and Rhodiola. Nutritional supplements based on phosphates will also help raise a runner’s overall performance by increasing oxygen intake and minimizing lactic acid accumulation. One example is Vantage by Sports Quest Direct.