As active weight lifters, what role do vitamins play in
improving our performance? We know there important but what do vitamins
actually do?
I'd like to breifly provide some vitamin information about the
role that vitamins and minerals play in the muscle building process.
First of all, Vitamins are necessary for growth, health, and
metabolism. Vitamins perform highly specific metabolic functions, especially in
energy metabolism and are vital to all our biological functions including the
synthesis of muscle tissue. Which is of course, what we all want!
Here's some important vitamin information, vitamins do not actually provide
energy to the body or build muscle.
What's that you say? If vitamins don't build muscle than what do they do?
Vitamins actually help release energy provided by the macro nutrients such as
fat, protein, and carbohydrates.
Hard workouts increase your nutritional needs. There’s no doubt about it. You
must ensure that you are getting the optimal amount of vitamins in your diet.
That’s why you may want to add certain vitamins to your nutritional game plan
for building muscle. Keep in mind that vitamin supplements should not replace
food. Your body can get almost all the nutrients it requires from a balanced
diet.
Your body absorbs nutrients best from food. However, you might want to think of
adding a vitamin supplement as good insurance. Adding a daily multi vitamin and
antioxidant containing 100% of the daily values may be a good move. I like to
think of it as covering my nutritional bases.
Certain vitamins belong to a group known as antioxidants which fight off
disease causing chemicals known as free radicals. Very important.
Here is a partial list of some important vitamins and their
functions:
Vitamin information- Vitamin A
Function:
Vitamin A helps to maintain the skin, bone and tooth growth
Sources:
Vitamin A is plentiful in vegetables such as carrots, beans, yams, and spinach.
Also found in liver, egg yolks, and whole milk.
Notes:
Vitamin comes in two forms, carotene and retinol.
Vitamin information- Vitamin B1 (Thiamine)
Function:
Vitamin B1 plays a very important part of the energy conversion
process. Vitamin B1 helps your body in breaking down carbohydrates to energy.
Necessary for the maintenance of a healthy nervous system, growth, and muscle
tone
Sources:
Bran flakes, wheat germ, whole grains, pork, liver and dried beans.
Notes:
Refined foods often depletes Vitamin B1 from carbohydrates.
Vitamin information- Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin)
Function:
Vitamin B2 helps your body in releasing energy from protein,
carbohydrates, and fats. Vitamin B2 also helps in the maintenance and growth of
tissues.
Sources:
Eggs, milk, liver, eggs, whole grain breads, cereals, meats and legumes.
Notes:
An important part of energy metabolism and supports skin care and vision.
Vitamin information- Vitamin B3 (Niacin)
Function:
Vitamin B3 is used in energy metabolism and supports skin care. Vitamin B3 also
helps to support the nervous system and digestive system.
Sources:
Tuna, chicken, liver, breads, cereals and legumes.
Vitamin information- Vitamin B5 (Pantothenic acid)
Function:
Helps transform amino acids and fats into glucose. Fatty acid oxidation
Sources:
Found in a lot of whole foods.
Vitamin information- Vitamin B6 (Pyridoxine)
Function:
Vitamin B6 helps in the conversion of stored liver and muscle glycogen into
energy. Also helps in protein metabolism.
Sources:
Liver, bananas, fish, whole grains, nuts, vegetables, meat and chicken.
Notes:
Used in amino acid and fatty acid metabolism.
Vitamin information- Vitamin B9 (Folic acid)
Function:
Regulation of growth. Helps breakdown protein. Also necessary for normal
production of red and white blood cells.
Sources:
Liver and leafy green vegetables.
Vitamin information- Vitamin B12
Function:
Vitamin B12 helps in the production of red blood cells. Also helps metabolize
carbohydrates, protein, and fat.
Sources:
White fish, cheese, lean meat, liver, chicken, eggs, and dairy products.
Notes:
Daily requirements are usually low since the liver stores large amounts of
Vitamin B12
Vitamin information- Vitamin C
Function:
Vitamin C helps in the absorption of iron and in the production of collagen.
Helps maintain normal connective tissues. May help protect against exercise
induced tissue damage.
Sources:
Citrus fruits and juices, oranges, green peppers, cabbage, potatoes, broccoli
and tomatoes.
Notes:
Vitamin C is an antioxidant and may be help to decrease tissue damage caused by
heavy exercise
Vitamin information- Vitamin D
Function:
Vitamin D assists in maintaining strong bones and teeth
Sources:
Cod liver oil, liver, egg yolks, sunlight (your skin converts sunlight to
vitamin D).
Notes:
Vitamin D can be toxic if taken in excess. An excess of vitamin D can cause
calcium deposits in soft tissues such as the kidneys, arteries and joints.
Vitamin information- Vitamin E
Function:
Vitamin E helps to prevent the destruction of red blood cells. Vitamin E also
helps to improve blood flow by helping to maintain a healthy cardiovascular
system.
Sources:
Green vegetables, raw seeds, vegetable oils, nuts, wheat germ, eggs, and whole
grains
Notes:
Vitamin E is an antioxidant and may be help to decrease tissue damage caused by
heavy exercise
Vitamin information- Vitamin H (Biotin)
Function:
Helps in the breakdown of fats
Sources:
Egg yolks and liver
Vitamin information- Vitamin K
Function:
Vitamin K helps control blot clot rate. Involved in glycogen formation and bone
formation.
Sources:
Brussel sprouts, broccoli, leafy vegetables, tomatoes, cauliflower, milk, and
yogurt.
Vitamin information
Minerals
Apart from vitamins, minerals are also required for growth, maintenance and
repair of the body. They help supply oxygen to cells, improve digestion, and
help keep the body in balance. Minerals also participate in the proper
functioning of the muscular and nervous systems.
The tissues in your body contain fluids on the inside of cells and in the
spaces between cells. In these fluids are electrolytes. Electrolytes are
electrically charged minerals or ions.
The electrolytes help regulate water balance on either side of the cell
membranes and also help make muscles contract.
The two main electrolytes are sodium and potassium. Potassium helps regulate
fluids on the inside of cells while sodium helps regulate fluids on the outside
of cells.
For optimum functioning, electrolytes must be kept in balance.
Here is a partial list of minerals and there functions
Vitamin information- Sodium
Function:
Maintenance of fluid balance on either side of cell walls. Also helps in
muscular contractions and nerve transmissions
Source:
Found in most foods
Vitamin information- Potassium
Function:
Maintenance of fluid balance on either side of cell walls. Assists in the
conversion of glucose to glycogen. Helps in muscular contractions and never
transmissions.
Source:
Fruits and vegetables, bananas, and potatoes
For
more information on potassium , please click here
.
Vitamin information- Calcium
Function:
Essential for blood clotting, muscle contractions, and nerve transmissions.
Also helps with bone and teeth formation
Sources:
Green leafy vegetables and dairy products.
Vitamin information- Chlorine
Function:
Helps maintain water balance by regulating pressure.
Source:
Kelp, table salt
Vitamin information- Magnesium
Function:
Helps in neuromuscular contractions. Also helps the metabolism of carbohydrates
and proteins.
Source:
Whole grains, green vegetables, and legumes
Vitamin information- Phosphorus
Function:
Helps stimulate muscular contractions. Helps metabolize carbohydrates, fat, and
protein. Also assists in energy production.
Sources:
Chicken, fish, Meats, whole grains, and nuts.
Vitamin information
Antioxidants
Anti what?
Antioxidants have been getting a lot of attention lately in the sports
industry. Antioxidants, mainly beta carotene, vitamin C, vitamin E, and the
minerals selenium, zinc, copper, and manganese have been generating a lot of
excitement regarding their disease fighting properties.
Antioxidants help fight free radicals or rather chemicals naturally produced by
the body that cause irreversible damage to cells. Free radicals can leave your
body open to such diseases as cancer, advanced aging, degenerative diseases,
and cardiovascular diseases.
What causes free radicals? Nobody knows for sure but certain environmental
factors such as cigarette smoke, radiation, exhaust fumes, certain drugs,
stress and too much sunlight contribute to the increase in free radicals.
Oddly enough, steady exercise and weight lifting seems to increase the amount
of free radicals in the body. No one really knows why exercise increases free
radicals in the body but it is important to understand that there are ways to
combat free radicals.
It is important to build up your immune systems while weight training and
getting enough antioxidants is one way to do it.
Vitamin information- Vitamin C
When you get a cold, what’s the first supplement you reach for? I’m guessing
it’s vitamin C. Vitamin C is an essential part of our diets and operates in the
formation of connective tissues. Vitamin C is also involved in immunity,
allergic responses and wound healing.
As an anti oxidant, vitamin C also helps keep free radicals from destroying the
outer cells. As a weight trainer, a cold or infection can side line you pretty
quick. Vitamin C can help cut the risk of respiratory infections and boost
immunity.
The best sources of vitamin C come from citrus fruits and juices, green
peppers, kiwi, cantaloupe and green leafy vegetables.
Vitamin information- Vitamin E
As an antioxidant, vitamin E has been shown to protect against after workout
muscle damage and the free radical production that follows.
Part of vitamin E’s job is to scavenge free radicals produced by weight lifting
therefore saving tissue from damage. Vitamin E also seems to prevent the
destruction of oxygen carrying red blood cells which means improved oxygen
delivery to your muscles during exercise.
The best sources of vitamin E come from wheat germ, seeds, nuts, fish oils, and
vegetable oils.
Vitamin information- Beta Carotene
Once beta carotene is ingested by the body, it is converted to vitamin A as the
body needs it. Beta carotene destroys free radicals after they’ve formed and
may help reduce muscle soreness after weight lifting.
The best sources of beta carotene comes from carrots, sweet potatoes, broccoli,
spinach, and cantaloupe.
It is important to note that vitamins and minerals do not directly build muscle
or supply energy. Vitamins and minerals have very precise functions that help
synthesis muscle tissue and in the metabolism of energy.
Supplementing with a vitamin and minerals will not boost the body’s muscle
building abilities but rather enure that you have the optimal amounts to
enhance the bodies ability to help synthesis muscle tissue and metabolize
energy.
Think of supplementing with a quality vitamin/mineral supplement as
covering your nutritional bases.
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