I'll re-post this, I posted it in some other guys thread a few months back.
Top 10 Vitamins for Bodybuilders
This article was featured in Flex Magazine, May 1995 issue. It was written by Bob Lefavi, and Timothy C. Fritz. Bob Lefavi, PhD, is an assistant professor in Georgia Southern University's graduate health science program, located at Armstrong State College, Savannah, Georgia. He was the 1990 IFBB North American bantamweight champ, and was runner up in the 1989 USA, and 1992 Nationals in that weight class. Timothy C. Fritz, B. Nutr. Sc., is a graduate research assistant in Georgia Southern University's exercise science program in Statesboro, Georgia.
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The Metabolic Spark Plugs
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One of the most confusing issues for any athlete is supplementation. What to take, how much, when to take it, blah, blah, blah. Figuring out a supplementation regimen can be so frustrating at times that it becomes easy to lose sight of the forest for the trees, to forget the purpose of supplementation and to overlook exactly what makes successful bodybuilding.
It's sometimes easy to forget that the cells in our bodies, particularly muscle cells, rely on certain biochemical reactions for proper metabolism, growth and maintenance. These reactions, in turn, depend upon specific vitamins to help catalyze, or facilitate, their actions.
Without these vitamins, nothing happens. Even if only one of these critical substances is deficient, a bodybuilder's progress can be stifled without warning. Virtually every energy production or muscle growth process we rely on so heavily (and that we sometimes take for granted) is dependent upon, in one way or another, a vitamin.
Making matters more critical is the fact that bodybuilders are notorious for overlooking vitamins because these nutrients don't supply energy like carbohydrates, proteins and fats do. But that doesn't mean they aren't important. Without vitamins, muscle mass would decay, bone density would deteriorate and all systems of the body would begin to fail.
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Vitamin Variables
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Vitamins can be divided into two broad categories: fat-soluble and water-soluble. Fat-soluble vitamins (A,D,E, and K) are so named because they are stored in the body's fatty tissue and do not have to be replenished daily. But be careful: Because they are stored, overdoes of these vitamins can lead to toxicity.
The water-soluble vitamins (with the exception of vitamin C) are composed entirely of the B and B-complex vitamins, including Thiamine (B1), Riboflavin (B2), Niacin (B3), Pyridoxine (B6), Folate, Cobalamin (B12), Biotin and Pantothenic Acid. Because these vitamins are water soluble and thus have difficulty entering fatty tissues, they aren't stored in the body and excessive amounts are excreted. And while this means toxicity is generally not a problem, these vitamins must be continually included in a bodybuilder's diet.
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Questions to Ask
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How important is it to know this stuff? Just ask any pro bodybuilder who must continually analyze his or her diet to ensure it contains these critical components. A bodybuilder, when considering how important a dietary vitamin is, asks at least one of the four following questions.
Is the vitamin directly involved in muscle action, protein synthesis or the integrity of muscle cells?
Does exercise result in an increased requirement of the nutrient?
Do athletes typically have suboptimal intakes of the vitamins?
Does dietary supplementation with the vitamin improve performance and/or growth?
This is Flex Magazine's Top 10 Vitamins for Bodybuilders, in reverse order.
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10. Cobalamin (vitamin B12)
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Although the functions of vitamin B12 are numerous, those important to bodybuilders include carbohydrate metabolism and maintenance of nervous system tissue (the spinal cord and nerves that carry signals from the brain to muscle tissues). Stimulation of muscles via nerves is a critical step in the contraction, coordination and growth of muscles.
Vitamin B12 is available only from foods of animal origin; therefore,it is very important for athletes following a strict vegetarian diet to consult a physician about vitamin B12 supplementation. In fact, B12 shots are popular with countless athletes, vegetarians and nonvegetarians alike, many of who swear it helps them perform better.
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9. Biotin
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Although there's a limited amount of sports nutrition research on Biotin, it makes our top 10 list because it has critical functions in amino acid metabolism and the production of energy from many sources. It also may be one vitamin that some bodybuilders have trouble when attempting to maintain an adequate supply.
The reason bodybuilders may have difficulty with Biotin is because it can be blocked by a substance called Avidin. Avidin is found in raw egg whites, a staple for many athletes. In fact, bodybuilders who eat raw egg whites or who don;t cook egg white well enough may experience growth problems with Biotin deficiency if their egg white consumption approaches 20 per day. Eating raw eggs can also lead to a bacterial infection called Salmonella, which can have severe health consequences.
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8. Riboflavin (vitamin B2)
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Riboflavin is involved in energy production in three areas: 1) Glucose metabolism, 2) Oxidation of fatty acids, and 3) The shuttling of hydrogen ions through the Krebs cycle. Of particular interest to bodybuilders, Riboflavin is somewhat related to protein metabolism. In fact, there is a strong relationship between lean body mass and dietary riboflavin.
One study by Belko and colleagues found that females needed higher than RDA levels of Riboflavin to return blood levels of Riboflavin to normal after exercise. Another study by Haralambie showed that Riboflavin supplementation improved muscular hyperexcitability (seen in trained athletes). This vitamin may prove to be especially important for athletes.
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7. Vitamin A
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Most of us know that vitamin A helps with vision, but bodybuilders need to become familiar with its other benefits. First of all, vitamin A is important in the synthesis of protein, the chief process of muscle growth. Second, vitamin A is involved in the production of Glycogen, the body's storage form of energy for high intensity performance.
The problem with vitamin A status in bodybuilders is twofold. First, American diets are consistently measured to be low in vitamin A. Second, both strenuous physical activity (which disrupts the absorption of vitamin A) and a low fat diet (which renders vitamin A loss in feces) jeopardize the level of vitamin A in the body. So be especially careful of your vitamin A intake during contest preparation.
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6. Vitamin E
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Vitamin E is a powerful antioxidant, meaning it protects the cell's membranes. This is important because many of the metabolic processes that take place in the body, including the recuperation and growth of muscle cells, are dependent upon health cell membranes.
You've probably heard a lot about antioxidants in the news lately, and research continues to validate their importance. Specifically, antioxidants help to reduce the number of free radicals in the body. Free radicals are natural byproducts of cellular respiration, but accumulation of free radicals can lead to cellular changes and destruction (even cancer), rendering cells unable to adapt normally. This means a reduction in exercise induced processes in the cell such as repair and growth.
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5. Niacin (vitamin B3)
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This vitamin is involved in nearly 60 metabolic processes related to energy production and ranks high for bodybuilders by virtue of its critical importance in providing training fuel (no train, no gain)! The bad news is that high levels of Niacin have been found in the blood of athletes after exercise, suggesting that athletes may need more niacin than nonathletes. On the other hand, the good news is that even if a diet is low in Niacin, the body can make it from the amino acid tryptophan, which is found in abundance in turkey meat.
Bodybuilders are familiar with the form of Niacin known as nicotine acid, which causes vasodilation and may help a competitor look more vascular before going onstage. But this form of Niacin shouldn't be used during training; large doses of nicotinic acid (50 - 100 mg) significantly impairs the body's ability to mobilize and burn fat.
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4. Vitamin D
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Vitamin D plays a crucial role in the absorption of Calcium and Phosphorus. Calcium is necessary for muscular contraction. If adequate stores of Calcium are not available in the muscle, full, hard muscular contractions cannot be sustained. Of course, Calcium is also needed for the integrity of bones, which must support increased muscle tissue and provide an anchor during muscular contraction.
And don't forget about Phosphorus. Phosphorus helps provide quick, powerful muscular contractions, which comprise the majority of movements during weight training. Phosphorus is also required for the synthesis of ATP (Adenosine Triphosphate), the high energy molecule used by your muscle cells during contraction.
This nutrient is high in the list since bodybuilders typically avoid the fat content, e.g., dairy foods. Look for vitamin D fortified foods and get in the habit of drinking at least one glass of low-fat or nonfat milk per day.
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3. Thiamine (vitamin B1)
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This B vitamin packs muscle! Thiamine is one of the vitamins required for protein metabolism and growth. It's also involved in the formation of hemoglobin, a protein found in red blood cells that transports oxygen throughout the body (especially working muscles). The transport of oxygen is critical to athletic performance and becomes even more important as intensity and duration of exercise increase.
Making matters more interesting, Thiamine, according to research, is one of the few vitamins that enhances performance when supplemented and is increasingly needed by athletes. Not only that, but Thiamine requirements appear to be directly related to caloric expenditure. The more exercise frequency, intensity and duration increase, the more Thiamine is needed.
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2. Vitamin B6 (Pyridoxine)
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Protein metabolism, growth and carbohydrate utilization are all made possible in part by the presence of vitamin B6. Like Thiamine, studies on Pyridoxine in athletic performance show a definite increased need for athletes and possible performance enhancement from supplementation.
The vitamin makes the number two spot for a very good reason: It's the only vitamin directly tied to protein intake. The more protein you eat, the more Pyridoxine you need. Of course, this, coupled with Pyridoxine's role in growth, had profound implications for bodybuilders, though it is generally not known or discussed in sports nutrition circles.
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1. Vitamin C (Ascorbic Acid)
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Surprised? Most athletes don't realize how important vitamin C status is to success. As the most widely studied vitamin in sports nutrition, Ascorbic acid has proven itself to be valuable to bodybuilders in many ways.
First, vitamin C is an antioxidant, protecting muscle cells from free radical damage, thus enhancing recovery and growth.
Second, Ascorbic acid is also involved with amino acid metabolism, especially the formation of Collagen. Collagen is the primary constituent of connective tissue, the stuff that holds your bones and muscles together. This may not seem important, but as you lift heavier weights, the stress you put on your structure becomes tremendous. If your connective tissue is not as healthy and strong as it should be (a problem often seen in steroid users), risk of injury dramatically increases.
Third, vitamin C helps in the absorption of Iron. Iron is necessary to help Oxygen bind to hemoglobin in blood. Without adequate oxygen transportation in blood, muscles are robbed of precious oxygen and performance is greatly reduced.
Fourth, Ascorbic acid also assists in the formation and release of steroid hormones, including the anabolic hormone testosterone.
Finally, vitamin C is perhaps the most water soluble vitamin there is. In other words, it diffuses very rapidly in water. Since a muscle cell is mostly water, the more muscular an athlete becomes, the more vitamin C disperses and the lower the concentration of this critical substance becomes in body tissues. So vitamin C requirements are greatly increased for bodybuilders.
Bodybuilders are notorious for overlooking these key components of growth and performance. Do yourself a favor and analyze your diet to ensure you're taking in enough of the vitamins outlined above. Remember: You could have the best diet in the world in terms of calories, fat, etc, but if you're lacking adequate levels of these metabolic spark plugs, you're shooting yourself in the foot.
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This article was featured in Flex Magazine, April 1995 issue. It was written by Bob Lefavi, and Timothy C. Fritz. Bob Lefavi, PhD, is an assistant professor in Georgia Southern University's graduate health science program, located at Armstrong State College, Savannah, Georgia. He was the 1990 IFBB North American bantamweight champ, and was runner up in the 1989 USA, and 1992 Nationals in that weight class. Timothy C. Fritz, B. Nutr. Sc., is a graduate research assistant in Georgia Southern University's exercise science program in Statesboro, Georgia.
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What every bodybuilder should know
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You know all those monsters you see in the magazines month after month, the ones you've been working your butt off to look like? Well, take heart. The fact is, they don't train much differently than any of us mortals do.
Ok, sure, they probably work out with heavier weights and more likely than not are genetically gifted for bodybuilding, but if you get a chance to hang around the greatest athletes in the sport, you come to realize that it's their concern for the little things, like dietary and training details, that separates them from the average Joe in the gym.
These details include really warming up before a workout, actually weighing food, planning the day's meal in advance and so on. From studying many of these athletes, it's easy to conclude that this attention to seemingly insignificant minutiae is what makes great bodybuilders stand out from the rest.
For instance, when was the last time you gave any thought to your dietary mineral intake? No, I don't mean popping a few supplements occasionally, I mean really taking a good look at the level of minerals in your diet. If it's been a while, you're not alone.
Many bodybuilders give little thought to those elements in their diets that don't provide calories. That's a big mistake, because your diet contains plenty of vital components that do more than just provide energy, like supporting muscle tissue, enhancing growth, etc. In fact, these nutrients, called micronutrients, may be more important for bodybuilders than calorie producing nutrients precisely because of these other physiological functions.
The purpose of this article is to review the top 10 dietary minerals from a bodybuilding perspective. Will it really make a difference for you to become familiar with this stuff? Not if you're as muscular as you want to be. After all, these are just the little things.
When considering how important a dietary mineral is in bodybuilding, we can look at the sport's nutrition research to answer at least one of four questions.
Is the mineral directly involved in muscle action, protein synthesis, or the integrity of the muscle cell.
Does exercise result in an increased requirement of that nutrient for an athlete?
Do athletes typically have suboptimal intakes of that mineral?
Does dietary supplementation with that mineral improve performance and growth?
With these questions in mind, we can now review the minerals that best promote increases in strength and growth. Here is our list, in reverse order.
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10. Potassium
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This mineral is an important electrolyte found within muscle cells and works closely with sodium to regulate body water levels. As well, Potassium plays a critical role in facilitating the electrical potentials across nerve and muscle cells that result in muscle contraction. Potassium is even involved in glycogen storage (for high intensity muscular energy). A poor potassium / sodium balance can lead to improper fluid levels, dehydration, muscle cramps and weakness. Fortunately, dietary intake of potassium is generally not a problem for most people, but bodybuilders should become familiar with its role and the foods where it can be found.
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9. Copper
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The trace mineral Copper may soon prove more vital to bodybuilders than was previously thought. It's included in this list not because of its involvement in oxygen transport and utilization (as well as many enzymatic reactions, not the least of which is helping in the production of noradrenaline) but because Copper has been shown to increase in the bloodstream during intense exercise. This fact leads to the conclusion that copper plays a direct role in high intensity muscular work such as bodybuilding, and that there may be conditions under which some bodybuilders ingest suboptimal amounts. Although most folks probably do take in enough copper, it's a good idea to monitor your copper intake. You'll likely hear more about this mineral in the future.
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8. Vanadium
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This is a nonelectrolyte mineral that has received much recent attention in the bodybuilding community due to the perceived effects of one of its salt forms, vanadyl sulfate. Vanadium is to sea creature what iron is to humans; it makes a jellyfish's blood green like iron makes our blood red. Although the vast majority of research on Vanadium supplementation has been carried out on diabetic rats, the published results tend to show a promising glycogen storing effect on muscle tissue. This may explain the subjective analysis of some bodybuilders who swear the feel 'harder' after taking vanadyl sulfate. Problem is, we really don't know much yet about vanadyl sulfate's effects on athletic performance. Nor do we know much about the long term effects of supplementation with vanadium salt, but there is a theoretical mechanism of action and at least some promise.
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7. Iron
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You may be aware that the mineral Iron is a constituent of hemoglobin and is responsible for oxygen transport and, indirectly, subsequent oxidative energy production. What does this have to do with bodybuilding? Well, your ability to recover between sets is related to the efficiency of your aerobics system. The more oxygen you can supply to your working muscles, the quicker your muscles can recover in time for another hard set.
Moreover, Iron is particularly critical for female bodybuilders. Women lose some Iron in their menstrual flow every month. As well, female weight trainers, who typically don't consume much red meat, which is high in iron, may not readily replace vulnerable iron stores. Therefore, female bodybuilders run the risk of anemia if they're not careful about iron intake.
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6. Phosphorus
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A mineral that is present in the body in large amounts, phosphorus is directly linked to exercise metabolism since it produces high energy molecules such as Adenosine Triphosphate (ATP) and Creatine Phosphate. Phosphorus works in conjunction with Calcium, so it's important to keep phosphorus and calcium intakes close to a 1:1 ration; an imbalance creates a potential nutrition problem. Of further interest, phosphorus supplementation has been shown to decrease blood lactic acid levels during exercise.
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5. Sodium
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As most bodybuilders know, Sodium is an electrolyte that plays a vital role in the regulation of body fluids. The level of sodium in the body determines the amount of water the body will 'hold', and high intakes can cause body tissues to swell. (It is not uncommon to look like 'Quasibloato' and be up to two pounds heavier the morning after scarfing down a Big Mac and large fries.) Although a normal diet usually contains a reasonable amount of sodium, be careful not to limit sodium intake too much at contest time to get an ultra shredded look. An excessively low sodium intake turns on protective mechanisms within the body that cause sodium and water retention. Finally, keep in mind that sodium plays a major role in resistance training; its function in nerve impulse transmission and muscular contraction is critical to bodybuilders. Dietary sodium isn't all that bad, it's having the right amount that's important.
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4. Chromium
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The trace element Chromium is the key part of glucose tolerance factor, a substance that help insulin bind to its receptors on tissues. In other words, Chromium help insulin do its job of transporting glucose, amino acids and fatty acids into cells. Athletes probably need more Chromium than nonathletes, but whether chromium is truly anabolic is a bone of contention among scientists. The fact is that chromium appears to help glucose metabolism and probably helps in lipid metabolism but has not yet been clearly established to increase lean body mass. Claims of ripped, freakish physiques from chromium supplementation are premature, to say the least. However, this mineral weighs in at number four because athletes must become more familiar with its role in physiology.
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3. Zinc
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Think Zinc for growth. That's right, the mineral zinc is involved in virtually all phases of growth. Even more critical for bodybuilders, studies have shown that high intensity exercise stimulates excessive zinc loss. Further, diets of some athletes have been found to be low in zinc. This potential double edged sword, excess loss coupled with possible low intakes, moves zinc into our number three position. If you're not mindful of your zinc intake, your growth may be stymied.
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2. Calcium
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The most abundant mineral in the body, Calcium is the second most important mineral for bodybuilders. There are several reasons for this.
Bodybuilders may have difficulty maintaining the needed 1:1 calcium to phosphorus ratio. First, many lifters try to avoid dairy products (containing calcium) because of a relatively unfounded fear that they will 'smooth them out'. Second, a typical bodybuilding diet is high in protein, meaning that it's also high in phosphorus (further throwing off this ratio) and causes excess amounts of calcium to be excreted in urine.
Calcium is the primary mineral involved in muscular contraction (ever head of calcium ions in the 'sliding filament theory of muscular contraction'?)
The structural stress from weight training requires a steady supply of calcium to maintain high bone density.
Female athletes need to be especially careful of their dietary calcium intake, as low estrogen levels can contribute to decreased calcium absorption and increased calcium loss. Also, keep in mind that Vitamin D help with calcium absorption, making vitamin D fortified dairy products a good source of this mineral.
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1. Magnesium
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Magnesium takes the number one spot not only because it has a theoretical mechanism of action (a plausible way it can help bodybuilders) but also due to recent studies identifying the performance enhancing benefits of magnesium supplementation.
Magnesium's role in bodybuilding revolves around energy production and protein synthesis. Studies on many different types of athletes have revealed excessive magnesium losses in sweat. Unfortunately, bodybuilders probably don't make up for these losses in their diets, as many food high in magnesium (nuts, legumes, etc) do not typically top a bodybuilder's grocery list.
Brilla and Haley from Western Washington University in Bellingham recently published the results of a research study in which magnesium supplemented lifters exerted greater quadriceps force that unsupplemented lifters. Considering magnesium's role in bodybuilding, factors leading to a possible suboptimal magnesium status in athletes and results of research such as this, it's not hard to see why so many sports nutrition specialists working with strength / power athletes are excited about magnesium's potential.
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Conclusion
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One word of caution. Minerals are critical for peak performance. However, overdosing on one or all of these elements can spell disaster. Too much of one mineral can cause a functional imbalance of another mineral or cause negative side effects without the original benefits. Too much zinc, for example, can lead to problems with lowered HDL levels (the 'good' cholesterol). The bottom line is to make sure you get what you need and not to megadose.
Remember, minerals may be more important for athletes than many of the nutrients that provide calories precisely because of their often unique physiological functions. In particular, these 10 minerals may prove especially critical for bodybuilders because of their nutritional status for athletes and their roles in growth, energy production and muscular contraction. Don't brush off these critical dietary components. After all, it's the little things that count.