Supercompensation, regeneration and prevention
Athletes train hard to improve their physical fitness and performance. Anyone who thinks that supplementation is only about teasing out the full potential and maximum training effects is mistaken. Instead, it’s also about preventing injuries, infections and oxidative stress. Find out more about the micronutrient requirements of athletes here.
Nutrients in sport
Optimal nutrition for athletes: nutrients for peak performance and regeneration
Athletes step on the gas and push themselves to their physical limits. Due to the increased metabolism during physical exertion, the oxygen demand and the release of reactive oxygen species (ROS) from the mitochondria increases significantly. The superoxide anion radical plays a key role in this. ROS can presumably stimulate various molecular signaling pathways, such as PGC1 and MAP kinase. The latter in turn stimulates the satellite cells, which proliferate and differentiate in response to a corresponding stress stimulus. They are therefore crucial for muscle regeneration and its repair processes. It is also being discussed that the transient increase in ROS during physical activity improves vasodilation during sport, for example, and has other positive functions.
However, if oxidative stress gets out of hand, there is a risk of inflammation and tissue and cell damage. Whether the ROS are harmful or helpful depends not only on the duration, intensity and fitness level, but also on the diet. This is because the right level of nutrients is essential for supercompensation and optimal regeneration – both in terms of macro and micronutrients.
Sodium, chloride, potassium and Magnesium are particularly important for the muscles. Depending on the amount of sweat and the salt content in the sweat, this can result in a greatly increased sodium requirement. So if athletes feel a real hunger for salt after sweaty sessions, there is nothing to stop them from indulging it. Symptoms of hyponatremia are also very unspecific and can cause exhaustion, headaches, tiredness and muscle cramps, even in a mild form. The latter does not always have to be caused by magnesium deficiency! Potassium losses also reduce physical resilience, reduce endurance performance and disrupt regeneration. However, the right timing is important here. This is because physiologically, potassium levels rise during physical exertion. During exercise, you should therefore avoid drinking apple spritzer, for example, in order to avoid transient hyperkalemia and thus an increased risk of cardiac arrhythmia. After training, however, potassium plays an essential role in regeneration, as it is needed to replenish depleted muscle glycogen stores.
Foods rich in potassium include bananas, nuts and dried fruit. Healthy snacks are a good way to cover daily requirements. In practice, however, many athletes underestimate their actual requirements and overestimate the content in food. Iodine, copper and iron, for example, are also excreted through sweat. As the absorption rate of iron is only 10 to 15 % and many women cannot cover their requirements sufficiently anyway, female athletes should pay particular attention to sufficient iron stores. In summary, athletes need more of everything, because that is exactly what they demand from their bodies. Complex dietary supplements can help to cover the additional requirement and prevent an undersupply. This not only benefits athletic performance, but also the entire organism and Health.
The branched-chain amino acids leucine, valine and isoleucine – known as BCAAs – can be converted into glucose during prolonged exercise. They thus improve the supply of energy during sport and not only reduce the formation of lactate, but also have anti-catabolic effects. The amino acid glutamine is the most abundant amino acid in the blood. During exercise, it is used to provide energy and is rapidly consumed. However, glutamine is essential for a powerful Immune System as well as for a healthy intestinal epithelium. Athletes can therefore not avoid a good supply of glutamine in both recreational and competitive sports. It improves glycogen storage and stabilizes blood sugar levels, also supports muscle building and the release of growth hormones and much more. Due to the diverse functions of the individual amino acids, athletes are best advised to take a broad and balanced mix in order to avoid the consequences of a negative nitrogen balance. An undersupply of amino acids can make itself felt through general symptoms such as weakness, susceptibility to infections and muscle loss through to depressive moods, low stress resistance and poor regeneration.
However, a micronutrient deficiency in athletes is not without consequences. In addition to immediately noticeable symptoms such as painful muscle cramps and chronic fatigue, a drop in performance, lack of progress and delayed regeneration in particular can put a brake on the enjoyment of sport. In addition, the risk of infection and injury increases, forcing athletes to take a break from training and possibly destroying previously hard-won training successes. But even in the long term, unnoticed vitamin B deficiencies, for example, can lead to an increase in homocysteine, which is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, dementia and osteoporosis.
