Supplements 101
Telly wonders what supplements help rid the forearms of blood and lactic acid.
One of the major reasons why our program is so effective, is that it FORCES you to improve your nutrition and lifestyle habits. In order to keep up with the demands of our program and make the type of progress we expect, you simply cannot get away with poor nutrition, regular consumption of alcohol/sugar/processed foods or improper recovery (hydration, sleep, stress management, etc.).
Many, if not most of you have taken the steps necessary to improve your nutrition and lifestyle habits. However, one of the more common questions we receive is about supplementation:
- Is it necessary?
- What, if anything, can I take to support a healthy, active lifestyle?
- What supplements will help support weight loss?
- What supplements can I take to help improve performance?
These are complicated questions as supplementation should be a very individualized process based on a number of factors. There are proponents of excessive supplementation and there are minimalists that believe we can get everything we need from a healthy diet and clean living.
Our stance on supplementation falls squarely in the middle - while we do not believe supplements can or should replace real food and clean living, we do believe that certain supplements are essential to supporting your health and performance.
Here are what we consider to be the bare essentials that EVERYONE should be taking
Excerpted from Charles Poliquin's "Stay Healthy: Vitamins 101"
Zinc
Zinc is one of the most common and serious mineral deficiencies. About 98 percent of my clients are zinc deficient, meaning that unless you are already taking this nutrient, it’s highly likely you are deficient. Low zinc means you’ll have low testosterone and correspondingly decreased lean body mass. You’ll miss out on training gains from low zinc, and it also affects brain function and ability to concentrate. It’s essential in supporting over 100 enzyme and hormone functions in the body, and plays a role in DNA synthesis, cell division, and is also linked to stomach problems, lack of immunity, and slower recovery from training or injury.
Magnesium
Magnesium deficiency is just as common as low zinc—I have yet to see a first-time client with acceptable magnesium levels. Magnesium does wonders for people who can’t sleep. The benefits don’t stop there. Magnesium regulates essential brain receptors meaning it is necessary for memory and cognitive function. Low magnesium is linked to low testosterone in men and the related problems of less lean body mass, and diminished protein synthesis and strength gains from training. Bone disorders, diabetes, and chronic inflammation can also be prevented with adequate magnesium.
Magnesium needs increase with more physical activity, athletic participation, or strength training, meaning athletes and trainees need more. Magnesium’s levels will be influenced by the presence of other minerals including zinc, calcium, and potassium, as well as prescription drugs. Take note that it’s necessary to have body stores of magnesium for optimal health because this will protect against disorders such as heart disease and immune dysfunction. In addition to chronic deficiency in the Western population, this is one reason it’s necessary to supplement with magnesium along with getting it in the diet. Halibut, almonds, cashews, and green vegetables contain magnesium, but one serving of these foods will only provide about 15 percent of the U.S. RDA, a recommendation that is low.
Vitamin D
Vitamin D could easily top this list due to its importance in achieving peak health, commonality of deficiency, and role synergistic affect it has on other nutrients in the body. Vitamin D is naturally made in the body in response to sun exposure, meaning that deficiency is more prominent during winter months, but really, deficiency is a major health concern year round due to how this vitamin is processed and produced in the body. Vitamin D is absolutely essential for immune function, bone health, muscle function, peak athletic performance, cancer prevention, reproductive health, and there are at least 15 other health benefits to achieving optimal levels (read the Top 25 List here.)
Severe symptoms of extreme deficiency include bone disorders such as rickets and osteoporosis, a poor immune system and regular illness is a more common sign of low levels. Just like magnesium and zinc, other symptoms are hard to link to vitamin d because they appear with many health issues, but poor health and lack of results from exercise or strength training are major indicators.
Omega 3 Fatty Acids
Omega-3 Fish Oils round out my top four most important supplements for the general population. In fact, omega-3s could easily be number one, but because their significance is better known, especially compared to zinc and magnesium, they appear here. Health benefits from optimal omega-3 levels include decreased chronic inflammation and pain, better cardiovascular health, peak brain function, fat loss, improved insulin sensitivity, lower blood pressure, Alzheimer’s prevention, and athletic performance. The key to omega-3 supplementation is to ensure you are getting enough, that you are taking omega-3s and not omega-6s, and that your overall fat intake is balanced in favor of omega-3s.
Multivitamin
Taking a multivitamin is an ideal way to round out a healthy diet, and certain formulas will support specific health concerns such as chronic fatigue syndrome. A multivitamin is essential for individuals with gaps in their diet such as a vegetarian or vegan who will be missing out on a number of necessary nutrients that only come from meat or in supplement form. Generally, taking a multivitamins is not a substitute for taking the other four nutrients already mentioned (zinc, magnesium, vitamin D, and omega-3s) because individuals typically need more of these four than are included in most multis, and omega-3s are almost never included in multis.
Monday, December 5, 2011 at 09:56PM | 6 Comments
Reader Comments (6)
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