Lecture 8 - Supplementation

Question 1

list some reasons as to why athletes believe that supplements are needed?

Answer 1

• their diets are subpar and this can fix it
• supplements are more effective than diet
• their diet is unbalanced anyways so they need to compensate
• athletes need to use supplements to get an advantage
• i.e. maintain health, promote tissue growth and repair/injury management, improve recovery and sleep

Question 2

what are some major things that we should consider before taking supplements

Answer 2

• the use of supplements will not compensate for poor food choices and an inadequate diet
• athletes contemplating using should consider their efficacy and risk to health and performance (positive dopnig test, over supp can have health risks, supplements aren’t regulated

Question 3

are nutrition supplements regulated

Answer 3

NO
- there is no strict regulation in testing, advertising, and promoting nutritional supplements

Question 4

define a dietary supplement

Answer 4

vitamins, minerals, herbs, and botanicals, AAs and other dietary substances intended to supplement the diet by increasing the total dietary intake… or as any concentrate, metabolite, constituent, or combination of these ingredients

Question 5

why must be critically evaluate/analyze supplement studies

Answer 5

with the lack of regulation, we have to see if studies actually work
- animal vs human trials (skewed results)
- were external variables controlled, was the placebo controlled (i.e. does the participant smoke
- were the trials randomized
- peer reviewed

Question 6

inportant questions to ask about a supplement (specific context with an athlete)

Answer 6

• have several studies supported its use and an ergogenicc aid
• what intensity and mode of exercise was used (does it match with their sport)
• were participants athletes, well trained, untrained?
• what is the effective doese
• what are the side effects

Question 7

List some supplements that have been proven to “work”

Answer 7

to “work” means that they work under certain conditions (helps do X with resistance training)
- protein (whey, soy, collagen)
- beetroot juice
- beta alanine
- caffeine
- caritine
- creatine
- sodium bicarbonate
- sodium nitrate
THE LIST OF SUPPLEMENTS THAT DON’T WORK IS MUCH LARGER

Question 8

what is buffering capacity and why is it important for exercise

Answer 8

when maximal exercise occur, anaerobic glycolysis produces lactic acid as a byproduct. This can increase muscle acidity and effect performance in events lasting 1-10 minutes (LA causes fatigue)
- reducing muscle acidity by increasing the buffering (intra or extracellular) are theoretically ways f impriving performance in events where anaerobic glycolysis is an important contributor to ATP resynthesis

Question 9

beetroot juice and sodium nitrate (NaNO3)

Answer 9

• beetroot juice is a good source of dietary nitrate (NO3), which can improve endurance performance in some circumstances
• effective does is 6-8mmol of nitrate or 500mg or 7mg/kg/bw
• however, natural sources of dieaty NO3, such as beetroot juice, are preferred as an ergogenic supplement for endurance athletes and game players as they are at less risk of overdosing
• better to consume in the days previous

Question 10

Beta-Alanie and Carnosine

Answer 10

• carnosine is an intracellular buffer of H of skeletal muscles, is responsible for ~10% of total buffer capacity
• carnosine is broken down in the GI track so it doesn’t mean that you’re nessesarily absorbing it all through carnosine suppl.
• carnosine is synthesized from it’s precursors L histidine and B alanine in the liver and is taken up by the muscles, is present in the cytoplasm

Question 11

when should you take B alanine and carnosine

Answer 11

over 4-10 weeks 3-6g a day of BA will result in a 60-80$ inc in mucsle carnosine content
- this is associated with improved perforamnce in exercise where rates of glycolysis are high (80-100% VO2 max in trained and untrained ppl)
* large acute doeses of BA appear to induce mild pseudoallergic skin reactions of paresthesia (mild flushing or tingling sensations) that dissapate within about 2hrs
- for this reason, the daily dose is usually administered as 4-8 small doses, or as a sustained slow release tablet

Question 12

how can sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO3) improve performance

Answer 12

• NaHCO3 injenstions can improve extra cellular buffering capacity
• in increases plasma bicarbonate conc. and improved H removal from muscle, decreasing acidity and fatigue (consider LA)

Question 13

daily dose of NaHCO3

Answer 13

• 200mg/kg/bw of sodium bicarbonate ingested 1-2hrs before exercise seems to improve performance in most studies involving HI exercise lasting 1-10mins
• optimal does seems to be 300mg/kg/bw
• at this dose, some athletes experience some GI discomfort (side effects are dose dependant; drinking large amounts of water can help)

Question 14

sodium citrate

Answer 14

works similarly o NaHCO3, increases buffering capacity of extracellular space in increase the efflux of H ions in the intracellular space
- sodium citrate is effective in limiting the decrease in blood pH and improving endurance exercise performance up to 10mins in duration (strong evidence) or HI exercise performance of 2-4 min duration (weak evidence

Question 15

typical dose of sodium citrate

Answer 15

300-500mg per kg of BW

Question 16

what is HMB

Answer 16

beta-hydroxy beta methylbutyrate
- HMB is a metabolite of the essencial AA leucine and in synthesized in the body at a rate of 0.2 to 0.4g/day
- HMB seems to reduce the preakdown of protein throgugh inhibiting proteolytic pathways to stimulate protein synthesis through the stimulation of mTOR

Question 17

HMB research and dose

Answer 17

• some studies say that it can result in increased lean body mass and muscle strength, but equal amounts of studies say no effect
• some studies indicate 1.5 to 3g of HMB increase muscle mass and strenght more than placebo in response to 3-8 wks of resistance training
• most studies have used 3g where most HMB products have very little amounts in them
• no negative reaction on organ function, emotional perception or GI tolerance

Question 18

relate caffein ingestion to sport performance

Answer 18

• consuming the same od of caffeine in 2 cups of coffee (300mg) has a similar ergogenic effect to pure cafeine in tablet for
• it is readily absorbed after ingestion
• blood levels rise and peak after approx 60mins and half life is reported to be between 2 and 10hrs (therefore should be ingested ~1hr before exercise

Question 19

caffeines main mode of action and some of its side effects

Answer 19

• caffeine improves cognitive function when tired,
• its main mode of action is as a CNS stimulant
• side effects include GI distress, headaches, tachycardia and restlessness

Question 20

describes cafeine’s affect o different intensities and its dose

Answer 20

• 3-9mg/kg/bw has an ergogenic effect in endurance exercise (1-2hrs) and exercise around 100% of VO2max lasting approximately 1-5 mins
• at exercise intensities of about 85%, improvements of 10-20% in time of exhaustion has been found
• in jan 1st, 2024, international olympic committee took caffeine off its list of banned substances

Question 21

carnitine

Answer 21

synthesized in liver and kidney, which contain 1.6% of the hole body carnitine stores, other 98% is in skeletal and heart muscle
- primary function of L carnitine is to transport long chain fatty acids into the mitochondria, where they are oxidized
- plays an inportant role in maintinging the acetyl CoA: CoA ratio in the cell
- found in large amounts in meat and dairy

Question 22

carnitine’s effects on athletes

Answer 22

early studies using direct measurements in muslce after 14 days on 4-6mg/day of carnitine failed to show any increases in the muscle carnitine concentration, and did not improve performance
- no adverse side effects have been reported with does of up to 10g per day

Question 23

creatine monohydrate

Answer 23

• oral creatine supp. of 20mg/day for 5 days increases muscle creatine concentration in men by around 20% (30-40% of the increase is phosphocreatine)
• a subsequent daily does of 2g is enough to mantain this concentration (diet and oralingestion together provides approx 2g per day of creatine)
• this quantitity allows an increase in the amount of work performed during single and repeated bouts of short term, high intensity exercise by may also result in some weight gain from water retention

Question 24

adverse side effects of creatine monohydrate

Answer 24

• no studies have reported detrimental health effects of creatine
• however, according to many anecdotal reports, creatine supp may cause some GI, cardiovascular, and muscular problems, naseau, vomiting, diarrhea; alterations in kidney and liver function; muscle cramps; elevated BP
• therefore recommended doses should not be exceeded

Question 25

Omega-3 fatty acids and their effects on exercise

Answer 25

• OM3 FAs have been hypothesized to improve exercise and cognitive performance as they are incorporated into the membrane of celsl, improve muscle protein synthesis, decrease inflammation, and improve cognitive function
• OM3 FAs may reduce DOMS because they work both as an antioxidant and ani-inflammatory agents
• ingest 20-30g to help with recovery

Question 26

DOMS

Answer 26

• delayed onset muscle soreness,usually delayed becuase muscle soreness reaches its peak 24-48hrs after
• DOMS lasts 2-4 days and is considered minor muscle strain injury
• OM3 FAs may reduce DOMS because they work as both anioxidant and anti-inflammation agents.
• fish oil also has alot of vitamin D, which could explain why we say OM3 FA reduce soreness

Question 27

medium-chain triaglycerols

Answer 27

• MCT is sold as a supp to replace normal fat because MCT is said to be stored in the body and is suggested to help athletes lose body fat
• THIIS FALSE
• ## MCT does not appear to have the positive effects on performance that are often claimed

Question 28

glutamine

Answer 28

• naturally occurring nonessential AA (can be synthesized in the body)
• the most important consituent of proteins and is a means of transporting Nitrogen between tissues
• most abundant free AA in human muscle and plasma, its alleged benefits can be classified as anabolic and immunostimulotory

Question 29

glutamine dose

Answer 29

• normal intake of glutamine from dietary protein is 3-6g per day (assuming a daily protein intake of 0.8-1.6g/kg/bw for a 70kg person)
• researchers who examined the effects of G on the post exercise decline in plasma glutamine concentration reported a dose of around 0.1g/kg/bw must be given every 30mins over 2-3hrs to prevent a fall in plasma glutamine conc (can affect immune function)

Question 30

BCAAs

Answer 30

• branched chain amino acids
• acute oral supp of 0.087g/kg was enough to enhance the rate of recovery in isometric strength and muscle soreness
• this data suggests that a 100kg athlete consuming a relatively small amount (17.2g/day) is sufficient to enable faster recovery from HIIT
• other studies say 5g prior to HIIT can reduce DOMS
• one size fits all DOES NOT WORK FOR BCAAs

Question 31

what are some of the effects of combining supplements

Answer 31

• relatively low studies comparing multiple but we can see the hypothetical benefits
• i.e. combining caffeine with carb ingestion provides a singificant but small effect to improve endurance performance compared to carbs alone

Question 32

how do we minimize supplement contamination risks for athletes

Answer 32

• seek professional advice to make sure there is a clear nutritional benefit in using a supp and that there are no food alternatives
• look for 3rd party certification but also recognize that certification is not a guarantee that the product is safe or free from prohibited substances
• look for specific warnings by visiting the supplement 411 high risk list and FDA health fraud page
• evaluate the product by looking for red flags