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Sports supplements and their effects on health

Vitamins and sports supplements are a fundamental pillar for the proper functioning of the body, disease prevention and to feel healthy. All activities can be developed in a more effective way by someone who is well fed and energized.

Physical activity, on the other hand, is also a fundamental factor that has a direct impact on the daily life of a person. When the gym begins to be a daily routine, many people often modify their nutritional habits to accompany the exercise routine. It is important to consider that the intake of certain supplements is equal to or more important than attending the gym or performing physical exercises.

Among the nutritional supplements there are various types, each with its specific and particular characteristics. If a person decides to start taking them to enhance their workouts and their muscular capacity, they should consider that it is ideal to have the help and advice of sports specialists and nutritionists. In many cases, professionals advise against taking these types of substances, as they can harm the body in some aspects.

The purpose of sports supplements

In the market there are multiple sports supplements, and their number grows vertiginously. Solid foods, beverages, in concentrates, isolated or hydrolyzed. Each of them adapts to the athlete’s situation, presents a different amino acid profile and is digested more or less easily. Most people who take these types of dietary products seek to increase their sports performance.

Moreover, they appear in diverse forms, since they can be consumed as drinks, concentrates, solid or hydrolyzed foods. Each of these will present a profile of different amino acids depending on the situation of the athlete and the results he intends to achieve, which is usually to increase athletic performance and muscle mass.

It is estimated that at least 80% of people who regularly go to a gym have taken or take protein frequently to gain muscle mass. However, doctors warn of the health dangers that sports supplements can have without proper professional supervision, since these products often include fibrin, a doping substance that is very harmful to the body.

Most consumed sports supplements

Sports supplements have a protein base and are consumed, mainly, by those who seek to growth their muscle mass rapidly and efficiently. Some of the most required by these athletes are creatine, whey protein and BCAAs.

Creatine

Creatine monohydrate (the artificial and exogenous form of this substance) is widely used by bodybuilders and athletes who work especially with weights, especially because it is allowed and recommended by the International Olympic Committee, the National Association of Collegiate Athletics (NCAA) and for professional sports.

It is thought to be especially effective in improving athletic performance in sports such as rowing, high jump or even football, but also to increase the strength of the muscular system in both adults and older people.

Whey protein

This whey has high quality proteins, such as seroalbumin, betalactoglobulin or alphalactoalbumine, being the largest biological contribution of all proteins known to date, which makes it the perfect ally for post-training It can be ingested in three different ways: by concentrate, also as a protein isolate by eliminating fat or as a hydrolyzed protein, which makes its digestion much easier.

This protein helps transform fat into muscle and improve the immune system, providing better results than other proteins used by athletes, such as casein.

BCAAs

Branched chain amino acids are made of leucine, valine and isoleucine. They are straight related to the increase in muscle mass, even though certain studies carried out by experts have not been able to validate this fact clearly. This is because it only provides these three amino acids, the proteins being very complex structures formed by twenty combined, so it would not cover all the needs of the human body.

Health effects of sports supplements

All the sports supplements that we are going to ingest will be assimilated by the body and, therefore, will have physiological effects on the different processes carried out by our body.

Although the effects of sports supplements should always be positive, it is true that, taken lightly, in inappropriate doses and without the supervision of a professional who understands this matter, they may end up having a negative impact on renal health or liver of people who consume them, because they cause fluid retention and dehydration that will lead to kidney failure.

As we have been saying, these types of supplements used by athletes improve the physical abilities of those who consume them, especially in what refers to endurance and strength, in addition to increasing performance during physical activity.

They delay the onset of fatigue as they maintain blood glucose levels during training. On the other hand, they reduce fat levels, facilitating the creation and increase of muscle mass, as well as helping to prevent significant injuries related to muscle tissues.

In the other hand, there are also supplements that contain only proteins. Although they seem less harmful to health, it is important to consider that they can also produce negative effects on the body.

Just as they increase testosterone, they can also cause fluid retention, impotence, acne or baldness. In turn, those who suffer from kidney-related pathologies are at risk of potential renal failure if they consume a greater amount of protein. Since the body consumes more protein than it is used to, the kidneys and liver can overload and begin to manifest failures.

Therefore, specialists often advise that proteins and all other nutrients that the body needs to function properly come from natural foods. For this, there is also a wide range of possibilities,both in proteins and in other substances that the body needs.

However, this does not rule out the benefit that, in one way or another, sports supplements bring to the body’s performance. It is advisable to read and consult with experts before purchasing a sports supplement depending on the needs of the athlete.