Vitamins! Do Athletes Need More of Them?

Vitamins! Do Athletes Need More of Them?

Theoretically, with a well balanced diet all of our vitamin and mineral needs can be met from food. However, I believe that athletes may need additional calories in order to support their performance, and may need food sources of vitamins and minerals to support a healthy balance such as higher iron intake, such as B12 for proper tissue repair. Furthermore, “[b]oth active and sedentary men should consume approximately 55 to 65 percent of their calories from carbohydrates, which provide the body with energy. Between 15 and 30 percent of calories should come from fat, with most of these calories coming from healthy unsaturated fats. Approximately 10 to 15 percent of your calories should come from protein, with the lower amount being sufficient for most sedentary men. Athletes often require more protein. Endurance athletes can multiply their weight in kilograms by 1.2 and 1.4 to get a range for the number of grams of protein they should consume each day” ("The Difference in Diets Between Active Men and Sedentary Men" 2017).

Additionally, “[w]hile vitamin and mineral needs do not increase with activity levels, some are particularly important for athletes. Consuming them in excess amounts is not helpful, but take care to meet the RDA for these nutrients, which include iron, calcium, niacin, riboflavin, thiamine, biotin, pantothenic acid, vitamin B-6, vitamin B-12, vitamin C and vitamin D. Depending on how much you sweat while exercising, if you exercise for more than 90 minutes you may need to drink a beverage containing electrolytes, such as a sports drink or chocolate milk. This will help you replenish your sodium and potassium levels, as these electrolytes are lost when you sweat ("The Difference in Diets Between Active Men and Sedentary Men" 2017).

I found the Nature of Things by Dr. David Suzuki, documentary “The Curious Case of Vitamins and Me” to be super fascinating as per this topic as it is well researched. There is much to learn with regards to Nutrition supplementation and I found it very interesting to know that Vitamin C is the only vitamin taken by NASA astronauts as our bodies no longer produce vitamin C due to adaptation evolution processes. A very fascinating look into whether vitamin and mineral supplementation is necessary or not.

http://www.cbc.ca/natureofthings/episodes/the-curious-case-of-vitamins-and-me

Works Cited

Mackenzie, B. (n.d.). Nutrition. Retrieved July 03, 2017, from http://www.brianmac.co.uk/articles/article055.htm

(2017, March 09). Retrieved July 03, 2017, from http://www.cbc.ca/natureofthings/episodes/the-curious-case-of-vitamins-and-me

The Difference in Diets Between Active Men and Sedentary Men. (n.d.). Retrieved July 03, 2017, from http://healthyeating.sfgate.com/difference-diets-between-active-men-sedentary-men-2322.html

Questions To Ask Before Taking Vitamin and Mineral Supplements. (n.d.). Retrieved July 03, 2017, from https://www.nutrition.gov/dietary-supplements/questions-ask-taking-vitamin-and-mineral-supplements