Nutritional Supplements for Sports Performance

Pyruvate (Dihydroxyacetone Pyruvate, DHAP)
Pyruvate supplements have become popular with bodybuilders because it is believed that pyruvate can reduce body fat and enhance energy. This is because pyruvate supplies the body with pyruvic acid, which is a natural compound involved in energy metabolism. Preliminary research suggests that pyruvate can help with weight loss and improve the capacity for endurance exercise.

Pyruvate is not an essential nutrient, which means that your body can make all that it needs without supplementation. It is found only in small amounts in food, with apples being the best source. A typical dosage of pyruvate is 30 g per day.

Pyruvate occasionally causes stomach upset and diarrhea. Safe therapeutic dosages in children, women who are pregnant or nursing, and people with liver or kidney disease have not been established.

Suma
Suma (Pfaffia paniculata) is a herb that is sometimes called “Brazilian Ginseng”. It is a vine that is native to central and south America. Russian Olympic athletes have used suma to enhance sports performance.

Suma is also used as for stress, as a general body tonic, and to fight infection. It has been recommended for chronic fatigue syndrome, menopause, ulcers, impotence, and anxiety. A typical dosage of suma is 500 mg twice a day. Although suma has not been associated with serious side effects, more safety studies are required. The safety of suma in children, pregnant or nursing women, and people with liver or kidney disease has not been established.

Vitamin C
Very intense exercise, such as training for or running a marathon, can temporarily suppress immune function by slightly impairing the production of white blood cells that fight infection. It may be that the body reduces its inflammation-fighting immune cells a bit to give the exercise injuries a chance to heal by themselves. Researcher David Nieman of Appalachian State University in Boone, N.C., found that 50% to 70% of athletes report symptoms in the second week after a marathon.

Taking vitamin C prior to intense exercise may help to prevent colds, although not all studies agree. One double-blind, placebo controlled study of 92 runners found that taking 600 mg of vitamin C for 21 days prior to a race made a significant difference, Two weeks after the race, 68% of runners taking placebo developed cold symptoms, whereas only 33% of the runners taking vitamin C.

The dosage of vitamin C used in the studies ranges from 600 to 2,000 mg per day. For adults, the recommended tolerable upper intake level is 2,000 mg per day. However, people with a history of kidney stones, children, glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency, iron overload, pregnant or nursing women, people with kidney or liver disease, or a history of iron overload should have an intake less than this.

Hormone Supplements
This group of hormones is believed to increase testosterone. They should only be used if they are prescribed by a qualified health professional, as the long term effects of these hormone supplements are not known.

Androstenedione
Androstenedione is a hormone that is produced naturally by the adrenal glands, ovaries, and testes. Androstenedione is converted from DHEA. It goes on to become the hormones testosterone and estrogen.

People use androstenedione to build muscle and increase strength because it is believed to increase testosterone levels. However, being a hormone, they affect the body’s hormonal balance, which can cause unpredictable side effects. In addition, one study found that androstenedione increases estrogen levels.

The long-term effects of using androstenedione are not known.

DHEA
Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) is a hormone that is made naturally by the adrenal glands. It is used to make the sex hormones testosterone and estrogen.

People use DHEA for osteoporosis prevention, failure of the adrenal glands, and for the autoimmune disease lupus. It may also improve sexual function in men and women and help with depression. Athlete’s use DHEA because they believe that like phosphatidylserine, DHEA will suppress cortisol. Cortisol is the hormone that naturally increases with heavy exercise and causes muscle breakdown.

The body makes its own DHEA. DHEA production in the body peaks early in life and then begins to decline in adulthood. By the age of 60, we are producing as little as 5% of the DHEA we produced when we were 20.

The DHEA supplements you buy in the store are not natural. They are manufactured synthetically from soybeans.

Although DHEA appears to be safe when taken short-term in therapeutic doses, the long term effects are not known. There is some concern that DHEA may decrease the levels of HDL (the “good” cholesterol), and cause acne and male pattern hair growth in women. Although more research studies are needed, the possiblility that DHEA may increase the risk of breast cancer exists.