For years, coffee and tea have gotten a bad rap. Health professionals have scolded those who choose to indulge in a morning cup of joe, stating that the caffeine was dehydrating and was linked to heart palpitations. However, with more research, the benefits of drinking coffee and tea have now come to light. Here is why drinking coffee or tea may actually be beneficial to the endurance or high-intensity athlete.
Benefits of Coffee
The amount of caffeine in a cup of coffee tends to be close to 60-70mg for coffee bought at a gas station or similar location and can be as high as 130mg for coffee bought at a high-end coffee shop. Aside from caffeine, coffee is full of health-promoting antioxidants. Antioxidants are also found in foods such as dark fruits and vegetables; they help the body "clean up" the muscle of free radicals after exercise. In addition, research has linked drinking coffee to a decreased risk of developing diseases such as Type 2 diabetes, Parkinson's, Alzheimer's and certain cancers as well as depression. The mechanism behind these protective effects has yet to be determined.
It's that time of year when the weather begins to warm and ruining your workout by being dehydrated is much more likely. Despite constant encouragement by sports professionals, many athletes find it difficult to hydrate during the day prior to or after a workout. Their reason is sometimes that plain water just isn't palatable. The truth is that many other fluid options hydrate...
1. Coffee or tea
In the past, coffee and tea were characterized as fluids that should be avoided by athletes at any cost due to caffeine levels. What we know now is that it actually takes a large volume of these (or any) caffeinated beverages before there is actually a dehydrating effect. So, keep that morning cup of joe, but try to limit yourself to a total of 4 cups or less of caffeinated beverages daily. Already way over that amount? Try half caff (you may not even notice) each time you drink coffee or tea. One caveat: realize that many energy drinks are much higher in caffeine than a basic cup of coffee or tea. Your caffeine intake should be no more than 500mg per day (at the most!) but ideally closer to 300mg. So check those energy drinks and adjust accordingly. Like chocolate-covered espresso beans? That caffeine counts too! And try to limit caffeine intake after ~3pm, as it can interfere with sleep.
2. Low-fat milk
This "milk" can be soy milk, lactose-free milk, organic milk....whatever you like. Just pick a low-fat, calcium-fortified version to cut back on unnecessary saturated fat and increase the nutrients you are receiving from that milk. If you only drink rice milk or almond milk, try switching to another type of milk if you consider this your protein source. Rice milk and almond milk have close to zero protein.
3. 100% fruit juice
Notice the percent: 100. So I'm not talking about Tang, Hi-C, or Fruit Punch. Check right above the food label and make sure it reads, "100% juice". Many juices appear to be 100%, but are actually fruit drinks. And stay away from the "low-calorie" juices, which are either watered down or pumped with artificial sweeteners. Because of these two facts, oftentimes you'll end up drinking more than you would have of the real stuff, which means taking in the same, if not more calories than the 100% juice. Regardless, limit juice intake to no more than 6-8 ounces daily.
4. Water + fruit
Here is a great way to give water some flavor without turning to artificial sweeteners. Try adding one or a combination of the following to your water: lemon, lime, oranges, grapefruit, cucumber, strawberries, pineapple, mint leaves, or basil leaves - or whatever else sounds good to you! This can be very refreshing - particularly on a hot, sunny day. Why am I not a fan of artificial sweeteners? Sweeteners are chemically processed in a way that makes them sweeter than real sugar. That means that, over time, you may start to prefer foods sweeter and sweeter (which may be why some athletes don't like plain water in the first place). So, if you want to drink something flavored with one of these sweeteners, stick to one drink/can per day max (this includes drinks such as diet soda, Crystal Lite, etc.).
5. Sparkling water
If you're looking for a better alternative to diet soda, this is it. Sparkling water that comes in a can (such as Lacroix) is easy to take along with you, but contains more flavor than plain water. The key is to make sure no artificial sweeteners are added. Check the food label and look for simple ingredients. These often include carbonated water, sparkling water, natural flavor, mint, or even essence of cocoa. Flavors such as lime, lemon, orange, or grapefruit are typically more likely to NOT contain artificial sweeteners. But beware: you may not want to drink anything carbonated right before a workout, as it can cause GI discomfort.
So choose your fluids wisely, and you may find that hydrating is much easier than you thought.
Be Extraordinary,
RDKate
Welcome to Part 3 of the Supplement Series. Last week I discussed how to evaluate whether or not to use an ergogenic aid. This week, I'm going to present 5 ergogenic aids that I see commonly used across different sports. Remember, I evaluate these based on safety (are they harmful), effectiveness (do they do what they claim), and legality (does your level of sport allow them). I won't talk much about legality today because of the range of athletes who read this blog, but know that you need to check with your staff if you are taking ANY supplements. I will repeat what I mentioned in last week's blog: if you are under the age of 18, you should not be taking any of these supplements. There is not enough evidence to support use in athletes this young or is there enough research on long-term effects on growth and development when supplements of this nature are used.
Lets get started!
1. Creatine
While this supplement has been around for quite some time, it is still the most common supplement I see male athletes taking. The claim is that creatine improves high power performance lasting less than 30 seconds and increases lean body mass (i.e. muscle). Studies have shown that this is in fact true when taken in the correct form, the correct dosage, paired with the right macronutrients, and ingested at the right time with respect to time of resistance training (that's a lot of variables!). While no studies have addressed long-term health effects of creatine, it has been shown that supplementation lasting 1 to 4 years typically does not result in adverse health effects (though there are a few caveats to this if you have certain medical conditions). Short-term creatine supplementation (5-7 days) has been shown to increase max power/strength by 5-15%, single effort sprint performance by 1-5% and repetitive sprint performance by 5-15%. With long-term supplementation (~30 days), studies have shown increases in fat free mass and muscular strength. But, as mentioned above, this is only when the supplement is taken correctly- which is where most athletes fail. In addition, creatine is only effective with anaerobic training (weight lifting, sprints, etc.) vs. endurance training (running, cycling, etc.).
2. Caffeine
Caffeine has gotten lots of press over the last few years as a performance enhancer. However, like creatine, it is not beneficial for all athletes. Caffeine stimulates the central nervous system (CNS), but provides NO actual energy in the form of calories. Caffeine taken before or during endurance exercise increases performance because of the CNS stimulation, but also because it enhances the release free fatty acids from adipose tissue during exercise. In studies that used a time-trial test, there was on average a 3-4% improvement in performance when taking caffeine vs. not. Its effect in anaerobic exercise is less clear at this point. To have the greatest ergogenic effect, it is best for athletes to abstain from caffeine intake for 7 days prior to competition. Also, the ideal dosage is based on weight; taking too much caffeine (often in the form of caffeine pills) can lead to adverse side effects such as GI distress, dehydration and headaches.
3. Whey Protein
This is one of those ergogenic aids that is a good idea in theory, but can get out of hand very quickly when used inappropriately. The claim is that whey protein increases lean body mass and strength and enhances immunity. It is said to do this because it has a high biological value and rapid digestion rate; it also elevates glutathione levels, reducing oxidative stress. Whey protein is actually 20% of milk protein (i.e. you eat it in milk products). When taken in the right dosage at the right time, whey does in fact lead to gains in lean mass, decreases in fat mass, and improvements in strength. However, claims of enhanced immunity remain speculative; the research has not exclusively shown this to be true. But be careful: more is not necessarily better. Athletes can easily take "whey" too much whey protein powder, resulting in huge intakes of protein calories, leading to gains in fat mass instead of muscle.
4. Arginine
The claim is that arginine increases lean body mass and improves muscle strength because it promotes vasodilation by increasing nitric oxide production. This vasodilation supposedly increases blood flow, oxygen transport, and delivery of nutrients to the muscle. The research is inconclusive; there is no proof that arginine influences nitric oxide levels in muscles. In addition, a few studies reported adverse side effects, including GI distress. More research is needed before arginine's effectiveness as an ergogenic aid can be determined.
5. Beta-Alanine
The claim is that beta-alanine increases aerobic and anaerobic performance because it is a non-essential amino acid which buffers lactic acid build-up, thereby increasing performance. Studies of long-term supplementation (at least 4 weeks) in untrained young women and men showed improved submax cycle performance and improved time to exhaustion during max cycle performance in women and an increased total work and exercise capacity in the men. However, beta-alanine has some pretty uncomfortable adverse reactions, including dose-dependent flushing and paresthesias, which can spread to most of the body. Beta-alanine seems to beneficial mainly in high-intensity exercise, strength training, and weight lifting, where more lactic acid build-up will be present. It seems safe when used short term, but there is insufficient evidence with respect to rate effectiveness.
You will have noticed that in order for these supplements to be effective, they must be taken in the right dose, with the right food, at the right time. If you are taking these or any other supplement, meet with a registered dietitian who is a board-certified specialist in sports dietetics (CSSD) who can evaluate if those supplements are safe, effective, and legal for your level and type of sport performance!
Be Extraordinary,
RDKate
Last week I listed a variety of commercial sport food supplements that athletes often use to provide fluid, energy, and electrolytes. Using these types of products correctly leads to relatively little risk with respect to safety and legality for the athlete. However, another category of supplements poses huge issues: ergogenic aids. Ergogenic aids are defined as any external influence created to enhance sport performance. So, while this can mean anything from an oral product to those spiffy new running shoes, today I'm going to focus on the powders and pills that so many athletes know and experiment with. So, going forward, any time I use the word "supplement" in this post, I'll be referring to ergogenic aids in the form of powders, pills, capsules, or tablets (also known as dietary supplements).
The Nutrition Business Journal estimated that sales of all nutritional supplements (including vitamins and minerals) in the United States in 2010 was somewhere around $28.7 billion. Supplements sales have steadily increased 6-7% per year since 2009, which is higher than the 5% growth the industry saw yearly from 2000-2009. Sales were highly driven by dietary supplements such as vitamin D, probiotics, fish oil, and CoQ10.
With the multitude of products on the market today, how do you know if what you're taking is safe (won't affect your short- and long-term health), effective (actual does what it claims to do), and legal (doesn't contain banned substances for your sport)? Before I go any further, let me be clear on one point: If you are under the age of 18, you should not be taking ANY ergogenic aids. The long-term effects of most supplements on growing athletes has either not been studied or is unfavorable. So, until you are 18, don't even think about it!
Under the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994 (DSHEA), "the
dietary supplement or dietary ingredient manufacturer is responsible for
ensuring that a dietary supplement or ingredient is safe before it is marketed.
The FDA is responsible for taking action against any unsafe dietary supplement
product after it reaches the market" [www.fda.gov]. Did you read that correctly? The manufacturers of dietary supplements can essentially put anything they want on the market without prior approval or testing. The FDA will only monitor that supplement if people complain/file grievances. Does that sound backwards to anyone else? The FDA also states that manufacturers have to provide a truthful label, with all ingredients listed on that label. However, we know from countless studies that this often is not the case, leading to many positive drug tests in athletes who thought they were taking one thing, but actually were ingesting something quite different. In addition, claims can be made on the label based on the manufacturer's interpretation of the scientific literature, but these are often misleading. For example, a claim made on the label could be based on studies done on mice taking doses too high for human consumption.
While some companies do follow good manufacturing practices (GMPs), too many others do not. In a study conducted by the International Olympic Committee, of 634 supplements tested from 13 different countries, 94 supplements (14.8%) contained prohibited substances. Another 10% showed possible presence of steroids. That means that 1 out of every 4 supplements contained prohibited substances. Products that tested positive were from all over the world.
As an athlete, it is your job to know what you can and cannot take. Sports governing bodies (i.e. the NCAA, IOC, etc.) publish lists of banned substances every year. That means if you test positive for those, you are done competing. Note that they don't list specific supplements that contain the banned supplements, which is why working with a sports dietitian is so important. Saying "I didn't know" is not a good defense. Note also that just because a product is "Natural" does not equate to safe.
Safety and legality aside, also realize that supplement companies do not have to prove a supplement's effectiveness or potency before placing it on the market. That means you could be ingesting mainly flour with a little caffeine for effect (a common ingredient included in pills so athletes feel like the supplement is "doing something").
How do you evaluate the safety & effectiveness of supplements?
Meet with a registered sports dietitian, who is qualified to assess your supplements. You can also check out the National Institute of Health Office of Dietary Supplements website to do your own research.
How do you assure the quality of your supplements?
Look for NSF-certified products. NSF International (www.nsf.org) are products that are certified to be clean. Go here and you can actually search by supplement name to determine if it is NSF-certified. You can also check consumerlab.com as well as www.cfsan.fda.gov . However, realize that even when using certified products, you are still risking a positive drug test. Any product can be contaminated since there is nothing in place to prevent this.
If you choose to take a supplement, make sure you do not take more than the recommended dose (sometimes even this dose is unnecessarily high). If you are in college, semi-pro, or pro sports, inform your team sports dietitian, sports doc, or athletic trainer about what you are taking. If you are feel you are having a reaction to the supplement such as headache, upset stomach, dehydration, etc., stop taking the product immediately!
Come back next week for Supplement Series Part 3. I'll discuss the 5 most common ergogenic aids and evaluate their effectiveness with respect to athletic performance.
Be Extraordinary,
RDKate
