There has been a lot of controversy lately around the use of vitamins by athletes. Develop common misconceptions about taking vitamins. You will find the whole truth here. The benefits of the use of multivitamins have been proven many times. These substances have a variety of effects on the body and their importance can hardly be overestimated. However, there are still people who doubt the advisability of taking vitamin complexes. Today we will try to dispel all these doubts, and thus, the topic of this article will be - vitamins in bodybuilding: misconceptions.
Natural and synthetic vitamins
Some people, including some health workers, believe that vitamins obtained artificially and contained in complexes of multivitamins and food products do not correspond to natural ones, are less absorbed and are not so effective. This is a big misconception, since all synthesized vitamins have the same properties as natural ones. This is true both with regard to their biological activity and chemical structure.
All vitamins that are currently produced by pharmaceutical companies are obtained only from natural ingredients. For example, vitamin B2 is synthesized by microorganisms that do so in nature. For the production of vitamin P, chokeberry, citrus peel, etc. are used.
Currently, in the production of vitamins, the latest technological advances are used, which makes it possible to obtain not only a product of high purity, but also to preserve all the properties of natural vitamins. For example, synthetic vitamin C is more effective than natural vitamin C found in winter vegetables.
Probably few people know that when making rosehip syrup, vitamin C is completely destroyed during cooking. At the final stage of the production of syrup, ascorbic acid, which is obtained synthetically, is specially added to it. It should also be noted that most artificial vitamins are produced in a coenzyme state. Simply put, they undergo the same activation as in the human body.
As an example, we can cite the rather popular Alvitil complex. It contains vitamin PP, but not in the form of niacin, which often causes allergic reactions, but in the form of niacinamide. In this type, cases of allergies are recorded 100 times less often.
Are multivitamins necessary for a varied nutritional program?
It is still believed that if the diet is varied, then the body fully satisfies the need for minerals and vitamins. However, it should be noted that this is not true. The body's need for various substances has been formed throughout evolution. During this time, the body has fully adapted to the number of active substances that it received with food. This need corresponds to the energy consumption that our ancestors had.
For example, the daily intake of B1 is 1.4 milligrams, which corresponds to the eaten from 700 to 800 milligrams of bread and a kilogram of meat. The ration of soldiers in pre-revolutionary Russia was 1.3 kilograms of bread and 430 grams of meat every day. Now no one uses such a diet. Over the past couple of decades, human energy consumption has decreased by about half. From this it follows that it is necessary to reduce the consumption of food by the same amount. Otherwise, obesity, hypertension, etc. will actively develop.
Today, even a properly designed nutritional program has a vitamin deficiency of about 30%. The decrease in dietary diversity should also be noted. People no longer notice that almost every meal comes down to eating a standard set of foods. More and more we consume high-calorie food, but very scarce in minerals and vitamins. It is almost impossible to make up for the deficiency of vitamins, even by consuming a large amount of vegetables and fruits, because in each of the products, the content of vitamins depends on various factors:
- In boiled milk, the amount of vitamins is significantly lower.
- Greenhouse vegetables contain less nutrients than those grown outdoors.
- If food is stored in the refrigerator for more than three days, about 30% of vitamin C will be lost.
- A significant amount of vitamins is destroyed during heat treatment of the product.
- There are fewer vitamins in vegetables without a peel.
- The amount of nutrients in fruits and vegetables directly depends on the season.
To fully satisfy the body's need for vitamins, it is necessary to additionally use specially formulated complexes. Some vitamins interact with each other, which can disrupt the life cycle. The complexes are designed in such a way that all substances are maximally absorbed by the body.
How to determine the level of vitamins in the body?
Most often, the lack of vitamins manifests itself in the spring. Thanks to the latest research on this problem, it has been found that vitamin deficiency can take several forms. The worst situation in our time is with vitamin C. In almost every person, vitamin C is present in insufficient quantities. Also, the situation is unfavorable with vitamins B6, folic acid, carotene, etc.
The body of most people does not receive the required amount and trace elements. However, you should be careful when taking mineral complexes. When they are in excess in the body, they can become toxic. It should also be remembered that some trace elements cannot be simultaneously absorbed with certain vitamins.
All of the above is true not only for ordinary people, but also for athletes, and to an even greater extent. Constant intense training requires more energy and nutrients. Thus, today we briefly talked on the topic - vitamins in bodybuilding: misconceptions. It is important to know that vitamin complexes are necessary, no matter how varied the nutrition program may seem.
You can learn more about the role of vitamins in bodybuilding in this video:
