| On the question of should athletes take | | | | - Vitamin B5 (pantothenic acid) - recommended |
| supplements there is some research on male | | | | intake 10 mg per day |
| athletes, but there is virtually nothing related to | | | | - Vitamin B6 (pyridoxine) - recommended intake |
| recreational exercise or active older adults or | | | | 15 mg per day |
| women athletes. When athletes have vitamin and | | | | - Vitamin B12 (cobalamin) - recommended intake |
| mineral deficiencies their performance will be | | | | 6 mcg per day |
| compromised. For example deficiencies of | | | | - Biotin - recommended intake 500 mcg per day |
| vitamins B1, B2 B6 or C will reduce endurance | | | | - Folic acid - recommended intake 1 mg per day |
| performance. However, in addition to | | | | - Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) - recommended intake |
| compromising performance there can be an | | | | 3000 mg per day |
| adverse impact on general health. This article | | | | - Vitamin D - recommended intake 600 IU per |
| provides some guidelines on amount of vitamin | | | | day |
| and minerals that an athlete will need. | | | | - Vitamin E - recommended intake 1200 IU per |
| Beyond athletic performance what can vitamins | | | | day |
| and mineral do for athletes? | | | | - Vitamin K - recommended intake 125 mcg per |
| Vitamin and mineral supplements: | | | | day |
| · Boost immune function, speed recovery | | | | - Calcium - recommended intake 1000 mg per |
| from illness and injury and help to prevent disease | | | | day |
| and infection. | | | | - Chromium - recommended intake 300 mcg per |
| · Exercise generates additional stress on | | | | day |
| the body through the increased oxygen | | | | - Copper - recommended intake 3 mg per day |
| consumption, metabolism and mechanical | | | | - Iodine - recommended intake 150 mcg per day |
| processes, such as, joint compression and trauma. | | | | - Iron - recommended intake 30 mg per day |
| This state can be held in check by anti-oxidant | | | | - Magnesium - recommended intake 500 mg per |
| nutrients. | | | | day |
| · Exercise also has an impact on mineral | | | | - Manganese - recommended intake 5 mg per |
| status. For example: | | | | day |
| . Chromium deficiencies are possible in athletes | | | | - Phosphorous - recommended intake 1000 mg |
| who train strenuously. | | | | per day |
| . Iodine, iron, zinc, and other trace minerals are | | | | - Selenium - recommended intake 150 mcg per |
| lost during sweating. | | | | day |
| . Calcium intakes are typically low in athlete's diets | | | | - Zinc - recommended intake 25 mg per day |
| and calcium is needed for muscle contraction and | | | | This level of intake can generally be achieved by |
| nerve impulse transmission and supplementation | | | | eating a good diet and taking a multivitamin and |
| may be needed to achieve consistent calcium | | | | mineral supplement once or twice per day with |
| intakes. | | | | meals. Should any particular deficiency be present |
| An active adult who undertakes the | | | | this may need additional supplementation. |
| recommended 30 minutes of exercise per day will | | | | References |
| consume nutrients in the process of undertaking | | | | Burke, E.R 1999, What Olympic Athletes Eat |
| their activities. This however, probably doesn't | | | | [ |
| place an additional strain on the nutrients required | | | | Grandjean, A. C.1989, Macronutrient Intake of US |
| by the body, especially if you take vitamin and | | | | Athletes Compared to the General Population and |
| mineral supplements anyway. | | | | Recommendations for Male Athletes. Am. J. Clin. |
| Athletes' vitamin and mineral requirements | | | | Nutr., 49. |
| Hard training and competition places special | | | | Grandjean, A. C. & Ruud, J. S. 1994, Olympic |
| demands on an athlete's body. A sound diet will be | | | | Athletes, In Wolinsky, I. & Hickson, J. F. eds. |
| the foundation of providing the nutrients needed. | | | | Nutrition in Exercise and Sport. Boca Raton, Fl.: |
| The following are the suggested level of vitamin | | | | CRC Press. |
| and mineral intake: | | | | Kirsch, K. A. & von Ameln, H. 1981, Feeding |
| - Vitamin A (carotene) - recommended intake | | | | Patterns of Endurance Athletes. Eur. J. of Appl. |
| 5000 IU per day | | | | Phys. 47. |
| - Vitamin B1 (thiamine) - recommended intake 50 | | | | Saris, W. H. M., et al. 1989, Study on Food Intake |
| mg per day | | | | and Energy Expenditure During Extreme Sustained |
| - Vitamin B2 (riboflavin) - recommended intake 15 | | | | Exercise: The Tour de France. Int. J. Sports Med. |
| mg per day | | | | Somer, E. 2003, Nutrition for Women. Henry Holt |
| - Vitamin B3 (niacin) - recommended intake 25 mg | | | | and company. |
| per day | | | | |