Sport

Sports is regarded as the best physical activity all over the world. It has been known as early as 4000 BC and has been developed widely. Today, there are a lot of sports activities arising that enhances ones competence, commitment, and physical capabilities. Coaches train the athletes to bring them into a standard aptitude and make them physically fit for their sport. Their training entails commitment, hardship, and discipline not only for the physiological and psychological aspects, but also for the nutritional aspect. Athletes work out and do exercises to physically train their bodies, engage in proper diet, and to maintain body nourishment such as taking in food supplements. Physical training helps athletes maintain the strength that they need to perform well at the sporting events they participate in. Having a balanced diet also helps in sustaining the athletes good body movement and to enhance their metabolism.

Athletes seem to feel intuitively that they need higher levels of protein than the average sedentary person. This intuitive feeling is backed up by their claims of the ergogenic effects of high protein diets. Perhaps, supplements that have no intrinsic effects may work for a while through the placebo effect, but eventually, they fall by the wayside and are abandoned by the majority. High protein diets are used because they work as well as a major energy source for the body. Whether athletes need to supplement their diet with extra protein depends on their goals (Wolinsky  Driskell, 2008).

Athletes use a wide range of nutritional supplements in their quest for improved performance. Even a cursory inspection of sports shops and magazines reveals the scale and diversity of supplement use. Sales figures for exotic supplements such as ginseng, inosine, colostrums, bee pollen, royal jelly, and pangamic acid, together with a wide range of vitamins and minerals (including boron, vanadium, zinc, magnesium and manganese), demonstrate that many athletes remain convinced of their effectiveness. However, the balance of the available information suggests that there is no benefit from these substances for healthy individuals consuming a normal diet. Some supplements are said to be potentially harmful in large doses, and their use should be actively discouraged (Maughan  Burke, 2002). Athletes often look for alternative nutritional supplements or substances to improve performance. Some of these substances are naturally occurring and completely legal while others are manufactured, illegal, or banned by many sporting organizations (Maughan  Burke, 2002).

The power of the placebo effect is well recognized, and athletes seem to be particularly susceptible to it. Athletes are forever searching for nutritional supplements that will give them a significant advantage over their competitors. All essential dietary components, including protein, essential fatty acids, vitamins, and minerals, might be considered to fall under the category of ergogenic acids since they indirectly assist performance by maintaining normal health and physiological function. However, supplementation above the level required for maintenance of health is not likely to improve exercise performance. While research supports direct benefits from compounds such as creatine, bicarbonate, and caffeine, the majority of the compounds and products targeted to athletes have not been shown to provide performance enhancements (Maughan  Burke, 2002).

Sports foods that address real nutritional needs of athletes can provide a valuable though often more expensive way for them to meet their sports nutrition goals. The most obvious examples of valuable sports foods are liquid meal supplements and sports drinks (Maughan  Burke, 2002). Aside from intense muscular activity that increases protein catabolism (breakdown) and protein use as an energy source, there should be less protein available. The less muscle athletes are going to build, a high protein diet is needed to protect the protein that will be turned into muscle by, among other things, providing another energy source for use during exercise (Wolinsky  Driskell, 2008).  The use of all sports foods and supplements needs to be balanced against expense, the risk of side effects from some ingredients, and the possibility of an inadvertent doping outcome (Maughan  Burke, 2002).

Hence, this study will determine if legal supplementation increases the overall performance of trained athletes. It will also present the usual results of professional studies regarding the beneficial effects of legal supplementation on the performance of well trained athletes so as to provide medically based information on the effects of supplements on the health status of athletes. Determining the probable cause and effect of supplementation on trained athletes may provide baseline information to young and professional athletes as well as to sport analysts and trainers about the importance of supplements. The study will be limited in some conditions due to professionalism and availability of resources. The materials and methods used in determining the effect of legal supplementation in athletes will be based on professional studies and the like.

If legal supplementation can increase athletes performance, then taking in supplements should be advised for all the athletes to help their body maintain fit.

Literature Review

Athletes often look for alternative nutrition to perform at their best (Quinn, 2008). Most athletes need the economy of maximizing lean body mass and minimizing body fat Athletes cannot afford to eat the amount of food necessary for them to have enough protein in their body since they are much focusing on the competition and recreational activities (Wolinsky  Driskell, 2008). Due to this, they have to take only moderate or low caloric diet (Wolinsky  Driskell, 2008). To be able them to increase the amount of protein, they have to plan their diets carefully and basically use protein supplements for them to afford the necessary protein for their body (Wolinsky  Driskell, 2008). On the average, for anyone involved in competitive or intense recreational sports who wants to maximize lean body mass but does not wish to gain weight or have excessive muscle hypertrophy, it is recommended that he or she should take a minimum of 1 gram of high-quality protein per pound of body weight (2.2 grams per kg) every day. This would apply to athletes who wish to stay within a certain competitive weight class or those involved in endurance events. However, athletes involved in strength events, such as Olympic field and sprint events, those in football or hockey, and those who are weightlifters, power lifters, and bodybuilders, may need even more than the recommendation to maximize body composition. For example, in sports with weight classes and in bodybuilding, it is possible that protein may well make up 50 of their daily caloric intake (Wolinsky  Driskell, 2008).

A supplement is something added to the diet, typically to make up for a nutritional deficiency. Ideally, it should be used as a substitute for eating well. Products classified as dietary supplements are not required to meet any Food and Drug Administration (FDA) standards. There are no regulations that guarantee the safety or purity of something sold as a supplement (Quinn, 2008). Because supplements are something added to the diet to make up for a nutritional deficiency, before going out and buying the latest magic pill in a bottle, an athlete would be wise to evaluate his or her diet. Everything an athlete requires for energy and high performance can be acquired through a proper, balanced diet (Quinn, 2008). One of the substances that comprise a supplement is the erogenic aid, which is said to consist of substances, drugs, procedures, and even devices that are intended to improve athletic performance. Some of these substances are naturally occurring, easily available and completely legal while others are manufactured, illegal, or banned by many sporting organizations. Many athletes, coaches, politicians and fans feel the use of certain substances is unethical in sports (Quinn, 2008).

Determining which substances are regulated, however, is an area of constant debate. Many substances classified as supplements are widely marketed as health aids yet have limited research on their safety or effectiveness. Being classified as a supplement means the contents of the product and the claims on the label have not been evaluated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and may not have any scientific basis. In general, ergogenic acids are called performance enhancing substances (Quinn, 2008).

According to the study of Padilla in 1997, supplementation of creatine has become the common practice among competitive athletes who participate in different sports. It was stated that supplementary creatine mechanism could have potential ergogenic effects that could increase muscle creatine and phosphocreatine concentration, leading to a higher rate of ATP resynthesis, a delay in the onset of muscular fatigue, and a facilitated recovery during repeated bouts of high-intensity exercise. A critical literature review reveals that the enorgenic effects have been generally shown in subjects performing several exercise under regular conditions. The limited body of scientific data available concerning highly trained athletes performing single competition-like exercise tasks indicates that this type of population does not benefit from creatine supplementation (Padilla, 1997).

However, in the study of Colombani et al. (2004), they investigated the effects of acute L-carnitine supplementation on metabolism and performance of endurance-trained athletes during and after a marathon run. Seven male subjects were given supplements of 2 g L-carnitine 2 h before the start of a marathon run and again after 20 km of the run.  Concentration of plasma metabolites and hormones were then measured and analyzed before the run, immediately after the run, and one hour after the run. The results showed that the administration of L-carnitine was associated with a significant increase in the plasma concentration of all analyzed carnitine fraction. However, acute administration of L-carnitine did not affect the metabolism or improve the physical performance of the endurance-trained athletes during the run and did not alter their recovery.

On the other hand, Oral creatine supplementation is widely used in sportsmen and women. Side effects have been postulated, but no thorough investigations have been conducted to support these assertions. It is important to know whether long-term oral creatine supplementation has any detrimental effects on kidney function in healthy population. Creatinine, urea, and plasma albumin clearances have been determined in oral creatine consumers (10 months to 5 years) and in a control group. The research showed no statistical differences between the control group and the creatine consumer group for plasma contents and urine excretion rates for creatinine, urea, and albumin. The glomerular filtration rate, tubular reabsorption, and glomerular membrane permeability were normal in both groups (Poortman  Francaux, 1999).

In the study of Crowe, OConnor, and Lukins in 2003, they investigated the effects of six-week oral supplementation of beta-hydroxy-beta-methylbutyrate (HMB) and HMB combined with creatine monohydrate (HMBCr) on indices of health in highly trained athletes. Testing prior to, and immediately following, supplementation included a full blood count, plasma testosterone and cortisol, blood electrolytes, lipids, urea and glucose, sperm count and motility, and assessment of psychological state. The results revealed that there are no adverse effects on the parameters evaluated in this study taken orally by highly trained male athletes over a period of six weeks (Crowe et al., 2003).

The effect of dietary supplements on the promotion of muscle growth has also been reviewed. Nutritional strategies of overfeeding, ingesting carbohydrate or protein before and after exercise, and dietary supplementation of various nutrients have been purported to promote gains in fat-free mass during resistance training. Creatine and calcium -HMB supplementation during resistance training has been reported to increase fat-free mass in athletic and nonathletic populations. Prasterone supplementation has been reported to increase testosterone and fat-free mass in non-trained populations. However, the results are equivocal studies have yet to be conducted on athletes and prasterone is considered a banned substance by some athletic organizations. The report showed the rationale and effectiveness of nutritional strategies in promoting lean tissue accretion during resistance training (Kreider, 1999).

In the study of Clarkson (1991), she examined whether mineral supplements are necessary for athletes, and whether these supplements will enhance performance. Macronutrients and trace minerals as well as the importance of calcium supplements in bone health of the athletes were described. Also, other vitamins and minerals were tested for importance and on how athletes lack most of these needed minerals. According to Clarkson (1991), because of the low intake of chromium for the general population, there is a possibility that athletes may be deficient. Therefore, the study concluded that mineral supplementation may be important to ensure good health (Clarkson, 1991).

Another study showed a positive effect of supplementation for athletes. Vitamin status were measured in athletes including supplementation by assessing vitamins B1, B2, B6, C, A, and E status with a combined determination of dietary intake with biochemical indices in fifty five male young athletes. The study included twenty matched sedentary controls. The results showed that supplementation administered for one month improved the vitamin status of the controls as well as the athletes (Guilland et al., 1989).

The principal argument for vitamin supplementation is the assumed increased vitamin requirement of athletes. Theoretically, an increased requirement can be caused by decreased absorption by the gastrointestinal tract, increased excretion in sweat, urine, and feces, increased turnover, as well as biochemical adaptation to training. Of course, a marginal low vitamin status can simply be the consequence of a long-term inadequate intake. However, considering the RDAs, there are no indications that long-term vitamin intake among athletes is insufficient. Neither are there indications that vitamin excretion or turnover is increased in athletes. However, a marginal vitamin status, induced by inadequate vitamin intake in athletes with an adequate vitamin status, has no effect on physical working capacity. Possibly, exceptions have to be made for the use of vitamin E at high altitudes and for the use of vitamin C and multiple B-vitamin supplements (van de Beek, 1991).

Methods

A double-blinded experiment will be done with 24 trained male athletes as the subjects for the study. The subjects will then be divided into two groups Group A (12 male athletes) will receive daily supplementation of 18,000 mg of a popular nitrous oxide proprietary blend, 545 mcg of three kinds of B vitamins, 5,000 mg of L-arginine, 4,000 mg of L-Glutamine, and 20g Creatine for about 1 to 16 weeks. Group B (remaining 12 male athletes) will serve as controls. A record of maximum repetition of weight core lifts (e.g. squat, bench press, dead lift) will be observed and tracked as a test for plyometric abilities. The research will also include the observation of isometric exercises between the two groups to test whether there is an increase in muscle endurance. Sustained aerobic activities will also be observed to test the cardiovascular performance of the subjects. These factors will help to complete the overall assessment if there will be an increase on athletic performance or it will still remain the same even after having legal supplementation.

Summary and Conclusion

Supplements are said to contain ergogenic aids, defined as a performance enhancing substance. These substances are said to influence the performance capacity of athletes by directly enhancing the physiological capacity of the body. These nutritional aids help increase the recovery of speed in training as well as in the competition. These substances are necessary in re-establishing the normal function of the body system. The effects of legal supplementation in trained athletes have been measured to show if it aids in increasing their overall performance.

The subjects will be divided into two groups. The first group will be observed by having them supplemented with different amounts of minerals and vitamins. The other group will not be taking in any supplements and will serve as controls. Both groups will be assessed based on the trainings they will undergo, such as weight core lifts as well as aerobic and isometric exercises. Their activities will be tracked and recorded to assess if there will be an increase in the performance, or if it will remain the same after having the supplementation.
According to the results of most researches, supplements such as vitamins did not increase the physical working capacity of the athletes however, it is important for them to have this supplementation in order to maintain their physiological needs and capacity. Since most of the trained athletes are maintaining proper diet, it is possible that they may consume incomplete nutrition to have the energy they need so as to have a better performance. However, some studies suggest that supplementation may also influence the psychological aspect of the trained athletes and motivate them to exert more effort in their performance.

Based on the researches, it can be suggested for this research that legal supplementation may have the capacity to increase the overall capacity of the athletes, although evidences are not enough to make a solid conclusion. However, supplements help in maintaining if not increasing the energy source of trained athletes to have a better overall performance on their performance. This nutritional maintenance aids in sustaining the body systems needs to gain an extra support and energy source for the athletes.