The late and oh so great Tom Petty had a line in a song “You believe what you wanna believe!” This definitely rings true concerning supplements. That’s because the data surrounding supplementation isn’t entirely unequivocal. In fact, this section, perhaps more than any other, will require that we have an opended-minded discussion. Let’s look at a few things related to supplements and call them considerations more so than arguments. The topic challenges my beliefs and experiences and I imagine it does the same for you.
There is a prevalent conception that we need to supplement for two main reasons. One, even when eating the EBD, we can’t always be sure if the food we eat actually contains the micronutrients it’s supposed to. Air and water pollution, soil depletion, growing and shipping methods, and other issues have been identified as detracting from nutrient density in many foods, particularly fresh produce. Conventional thinking is to hedge your bets, and take a multivitamin for a little insurance. Nothing wrong with that. Two, it’s entirely possible that any one of us can have a deficiency in a certain or several key nutrients. This can be due to genetics, environment, lifestyle, and a whole host of factors. Sometimes, this deficiency can be identified and supplementation can be hugely beneficial. Historical examples like vitamin C and scurvy, vitamin D and rickets, etc. probably come to mind. There are many others.
Next up, we’ve probably all heard of some of the research that has shown that many supplements may not actually contain what’s on their label. This is getting less common as testing and purity standards have evolved, but it’s still a thing.
We should also give credence to the functional medicine and naturopathic approaches to healthcare and disease treatment. This includes not just vitamins and minerals but many herbs and natural remedies, some based on ancient traditions and others leaning on modern science.
Throughout my life, I have experimented with consistently using a variety of supplements, and I’ve also had periods in which I consumed none at all. I must admit that when I used a lot of supplements, I often saw very colorful urine. I can also state that most of the time when I was using no supplements I felt just fine, my performance was good, and my bloodwork was decent. I’m still chewing on those concepts (Boom!).
Going back to Mr. Petty’s suggestion, I think it’s very important that each of us make the informed decisions necessary to guide our potential supplement intake. That said, I’m going to mention a few categories that many clients emphasize with excellent results.
I’m not so keen on fish oil. The most recent data indicates that almost all of it is oxidized and rancid by the time you pop the pill. I’m aware of a few companies who use flash freezing, refrigerated shipping, etc. but this still may not absolutely guarantee a fresh, potent product. Some thought leaders also suggest that, if we are eating a healthy diet like the EBD, and avoiding omega-6 (seed) oils, our 3:6 ratios are good and we may not need to try to artificially drive up our omega-3 levels with fish oil supplementation.
Even though it’s technically a processed food, I believe protein powder is a useful supplement in the Lifetime Athlete’s diet. I recommend whey protein isolates, particularly without artificial sweeteners and other ingredients. Bodybuilders also like casein proteins (for those who have no known allergies) because it has a slow absorption rate and they have traditionally consumed it before bedtime. Protein powder is helpful, a few times per week to perhaps daily in some trainees, to fill in the gaps and ensure optimal protein intake.
Collagen and vitamin C have been shown to have positive effects on tendon healing in a number of very recent studies examining tendinopathy. There may be beneficial effects at the cartilage level as well. A collagen powder which contains both Type I and Type II collagen, is your best bet. The vitamin C acts as a catalyst in the synthesis of collagen. If you don’t care to mix a scoop of collagen powder in food or drink and pop a vitamin C capsule/tablet, drink some bone broth and eat an orange. The latter has become my preference.
Creatine is incredibly well researched. There are several variations but I usually steer folks toward creatine monohydrate. It is inexpensive, fairly tasteless, and easily mixed into hot or cold drinks, yogurt, etc. While there are several “loading” and maintenance protocols out there, 5 grams per day (a heaping teaspoon) is a great addition to the diet. Creatine helps to maximize your phosphocreatine stores so that your alactic, or phosphagen energy system (quick explosion) is fully stocked. Consequently it gives you that extra percentage point in all out effort. It’s also been shown to assist endurance athletes with power maintenance and recovery, and to have beneficial effects in the brain with respect to cognition and memory.
Salt, or sodium chloride, is certainly a food preservative and flavoring agent used in cooking and dining. It also can be a valuable, if not life-sustaining supplement in specific conditions. If an athlete is exercising hard and long, either in a big one-day competition, or chronically in summer training – in hot, humid conditions – he/she usually needs more sodium. This is typically accomplished by increasing salt intake in the diet. By weight, sodium chloride (NaCl) is about 60% chloride and 40% sodium. One teaspoon is 5 grams. That teaspoon contains about 2000 milligrams of sodium.
The U.S. Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) for sodium is 2300mg, or what is equivalent to one heaping teaspoon of salt per day, in all of one’s food. Problem is that data represents a minimum amount to keep a person functioning well, and that number is not based on healthy athletes training hard in hot, humid climates. The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) recommends as much as 5 times the RDA for summer athletes getting after it, so to speak. Sweat rates and sodium content vary in the population. Some people are heavy sweaters whose sweat is very salty. These people often end up with a white crust on their skin and clothing after a hot workout. They are the ones at highest risk of hyponatremia, or low blood sodium levels. This is an emergent, life-threatening situation and unfortunately people die every year during exercise and athletics due to this problem. It’s actually compounded by drinking copious amounts of plain water, which further dilutes the system. Don’t get me wrong, we need ample hydration, especially in summer, but that’s also the time a little extra sodium is worth considering. This is exactly why most sports drinks have sodium in them.
Extra sodium is also warranted for people on very low carb or ketogenic diets because such diets affect the hormonal-driven sodium retention mechanism in the kidneys, and they usually have higher sodium excretion levels.
Taking this salty (Ping!) conversation further, there is a (human) creature known as the sodium-sensitive hypertensive. Such an individual is usually placed on a low sodium diet because their blood pressure tends to be elevated when salt intake goes up. The best current thinking is that these folks actually might not have a genetic predisposition to salt sensitivity. They may actually be insulin-resistant, and metabolic dysregulation involving this master hormone may be the real culprit. Nonetheless, if you are on a low sodium diet and it’s working for you, just stick with it and/or consult with your HCP.
I mentioned that insulin is considered a master hormone, because it relates to metabolic health so strongly. The sodium we just discussed is often termed the master electrolyte, because it has cascading effects on retention of other minerals. In this case we are talking about potassium, magnesium, and calcium. These electrolytes facilitate normal neuromuscular function and an athlete depleted in these nutrients may perform poorly or have other issues. You’re getting reasonable amounts of potassium, magnesium, and calcium on the EBD, but it’s a great idea to look at electrolyte replenishment products when you're doing a high volume of training.
I have a feeling I may have disappointed you because I didn’t lay out a lengthy list of supplements, exact amounts, and recommended brands. There are many resources available with lists just like that. Not all of them are backed by the strongest of scientific evidence. Respectfully, believe what you wanna believe.