This article originally ran in the June issue of Runner Triathlete News.
As a general rule, athletes take better care of themselves than most people. They eat better (remember I said, in "general"), smoke less, get more exercise, and hopefully understand the benefits of preventive medicine (proper screenings, annual checkups, etc.).
So the question becomes, do athletes need to take vitamins? The answer, if you follow the scientific literature, is absolutely. In fact, athletes need more vitamins and minerals than the average person. The reason is quite simple. Athletes lose more essential nutrients through sweat, and due to increased oxygen consumption they are also more likely to suffer from oxidative stress.
What is oxidative stress? When we exercise we obviously utilize more oxygen than when we are at rest. That additional oxygen helps deliver important fuel to the muscles and lungs, but it also produces dangerous free radicals. Free radicals are a by-product of the metabolism of oxygen. They are unstable oxygen molecules that go searching for an extra electron in order to help them become stable. Those Important information for anyone who works out 5 needed electrons can come from many sources including DNA, cell membranes, and LDL cholesterol. When that happens, bad things can result including heart disease, cancer, arthritis, Alzheimer's, and depressed immunity.
Do not take your immunity for granted. Ever wonder why so many runners and triathletes train for months leading up to a big race and then just days before the event they get sick? That is not a random occurrence. David Nieman, Dr.P.H., the director of the Human Performance Laboratory at Appalachian State University in North Carolina, conducted a study of more than 2,300 runners at a marathon in Los Angeles. He found that about 13 percent of the runners got sick either right before the race or in the weeks shortly thereafter. Only 3 percent of a control group who did not participate in the marathon became ill.
It seems your mileage also has something to do with your immunity, or lack thereof. Runners that trained more than 96 kilometers (about 60 miles) per week doubled their odds of getting sick compared to those who were training less than 32 kilometers (about 20 miles) per week.
Why? It might have something to do with oxidative stress and the production of free radicals. A study in Ulm, Germany, found that DNA damage (a result of oxidative stress) significantly increased following bouts of intense exercise. The researchers also found that much of that DNA damage could be countered by high doses (1,200 IU) of vitamin E.
That is when antioxidants come into play. They help counter oxidation. There are hundreds of antioxidants in the world, but the key vitamins can be remembered by the acronym "ACE" vitamins A (best when consumed as beta carotene), C, and E (best when taken in the natural form, d-alpha tocopherol, as opposed to the synthetic form, dl-alpha tocopherol). Be sure to note which form of vitamin E you are taking. To find out, you will probably need to read the fine print on the back of your vitamin bottle. The "d" form of alpha tocopherol is more expensive but it is three to five times better absorbed than the synthetic form (dl). An easy way to remember is that "d" stands for delivers, and "dl" stands for delivers less.
Remember, the Journal of the American Medical Association (June 19, 2002) is now recommending that all adults take a daily multivitamin. JAMA pointed out, "Our North American diet is sufficient to prevent overt vitamin deficiency diseases such as scurvy, pellagra, and beri-beri. However, insufficient vitamin intake is apparently a cause of chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease, cancer, and osteoporosis." It is clear, even if we eat as well as possible, we will not be able to get the level of most nutrients science shows we need. And elite athletes should be especially concerned with finding appropriate vitamin supplements to help them perform at their best.