Health Tip Do Endurance Athletes Need Vitamin Supplements?

By Todd Whitthorne

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 arises, 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 because of increased oxygen consumption they are also more likely to suffer from oxidative stress.

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 byproduct of the metabolism of oxygen, an unstable oxygen molecule that goes searching for an extra electron in order to help it stabilize. The extra electrons can come from many sources including DNA, cell membranes, and LDL (the "lousy" cholesterol). When this happens, bad things can result including heart disease (our #1 killer), cancer (our #2 killer), arthritis, Alzheimer's, and depressed immunity.

Don't take your immunity for granted. Do you ever wonder why so many runners, cyclists, and triathletes train for months leading up to a big race and then just days before the event they get sick? That's not a random occurrence. Dr. David Neiman, director of the Human Performance Laboratory at Appalachian State 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 of runners who didn't participate in the marathon became ill.

It seems your mileage also has something to do with your immunity, or lack thereof. Runners who 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) was 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's where the whole concept of antioxidants comes into play. They help counter oxidation. There are hundreds of antioxidants in the world; many that have yet to be discovered. I remember the main ones using 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).

What form of vitamin E are you taking? To find out, you'll probably have to read the fine print on the back of your vitamin bottle. The "d" form of alpha tocopherol is more expensive but 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.

Another important nutrient most everyone, athletes included, could use more of is the omega 3 fatty acids, in particular EPA and DHA. These "essential" fats, which are found in fish or in fish oil supplements, are critical for cardiovascular and brain health. Omega-3 fatty acids are also extremely beneficial for the eyes and immune system, and have also been shown to reduce pain. There are now more than 14,000 published scientific studies showing the benefits of EPA and DHA. The biggest problem is that the average American only consumes fish once every 11 days. Our recommended daily dose of EPA/DHA is between 1,000-2,000 mg.

Keep in mind that's not 1,000-2,000 mg of "fish oil" but 1,000-2,000 mg of EPA and DHA. Most over-the-counter fish oil supplements offer only a 30 percent concentration of EPA/DHA. The higher-quality fish oil supplements offer between a 50 percent and 60 percent concentration. When you look at the Supplement Facts panel on a bottle of fish oil, add up the amounts shown of EPA and DHA to determine how many softgels are needed in order to reach the 1,000-2,000 mg level.

Todd Whitthorne is the president and CEO of Cooper Concepts, Inc., a division of Cooper Aerobics Center in Dallas. Todd holds a bachelor of science degree in kinesiology from UCLA. He is also a member of the American College of Sports Medicine and chairman of Our Kids' Health Foundation.