Nearly 25 percent of Americans use dietary supplements daily, but that number reaches 50 to 100 percent for individuals engaged in physical activity and sports, according to the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports. For athletes, these supplements can improve performance and the effectiveness of the training program by supplying essential nutrients not fulfilled from the normal nutrition plan. While sports food supplements can improve performance, they may produce negative side effects and are not regulated by the government. As a result, always consult a doctor or dietitian before using any sports food supplements.
Function
With an active lifestyle, athletes require additional nutrients, vitamins and minerals that may not be supplied from a complete, balanced nutrition plan. The overall function of sports food supplements is to improve performance by providing those essential nutrients such as amino acids, vitamins and carbohydrates. Each type of sports food supplement is developed with a specific serving size and dosage recommendation based on athletic activity.
Types
Research and development teams for supplement companies are constantly releasing new sports food supplements, but the basic core supplements can benefit a wide range of athletes. The core supplements for athletes include protein, amino acids, electrolyte replacement drinks, glucosamine, fatty acids and multivitamins. The various supplements have a role in improving performance by providing essential nutrients. Protein and amino acids, for example, provide the building blocks for tissue repair and development while electrolyte replacement drinks provide the nutrients needed for proper muscle contractions.
Features
Features of sports food supplements are broken down into three basic components -- fueling, hydration and recovery. The timing and dosage instructions vary according to the components of the supplement. For example, protein supplements typically provide 20 g to 40 g of protein per serving and are recommended to be consumed following exercise to assist in recovery. Electrolyte drinks, however, are designed for fueling the body by providing sodium, potassium and magnesium and can be consumed before and during exercise.
Considerations
Every supplement will contain a nutrition label on the outside of the bottle that displays the ingredients and amount of contents. The President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sport recommends looking for supplements that provide 50 to 100 percent of the recommended daily value (DV) while avoiding supplements that provide excessive amounts of specific ingredients. Athletes should also select supplements from reputable companies that use the US Pharmacopoeia (USP) or National Formulary (NF) to ensure proper packaging, labeling, purity and strength.
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