Vitamins are used by your body to perform basic and complex physiological processes. If you are highly active and participating in periods of intense activity, your body may use up stores of vitamins and minerals. Taking a multivitamin is not as important as ensuring that multivitamin contains specific nutrients to support muscle, bone and tissue health. Talk to your doctor about your specific dietary needs to find out what vitamins are right for you.
Vitamin C
Vitamin C is a well-known antioxidant that is commonly found in oranges, strawberries and spinach. As a water-soluble vitamin, it cannot be stored and leaves the body via urine. You need this vitamin for the growth and repair of tissues in all parts of your body. It is responsible for making collagen, which is a component of tendons, ligaments, blood vessels, skin and scar tissue. When you work out, you partially break down muscle and bone. Vitamin C is needed to repair and maintain healthy muscles and bones. As an antioxidant, this nutrient blocks the damage caused by free radicals, which are by-products that result when your body transforms food into energy.
B Vitamins
The B-vitamin family is essential for proper food metabolism, muscle growth and nerve health. A B-vitamin complex includes B1, B2, B3, B6, B12, folic acid or folate, pantothenic acid, biotin, choline, and PABA. These vitamins are all water-soluble and all, in some part, aid in digestion by breaking down carbohydrates, proteins and fats. They promote good muscle tone, healthy skin, can reduce muscle spasms, leg cramps, hand numbness and help regulate blood pressure. You also need B vitamins for blood formation, making protein and maintaining the health of your nerve cells.
Vitamin D
Vitamin D works with your body to absorb calcium and phosphorous, important minerals in muscle movement and bone formation. Vitamin D's main function is to maintain normal blood levels of calcium and phosphorous. Calcium is one of the minerals your body uses in skeletal muscle contractions, while phosphorous is part of ATP, the fuel your body utilizes for energy. If you have inadequate levels of D, you may not absorb enough calcium and phosphorous to promote muscle contraction and bone production.
Vitamin A
Another antioxidant, vitamin A is a fat-soluble vitamin that is needed for tissue and protein formation and for eye health. Athletes can benefit from an adequate supply of vitamin A because of its ability to form and maintains healthy bones and soft tissue, like muscles and ligaments, as well as mucous membranes, and skin. It can also improve your immune system, keeping you healthy throughout your athletic season. Caution is advised when taking vitamin A, as overdoses can be toxic.
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