Health Supplements – The Firepower for Marathon Training & Beyond – Part 2
Calcium :
Calcium is a mineral that plays a vital role in the upkeep of tooth and bone health. Even though it is profoundly found in dairy products, leafy greens and veggies, the number of people who are identified as calcium deficient are increasing by the day. Athletes in particular should be vary of this and consume enough calcium to avoid deficiencies and bone health related complications.
How Calcium Helps Marathoners?
Calcium is a given when it comes to health supplements for marathoners as it helps to protect and maintain the wellness of one of the most critical part of the body – the bones! Marathoners while training, add extra stress on their bones and muscles especially during long runs when it is imperative to run long at a consistent pace on a hard surface. No matter the intake of calcium rich foods, runners are found falling short of the necessary calcium intake, thereby risking bone injuries. Therefore, calcium supplements are the best way to go.
L-Carnitine
Popular for its ability to burn fats, L-Carnitine is an amino acid that is mainly used to promote weight loss. It is one of the most sought after supplements by body builders as it gives the body a clean bulk. Unlike the regular proteins that aid in developing body muscles but also add to the fat quotient, L-Carnitine aids in building muscles but breaks down fats for adenosine triphosphate (ATP), the high energy molecule found in every cell. It also helps in transporting long chain fatty acids into the mitochondria thereby boosting energy.
How L-Carnitine Helps Marathoners?
Other than the fat loss benefits that L-Carnitine offers, it delivers additional energy for marathoners which is vital for endurance training. It is also helps to maximise athletic performance. Here is a gist of what it does and how it helps marathoners…
- Stimulates Hematopoiesis: L-Carnitine works as good as the performance enhancing drugs (PEDs), just without the anabolic effects. Thereby it aids in the production of RBCs and by that increases the body’s capacity to consume more oxygen, which in return provides the additional thrust required for a marathoner.
- Promotes Ammonia Detoxification: As a by-product of protein degradation, ammonia gets accumulated in the body. L-Carnitine incorporates ammonia with urea and flushes it out of the system as urine.
- Decreases Lactic Acid: Increase of lactic acid in the body can cause muscle cramps. Though long distance runners usually develop a better tolerance to lactic acid, consuming L-Carnitine supplements can reduce the rate of glycolysis and thereby decreases lactic acid production.
- Builds Muscle Mass: L-Carnitine helps in increasing androgen receptors that have the ability to utilise testosterone better, which aids in building muscle mass.
- Complements BCAA: With BCAA being the most popular supplement for athletes there is today, carnitine complements BCAA in generating energy through gluconeogenesis thereby burning fat instead of carbohydrates.
- Improves Cardiovascular Performance: Carnitine promotes heart health. It helps in improving blood supply, thereby enhancing more oxygen movement in the body. It also reduces arrhythmias (irregular heartbeats), hence can help those who have a history of heart attacks.
- More ATPs without the Calories: Marathoners need all the energy that they can muster. Carnitine uses the available fats and converts those into quick energy thereby giving the runner, all the thrust that is needed for a marathon.
To be continued…
Jayanth Murali is based at Chennai, India. One fine day, he decided to substitute smoking with running. Now an avid runner, he has never looked back since then. He has done a bunch of marathons and half marathons over the years. When he is not working, he is usually running or helping people discover the endorphins of endurance.
