Tag Archives: athletes

Vitamin D for Athletes

Posted on December 9, 2011 by PCNutrition
The sun provides 90% of vitamin D for humans

Vitamin D deficiency or insufficiency could be one of the most important factors affecting the health of the nation today – a bit strong? Well, in case you’ve been a sleep for the past five years or so, it turns out that vitamin D plays a critical role in mental health, immunity and inflammation, muscle strength, hormone balance and intestinal health, not just bone health as old textbooks would have us believe. Furthermore, 50% of the UK population are thought to have insufficient levels (1) – i.e. they are not technically deficient, but below optimal levels – and it is … Continue reading →

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CoQ10 and Muscle Damage in Athletes

Posted on November 10, 2011 by PCNutrition
cycling

A recent report in the European Journal of Nutrition suggests that coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10), available as a nutritional supplement, may help athletes recover more quickly from exercise induced oxidative stress and muscle damage. The headlines are certainly exciting: In a group of 20 ultra-endurance athletes markers for oxidative stress and inflammation were reduced among those who took 5 x 30mg of CoQ10 in the two days prior to and immediately before a 50K race at altitude, compared with the placebo group. Additionally creatinine, a marker of muscle damage, was also lower in the CoQ10 group (Diaz-Castro et al., 2011). Conclusion? … Continue reading →

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Wake Up and Smell the Caffeine Tablets

Posted on May 31, 2011 by PCNutrition
Caffeine for athletes

Athletes are constantly searching for a performance edge, and often look towards supplementation to find it. However, in spite of the myriad supplements out there on the market, precious few actually have sufficient research for them to be considered useful – whatever the marketing folks would have you believe. One supplement well worth considering is caffeine, which appears to offer a performance (or ergogenic) edge during maximal efforts such as in races and other competitive sporting situation. Since 2004 caffeine has been removed from the World Anti Doping Agency (WADA) list of banned substances, and its use has become widespread … Continue reading →

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