Sports and Fitness Nutrition

The main ideas behind nutritional support of fitness workouts and athletic performance are:

Supply rapidly absorbed forms of energy

Replenish Electrolytes

Replenish neurotransmitters

Supply high levels of antioxidants

Avoid filling the digestive tract with food or other bulk.

Human Action

Human action is the expression of incredibly complex and vigorous interactions of all body systems. A highly trained triathelete demonstrates the impressive ability of the human body to work skillfully, hard, and long. The basis of any exertion is the burning of fuel. Food supplies fuel in the form of nutrients. Inside cells, mitochondria are the basic engines that consume food molecules, release heat and store energy for the other functions of the cell. Muscle cells use the energy to contract - the basis of all human activity. During exertion, loses water and electrolytes through sweat and the lungs must be replaced. Neurotransmitters are consumed at a prodigious rate and must be re-synthesized out of nutrient substrates that are rapidly consumed.

Several nutritional theories of performance enhancement have been advocated in the past several years. No products on the market have proven success in performance enhancement, but several of the best ideas have gone into the design of NutraBalance and experience to date has been positive.

Theory - Human Energy

Human action is an expression of biological energy derived from food. Living cells are glucose-burning machines. Animals take advantage of the ability of plants to manufacture sugar and other nutrients. The energy that supports us is locked into the molecular bonds of a few basic fuel molecules: glucose, fructose, fatty acids, and amino acids. The energy is released as the energy-supplying molecules are dismantled by oxidation. Food-derived energy allows us to move, to do work by muscle contraction, and to keep warm. Body heat is generated by the metabolic activity of every cell. Carbohydrates and fats are the principle sources of energy, although amino acids may be utilized as energy. Combustion of amino acids requires the excretion of nitrogen, which is first converted to ammonia. Glutamine is the shuttle that carries ammonia from rapidly-metabolizing tissues to the liver. The liver converts ammonia to urea, which is delivered to the kidneys for excretion in the urine.

The energy requirement of any individual is determined by physical activity. Your energy balances shift with variations in food intake and activity level. A healthy, active adult will usually spend 1000-3000 Kcal per day of food energy (or approximately 33Kcal/Kg). Daily physical exercise is beneficial and tends to promote normal body weight, with energy intake matching output. With food restriction, increased metabolic efficiency allows the body to do better with less. This increased efficiency, induced by caloric restriction, tends to frustrate people seeking to lose weight.

More on energy.

Antioxidants

The antioxidants are provided in generous quantities in Alpha ENF because of their many potential health benefits. Vitamin C, beta carotene, vitamin E and selenium scavenge free oxygen radicals. Cellular combustion can be compared to a wood stove, which needs adequate protection to do its job without burning the house down. As we burn fuel in our cells, some oxygen atoms are given an extra electron and become the radical, O2-. If O2- floats free of the energy engines, it may interact with and damage other molecules.

Cell membranes are vulnerable to O2- injury; damaged membranes disturb the function of the entire cell. Extra O2- reacting with DNA can make the code sticky and can cause mistakes in code reading or replication, resulting in cell mutation. The cumulative damage of trillions of random O2- encounters with critical molecules over many years contributes to accelerated aging and cellular dysfunction. Cells contain oxygen detoxification enzymes: peroxidases, superoxide dismutase, and catalases. The nutrients that combine harmlessly with O2- and are referred to as "antioxidants". Vitamin C is the cheapest, safest, and best antioxidant in town. If you can raise the amount of Vitamin C in cells, you may soak up enough O2- to make a long-term difference. The effect of Vitamin C is enhanced if you present three other nutrient antioxidants alongside, Vitamin E, beta carotene, and selenium. You cannot take superoxide dismutase (or other enzymes) by mouth and expect benefit, since it will be digested and not arrive at the intracellular locations where it can act in a meaningful manner.

Amino Acids

Instead of proteins, free amino acids are provided. A complete set of the nine essential amino acids is complemented by 10 of the non-essential amino acids. Both Alpha ENF C1 and NutraBalance contain branch-chain amino acids; higher concentration in NutraBalance is designed to enhance muscle action and growth. Leucine in particular seems to promote muscle growth, acting in concert with insulin. The other two branch-chain amino acids, isoleucine and valine, may also supply muscle fuel if impairment of glucose utilization occurs. Arginine has been effective in improving tissue repair and can be considered growth-promoting. The technique of amino acid proportioning is a frontier in nutritional programming for athletic performance.

Problems with Proteins

One of the therapeutic secrets of Alpha ENF & NutraBalance is the avoidance of proteins or pieces of proteins known as peptides. Proteins are the most reactive molecules in food allergic disease. Staple foods such as milk, eggs, wheat, and meat contain proteins that frequently causes immune responses and are the basic problem in delayed patterns of food allergy. Protein powders sold as "body-building" supplements are also a source of trouble. Protein powders are often made from cheap proteins such as milk protein (casein, whey), egg white (albumin), soya proteins, or hydrolyzed vegetable proteins.

Alpha ENF and NutraBalance avoid protein problems by providing a balanced set of amino acids - the real nutrients derived from proteins by digestion of food. Amino acids do not trigger immune responses. Free amino acids are much more expensive than protein powders, but freeing the immune system from protein challenge is well-worth the cost.

Neurotransmitters

Some of these amino acids are not destined to be included in body proteins but will be used as neurotransmitters. Tyrosine and phenylalanine, for example, are converted to dopamine, noradrenalin and adrenalin. Trytophan is converted into serotonin. Other neurotransmitter substrates are not amino acids. Choline, for example, becomes acetylcholine and is provided in Alpha ENF, even though it is not considered an essential nutrient. Acetylcholine is the transmitter used to pass the millions of messages per second which transfer brain movement maps into coordinated muscle movement. If the supply of acetylcholine is low or limited, no amount of training or good intention will avoid performance failure. Some power-down effects must be due to transmitter exhaustion. Choline is the substrate for this transmitter. A study of blood choline levels in runners demonstrated a 40% drop in choline levels following the Boston marathon. Thiamin is the cofactor for this synthesis. Glycine itself is a major neurotransmitter in the spinal cord. Glutamate is another important amino acid - neurotransmitter.

Women

Women have a larger surface area-to-mass ratio; lower bone mass; and wider, shallower pelvis compared with men. Women have more body fat, less lean muscle mass, a gynoidal fat distribution, a lower resting metabolic rate, and a lower red blood cell mass compared with men. Women have an advantage in dry heat, are more at risk for osteoporosis and have more knee problems with exertion. The difference in muscle strength between trained women and men is a difference in muscle mass size. A major problem occurring among female athletes is the misuse of restrictive diets to lower body fat for appearance and performance. The outcome is an athlete who may be deficient in nutrients. The consequences include eating disorders, anemia, amenorrhea, premature osteoporosis, and increased risk of injuries with prolonged healing time. The use of Alpha PMX can assist in total caloric reduction without compromising nutritional intake; the nutrient density (per calories) can be doubled or tripled when compared with food intake.