With sportsmen seeking alternatives to illegal and unsafe performance enhancing drugs, “ergogenic aids” have come to their rescue. Ergogenic aids are supplements that enhance the performance of athletes by improving their speed, strength and agility. A number of natural products are marketed as ergogenic aids, which have found a ready market among sportspersons. Their biggest advantage is that they are legal, apart from being safe and effective. Examples of such aids include branched chain amino acids, creatine, medium chain triglycerides, pyruvates and vitamins.
I. What are Branched chain amino acids?
Branched chain amino acids (BCAA) are amino acids whose molecular structure is made up of branched aliphatic side chains. Three amino acids occurring in humans, viz. valine, leucine and isoleucine, are essential BCAAs. They are essential because they are not synthesized by the body and have to be supplied through diet. Amino acids are the building blocks of proteins, which in turn, are the building blocks of the body. A high proportion of muscle tissue is built of BCAAs. Therefore, these are of high utility in increasing muscle mass, especially for those who undertake strength training.
II. Sources of BCAAs
Since BCAAs are essential amino acids, they have to be supplied either through diet or through dietary supplements. All food sources that are rich in proteins have sufficient amounts of BCAAs. Commonly available food sources that are rich in BCAAs include dairy products, eggs, whey, chicken an...
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Creatine is one of the most popular sports supplements on the market and is used by bodybuilders, and athletes. It is an amino acid, like the building blocks that makes up proteins. It is also an important store of energy in muscle cells. Creatine is a natural nutrient found in our bodies and in the bodies of most animals. It can also be found in the form of a powder and sold as a supplement. Creatine is categorized as a food supplement by the Food and Drug Administration, like a vitamin and is available over the counter at drug stores and nutrition centers. Approximately 95% of the body’s creatine supply is found in the skeletal muscles. The remaining 5% of creatine is scattered throughout the rest of the body, with the highest concentration in the heart, brain, and testes. The human body gets most of the creatine it needs from food or dietary supplements.
For many years, the world’s foremost studies of creatine and its effect on athletic performance were carried out in secrecy by communist Eastern-bloc countries. But after the fall of Communism, the training and experimental drugs used on Soviet and East German Olympic athletes was revealed. Aside from exposing the truth about illegal anabolic steroid use, there was the discovery of a "vitamin" called creatine, which was quickly introduced to the U.S. and marketed as an ergogenic, or energy-enhancing supplement.
Still, I thought, surveying my comatose family, there must be something to this turkey thing. And I'd eaten the ham, so I was still awake enough to dig up the truth. As my family slept and my dog stared down at the leftovers, I learned the truth about tryptophan. Tryptophan is an essential amino acid, one of the building blocks of protein. It is termed essential because the body cannot manufacture it on its own.
Kuhn, C., Swartzwelder, S., and Wilson, W. Pumped: Straight Facts for Athletes about Drugs, Supplements, and Training. 2000. W.W. Norton, New York and London.
The supplement, known as Creatine or “Nature’s Steroid”, is the latest craze of the movement, and is selling over 100 million dollars in profit each year. “Creatine is a natural substance that was first discovered by a French Chemist named Chevreul” (Higher Power Creatine Web page). It is found in its highest form in lean red muscle tissue of animals and humans in the form of Creatine Phosphate. “Creatine must be combined with exercise to get an effect. When muscles are used to lift a weight, or perform any type of work, ATP (Adenosine Triphosphate) is quickly broken down to ADP (Adenosine Diphosphate) and energy is released. The amount of ATP stored in the muscle must rely on Creatine to restock its supply of ATP. This cycle is repeated throughout the training period. Therefore, the addition of supplementary creatine allows the duration of the body’s maximum effort to increase. Which basically means you can lift more weight for a longer period of time”(Applegate 25). Muscles will only increase in size when stimulated by a greater workload. For example, before one was using a Creatine supplement, he or she was bench-pressing 170 pounds, for 3 sets with 8 repetitions each set. With use of Creatine one is able to bench press 180 pounds, for 3 sets with ten repetitions per set. Thus, enhancing performance, and gradually increasing overall strength and muscle mass.
The use of steroids and performance enhancing drugs is a common trend that is currently fascinating athletes all over the world. Athletes who are using these drugs are damaging the sport and harming their bodies at the same time. Seeking a greater athletic physique and ability, athletes turned to the use of steroids. Once the dangers and possible health risks arose, athletes then turned to performance enhancers. Two specific supplements have taken the sports world by storm and now are being used by athletes of all ages. They are androstenedione and creatine. It took years until people began to understand how dangerous steroids really were. These performance enhancers, like androstenedione and creatine are going to produce the same results.
Due to the nature of amino acids, a titration curve can be employed to identify
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Protein have connection with amino acid to help in functions of: skin, muscle, hair and bones
This is why the search is now on to find some legal means of enhancing athletic performance. Much to athletes' delight, a new promising product, creatine, has recently appeared on the market. Creatine is a substance found in meats and synthesized by the human body, but the latest craze is over artificially made creatine. Many athletes take it in hopes of increasing their strength, speed, or endurance. Although the initial results of creatine testing were very positive, showing potential to help athletes increase their strength and speed, new evidence shows that creatine is not as perfect of a nutritional supplement as it once appeared to be.
In today’s age, performance enhancing drugs have become more advanced than just some special herbs and spices. Scientists today have found ways to manipulate elements to help provide muscle mass and stamina. Some types of performance enhancing drugs are human growth hormones (HGH), testosterone boosters, anabolic steroids etc. When taking HGH, a person might experience results such as an increase in muscle mass, an increase in bone density, and a reduced fat content in the body (Freudenrich). The same results could be found when you take anabolic steroids. Anabolic steroids have been sought after to athletes and bodybuilders because they increase the size and strength of muscles. They also increase aggressiveness and competitiveness, which can be desirable traits in sports (Helmenstine). On different occasions such as a cyclist or a long distance runner, these athletes will store some of their red blood cells when their hemoglobin is high. The athlete will then train and work as usual, but right before the athlete competes they will transfuse the blood they took out back into their body therefore creating more red blood cells to ...
Dietary supplements can be a good thing to use but they aren't always what they say they are. They are used by over half of all Americans and those people normally take a multivitamin or protein supplements after their workouts. In fact, whey protein is the most supplied dietary supplements among all Americans. People would also say that supplements are helpful when they become older in age, but then those people who believe supplements do not work at all. What they don't know is that if individuals take too much or too many supplements, it could hurt them and not benefit these people.
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