Sports and Enzymes
Will enzymes help me with body
building?
Most likely. If an adequate number of metabolic
enzymes are not working in the muscle tissue, there would be
little or no muscular growth and little or no muscular activity
to create growth. Enzymes are the catalysts that first digest
food then convert it into energy to make the muscles move and
grow.
Do athletes need to take vitamin
supplements?
Popular belief has it that vitamin supplements
offer athletes both health benefits and improved athletic
performance. According to one survey, 84% of world-class athletes
use vitamin supplements. It goes without saying that athletes
need adequate vitamins and minerals to perform. But are the
amounts that are adequate for sedentary people also adequate for
active people? If not, which nutrients do active people need more
of? The answers remain uncertain, but science is searching for
them in the metabolic workings of the muscles and in the roles
that vitamins play there. However, research seems to indicate
that athletes’ vitamin needs differ very little from the
RDA. It should be pointed out that vitamins and minerals are
co-enzymes, which means they need an enzyme to work. Vitamins do
not deliver energy by themselves they require enzymes for energy.
It is the enzyme that unlocks the energy in food.
Do athletes and physically active
people have different enzyme needs than others?
Yes, in theory athletes have a greater need for
enzymes. Research has shown that enzymes hare lost in
perspiration and the body uses up enzymes at a greater rate
during exercise. This is especially true for those that push
their body past it’s endurance level.
I’m trying to body build and I
want to know if enzymes will help me do this?
Most likely. If muscle tissue enzymes are not
working in the muscle tissue, there would be no muscular growth,
nor even the basic muscular activity to create growth. Enzymes
are the catalyst that turn food into energy to make the muscles
move and grow.
What is the ideal diet for athletes?
First, athletes need a nutrient-dense diet
composed mostly of unprocessed foods. These foods should supply
maximum vitamins and minerals for the energy they provide. When
athletes rely heavily on processed foods that have suffered
nutrient losses and contain added sugar and fat, nutrition status
suffers. Even if these foods are fortified or enriched,
manufacturers cannot replace the whole range of nutrients and
non-nutrients lost in processing.
Second, athletes must eat for energy, and
energy needs may be immense. The athlete may want full glycogen
stores as well. Simply stated, a diet that is high in
carbohydrate (65% of total calories) low in fat, (20% or less),
and adequate in protein (15%) meets the athlete’s energy
needs and works best to ensure full glycogen and other nutrient
stores.
Third, athletes need protein. Meats, eggs,
milk, and milk by-products are rich protein sources. To recommend
that athletes eat plenty of meat, eggs, and milk by-products
would be narrow advice for many reasons. For one thing, athletes
must protect themselves from heart disease, and even lean meats
contain fat, much of it saturated fat. To best meet protein
needs, athletes need to eat a variety of protein food sources.
Substitute fish, chicken, and plant proteins instead of consuming
mostly meat, eggs, and milk by-products. Eating lean red meats
(sparingly) is an excellent way to add quality protein to the
diet. Don’t just eat red meat every meal. Drinking low-fat
milk and eating low-fat milk by-products is also an excellent way
to obtain quality protein in the diet.
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