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What supplements should I take?

  • Writer: Joe Spear
    Joe Spear
  • Mar 29, 2019
  • 3 min read

Who else is excited for Toy Story 4? (Unfortunately not starring me)

Creatine, Glutamine, BCAA's, MDMA*, the list goes on. But what supplements (if any) should you be looking to include in your every day diet?

I'm going to look at some of the "popular" supplements that you've probably had recommended to you by the meathead at your local gym, or your friend from school who pushes Herbal Life products on your Facebook feed. I'll catergorise them as either:

  1. Might be worthwhile

  2. Complete waste of money don't be stupid

Might be worthwhile

  • Cod liver oil - Very rich in vitamin D, so if you're not seeing the sun it could be a good idea. It's also very high in vitamin A which helps boost your immune system and keeps your skin healthy. Just be aware that oily fish, cheese and leafy veg contain plenty of Vitamin A, so don't over do it.


  • Magnesium - Good for bone health and helping turn food into energy. Again, if you're not getting enough leafy veg and drinking enough water, you might want to consider upping your magnesium intake (270 mg women, 300 mg men, daily)** A healthy magnesium level should also improve your sleep as well!


  • BCAA's - One of the Gods of the body building world. But they're not just for those of us looking to get "Hench". These proteins represent roughly 40% of your body's pool of amino acids and unlike the others, BCAA's are mostly broken down in the muscle not the liver, so that's why they're thought to increase energy production during exercise. If I'm honest though, these really ride the line between category 1 & 2. If you're eating a high protein diet, you're already getting enough BCAA's.


  • Creatine - The daddy. It boosts athletic performance by helping to recycle ATP, your body's fundamental unit of energy. We're not hunter gatherers anymore, so eating 3 - 5 lbs of meat daily is not very realistic. Therefore, supplementing your diet with this particular white powder should increase your strength and athletic performance.


Complete waste of money don't be stupid

  • Fat burners - These are very well marketed and stupidly easy to get a hold of. Many boast about their ability to "burn fat" without any change to the individuals lifestyle or diet. A little magic pill that's going to melt all my fat and leave me super skinny, wow. Actual scientific studies that support these claims are very hard to find. Their main active ingredients vary, but generally they're stupidly high in caffeine, synephrine or 5 - HTP.


  • Glutamine - Just because it's an essential protein doesn't mean you have to buy it in pill form and pop them like skittles. The people you know that supplement Glutamine only do so because they once saw someone bigger than them do it, and so on and so forth. Your ordinary diet provides all the Glutamine you need, I couldn't find a single study that showed it increased physical performance by itself.


  • Green tea extract - Green tea has had it's little moment in the sun as a fat burner or a weight loss aid. It's key compound EGCG is pumped into capsules and again sold as a quick fix for weight loss. The amount of EGCG in a single cup of tea is minimal, absolutely no affect on body fat. A study by the journal of Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise upped the dosage to the equivalent of 8 cups a day and tested the effects on 31 healthy men. The results showed no difference in fat oxidisation between those taking the supplements and those not.


In summary! If you're eating a well balanced diet you shouldn't need to supplement it at all. If you are intolerant to certain food groups then please consult with a doctor or a dietitian. If your personal trainer is trying to sell you fat burners, you have my permission to slap them.



*Before you get any ideas, this was a joke.

**Source: NHS guidelines for vitamin & mineral intake.





 
 
 

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