: From baseball to bodybuilding – targeted repletion may be the competitive edge every serious athlete needs.
The key word being “targeted.” We all know athletes, particularly college and professional athletes, will push their bodies and skill to the edges of potential, and beyond. The physical discipline and mental focus in elite athletes can be extreme. Every improvement in physiology can potentially move the athlete into new realms of performance. That’s what targeted repletion can do.
What is “targeted repletion”? Simply, it is supplementing your body (or, more accurately, your cells) with the specific nutrients in which they are deficient.
Do your cells lack vitamin C? Supplement with vitamin C to correct it.
Are you cells deficient in copper? Give them copper.
Cells need coenzyme Q10? Feed them CoQ10.
Sounds simple. The concept is certainly intuitive. But in reality, very few athletes implement targeted supplementation into their regimen. Instead, most will supplement blindly, meaning they will take supplements they assume will help but without testing their blood first. If you don’t assess nutrient status, there is no way of knowing if what you take is what you actually need.
A recent study from the School of Sport, Exercise and Nutrition at Massey University in New Zealand1 confirms that blindly supplementing can be counter-productive in the athlete. In fact, they state that supplements may “impair the body’s physiological responses to exercise” which is a conclusion supported by other research as well. The message here is that supplements can be detrimental in some cases. That is because micronutrients work in balance, often synergistically and blind supplementation can tip that delicate physiologic balance. In other words, by taking one supplement, there is potential that you induce a deficiency in a different micronutrient. That is why targeted supplementation is so important to the athlete.
That is exactly the message at Spectracell. Take supplements that correct the athlete’s own personal micronutrient deficiencies, which are unique to the athlete. This can only be done by testing. The same study further states that “micronutrient supplementation is warranted with a diagnosed deficiency.” How can you diagnose a deficiency without testing an athlete’s blood? Exactly!
For the athlete, this is especially important. Micronutrient needs will fluctuate depending on training intensity, time, recovery and even past injury.
CHOLINE – This is an essential nutrient for skeletal muscle contraction due to its role in the neurotransmitter, acetylcholine. Choline also regulates intracellular calcium which influences muscle contraction2. A choline deficiency can often manifest as muscle cramps in the athlete, yet most athletes and coaches routinely supplement magnesium for muscle cramps. Without testing, how can you know if choline or magnesium deficiency (or something else) is the problem?
SERINE – An amino acid that helps recovery in athletes by mitigating the damage caused by post-workout stress hormones. Specifically, serine is part of the molecule (phosphatidylserine) that blunts increases in cortisol, a damaging stress hormone, which occur during intense or prolonged workouts. Studies indicate that supplementation of athletes with serine can potentially aid recovery and reduce muscle soreness.3
COENZYME Q10 – A powerful antioxidant that plays a key role in the cellular energy production can benefit both performance and recovery after intense exercise. In a recent trial on cyclists, supplementation with CoQ10 increased both speed and power. But perhaps more importantly, CoQ10 helped reduce the oxidative stress-induced cellular damage, which is a real concern for athletes, since they push their physiologic limits often. However, CoQ10 is a powerful antioxidant and supplementing blindly with antioxidants can be costly – literally and figuratively. CoQ10 is an expensive supplement (when taken in the more bioavailable form). Plus, antioxidants work in balance so there is a real consequence if too much is taken exogenously as it can tip the feedback metabolic pathways out of synergy. In other words, if you take too much of an antioxidant, it can actually become a pro-oxidant.5 When it comes to antioxidant especially, balance is key.
For the athlete, targeted supplementation is the answer to better physiologic capabilities. This ultimately translates to better performance and faster recovery. The only way to target your cellular deficiencies, is to measure your cellular deficiencies.
For more information on the link between nutrients and Athletic Performance, click here.
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