nutrition - 19 year old football player
The Scenario
Andrew is a 19-year old collegiate running back who wants to improve his performance while on summer break. He has seen muscle development in elite athletes and wants to increase his muscle mass, strength, and power.
After talking about training regimen, nutrition, and supplementation with other athletes, he has decided to take several supplements to help him reach his goal. He notes not making quality food choices. He currently resistance trains two to three times a week and takes the following supplements: “mega” multivitamin/mineral supplement, boron, arginine, and whey protein. He also just found out the best player on the team has successfully gained 15 lbs while only taking creatine as a supplement. Now he is confused about what supplements are best to takeYour discussion response should answer/include the following:
Goals:
Increase muscle mass, strength and power
Current regimen:
Resistance trains 2-3x/week
Takes mega multivitamin/supplement, boron, arginine, and whey protein.
What recommendations can you give Andrew to help him achieve his personal goal of increasing muscle mass?
Is his current supplement regimen appropriate?
How about creatine—what are some potential pros/cons of creatine intake (i.e.:positive effects on performance and possible negative consequences) and practical recommendations if Andrew is going to try incorporating it?
What guidance or advice would you give Andrew regarding the use of ergogenic aids in general?
The Solution
Our athlete Andrew currently trains 2-3x a week and consumes a mega multivitamin, boron, arginine, and whey protein. His goals are to increase muscle mass, strength, and power. In order to understand if this is the correct mix of supplements, let's break down what each one helps with.
First, Boron is a trace element and is present in certain vegetables and noncitrus fruits. Boron is advertised to increase testosterone levels, aid in bone growth, muscle mass gain, and strength gain (Jeukendrup & Gleeson, 2018).However, Jeukendrup & Gleeson, (2018) also state that boron has shown to have little effect on males, so this may not be an effective supplement for Andrew.
Secondly, Arginine is one of the 20 amino acids. It is a structural component for many proteins in the body and aids in overall health. Arginine may be beneficial for Andrew because the metabolite for arginine is creatine (Albaugh & Barbul, 2017). I will discuss the benefits of creatine in the next section. However, ingesting arginine could help with the synthesis of creatine, because creatine synthesis is a two step reaction in the human body. First, the guanidino group of arginine is transferred to glycine, which forms guanidinoacetate. Then, creatine is formed by the transportation of a methyl group from S-adenosylmethionine to guanidinoacetate (Jeukendrup & Gleeson, 2018).
Next, whey protein, which is a very popular protein powder derived from milk, and is beneficial for those looking to gain lean body mass. Whey is considered a fast protein, because our bodies absorb and digest whey rapidly, which results in rapid aminoacidemia (large increase of amino acids in the blood). Muscle protein synthesis has a higher increase with whey protein, when compared to casein (Jeukendrup & Gleeson, 2018). Jeukendrup & Gleeson (2018) state that whey protein is the most effective protein source after a bout of resistance training. Based on all of this information, whey protein could help Andrew accomplish his goals of building lean muscle mass, and will aid as a great recovery after a resistance training session.
Finally, creatine, which is another popular supplement amongst athletes and regularly exercising individuals. Creatine helps reduce fatigue, increases protein synthesis, and builds strength. Creatine kinase helps the breakdown of phosphocreatine (PC) and adenosine diphosphate (ADP), in order to produce ATP (energy). Many athletes are encouraged to add creatine to their workout beverages (Housh et al., 2017). Now, this reaction occurs during ATP-PC, which only lasts 15-20 seconds. ATP-PC is very present in athletes, such as 100 meter sprinters and weightlifters (Housh et al., 2017). Therefore, adding in a creatine supplement may help with performance and recovery after Andrews resistance training sessions and practices. Also, football athletes utilize the ATP-PC system frequently during practice and competition, so incorporating creatine will aid in enhancing that system (Paddon-Jones et al., 2004). Creatine has also proven to help with lean muscle mass gain, but only with the right doses. Paddon-Jones et al. (2004) cite a study that showed no weight gain or body composition changes while ingesting a low dose of .03 grams/kg/day. Gibson et al. (2016) suggests taking five grams, four times a day, and then consuming two grams each day. However, there are some drawbacks to creatine, so Andrew should pay attention to any negative side effects. Creatine sometimes causes muscle cramps and GI disturbances (Gibson et al., 2016).
The other two supplements I would recommend for Andrew are vitamin D and caffeine. Vitamin D is a secosteroid hormone, and helps regulate calcium homeostasis and bone metabolism. Vitamin D also aids in protein muscle synthesis, endurance, balance, reaction time, strength, and coordination (Wojtys et al., 2021). Also, Andrew is utilizing his anaerobic system throughout practice and competition, which activates type II muscle fibers. When vitamin D levels are low, type II muscle fibers may not be as reactive (Wojtys et al., 2021). Football players take a lot of impact, and are prone to overtraining, which can increase the amount of proinflammatory cytokines. These proinflammatory cytokines are increased when vitamin D levels are low. What's more, Vitamin D can help decrease musculoskeletal pain and prostaglandin synthesis (Prostaglandins are hormone acting lipids that rush to the site of tissue damage, and help create inflammation to start the healing process)(Wojtys et al., 2021).
Finally, Andrew should also consider taking the right amount of caffeine. Caffeine is a stimulant, which positively can affect your central nervous system, and increase cognitive functions. Also, caffeine increases distribution of fatty acids, preserving your muscle glycogen concentrations, allowing you to feel more energy for a longer period of time (Guest et al., 2021). Additionally, when caffeine is ingested with carbohydrates, it has shown to improve athletic performance (Guest et al., 2021). Therefore, Andrew could greatly benefit by mixing in caffeine with his whey or creatine protein beverage. However, caffeine can also cause anxiety, insomnia, gastric disturbances, confusion and restlessness. Therefore, taking the correct dosage is essential, as well as listening to your body, and paying attention to side effects. Guest et al. (2021) recommends 3-6mg/kg/body weight/ day (Guest et al., 2021; Jeukendrup & Gleeson, 2018).
Overall, ergogenic aids can be a safe and effective way to help achieve certain athletic goals. However, I would educate Andrew on how to get these proper nutrients as much as possible through ingesting the right types of foods. For example, Jeukendrup & Gleeson (2018) recommend that strength and power athletes consume 1.6-1.7 grams/kg/body weight/day of protein. Andrew should attempt getting his protein needs through a healthy protein intake before reaching for the whey protein. Additionally, supplements respond differently to all individuals, so Andrew should pay attention to any negative side effects that could be affecting his performance. Lastly, Andrew is also taking a multivitamin. Although we are unsure what exactly is in this multivitamin, most multivitamins include Vitamin B6 and B12, calcium, magnesium, zinc, vitamin C, Zinc, and more depending on the type and brand. All of these supplements are typically harmless, especially for a young athlete. However, taken on an empty stomach or at a higher dosage can cause nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. All of which could affect Andrews performance. (Brancaccio et al., 2022).
References
Arginine. Arginine - an overview | ScienceDirect Topics. (n.d.). https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/agricultural-and-biological-sciences/arginine
Brancaccio, M., Mennitti, C., Cesaro, A., Fimiani, F., Vano, M., Gargiulo, B., Caiazza, M., Amodio, F., Coto, I., D'Alicandro, G., Mazzaccara, C., Lombardo, B., Pero, R., Terracciano, D., Limongelli, G., Calabrò, P., D'Argenio, V., Frisso, G., & Scudiero, O. (2022). The Biological role of vitamins in athletes' muscle, heart and microbiota. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(3), 1249. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19031249
Gibson, M. E., Schultz, J., & Glover, D. (2016). To supplement or not. Missouri Medicine, 113(4), 305–309.
Guest, N. S., VanDusseldorp, T. A., Nelson, M. T., Grgic, J., Schoenfeld, B. J., Jenkins, N. D. M., Arent, S. M., Antonio, J., Stout, J. R., Trexler, E. T., Smith-Ryan, A. E., Goldstein, E. R., Kalman, D. S., & Campbell, B. I. (2021). International society of sports nutrition position stand: caffeine and exercise performance. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, 18(1), 1. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12970-020-00383-4
Housh, T. J., Housh, D. J., & DeVries, H. A. (2017). Applied Exercise & Sport Physiology With Labs. Routledge/Taylor and Francis Group.
Jeukendrup, A. E., & Gleeson, M. (2018). Sport Nutrition (3rd ed.)
Paddon-Jones, D., Børsheim, E., & Wolfe, R. R. (2004). Potential ergogenic effects of arginine and creatine supplementation. The Journal of Nutrition, 134(10 Suppl), 2888S–2895S. https://doi.org/10.1093/jn/134.10.2888s
Wojtys E. M. (2021). Boosting Performance. Sports health, 13(2), 109–110. https://doi.org/10.1177/1941738121991495
