VITAMIN OVERLOAD
I’ve been catching a lot of bugs recently, and have been told to take plenty of vitamin supplements. But how many is too many? And what are the most important vitamins to take? NIK JAMES, FACEBOOK
Being prone to infections, particularly the type known as Upper Respiratory Tract Infections (URTIs), is common among triathletes. Strenuous exercise, particularly if performed in a low-carb state, may compromise your body’s immune system. It also reduces your ability to fight infections such as colds and flu. Lack of adequate rest and recovery, including sleep and post-training nutrition, also leads to increased risk of infection.
With that in mind, keeping yourself well is about more than just taking vitamin supplements. It’s more important to look at your current diet and the way in which you’re eating around training. So let’s start there.
While training with low glycogen stores is an increasingly popular way to enhance adaptations to training, you need to be careful not to do this too often or to do high-intensity sessions without having consumed carbs first. You also need to focus on getting micronutrients that support the immune system into your meals, particularly those after training. These include vitamins A, C and E plus zinc. Vitamin C is found in nearly all fruit and veg. Some of the best sources are berries, peppers, kiwi fruit, oranges and other citrus fruit, broccoli, kale, tomatoes, peas and potatoes. Aim to include 2-3 of these in your diet each day.
Zinc is found in a wide range of foods including red meat, chicken, turkey, beans, lentils, nuts, seeds, oats and wholegrain bread. Good sources of vitamin A include dairy products, fish, carrots, sweet potato, butternut squash, peppers and dried apricots. You can meet your vitamin E requirement from regularly consuming avocado, olive oil and almonds or almond butter.
If you feel that you may fall short on your diet, a multivitamin and mineral supplement may be helpful. Look for one with 200mg of vitamin C and 15mg of zinc. Avoid taking higher doses of vitamin C as its antioxidant properties may interfere with training adaptations. Taking 10mg of vitamin D may also be helpful, as it’s difficult to get from food. Lastly, you may want to consider a daily probiotic supplement to boost the beneficial bacteria in your gut. This has been shown in studies to help reduce risk of illness in athletes.