Supplements that help women run faster
Astudy has recently found that women who take supplements, especially prepared blend of minerals and nutrients, for a month can significantly help them run faster. The women who took the supplement saw three-mile run times drop by a minute.
Author Robert DiSilvestro from Ohio State University in Columbus, US, said, “We know that young women, often have micro-deficiencies in nutrients and that those nutrients play a role in how cells work during exercise. They tend to eat less meat than men. Menstruation also plays an important role in mineral loss.”
The minerals in the study included forms of iron, copper and zinc along with two other nutrients - carnitine and phosphatidylserine. The small study of young women compared the performance of those who took the supplement with a control group that took a placebo.
Initially, the team analysed 28 women and half of whom took the supplement. The participants were recreational athletes between 18 to 30 years old, who had done aerobic exercise at least two to three hours a week for six months. Those who ate the supplement combo were asked to sprinkle it into a beverage of their choice twice a day.
Stationary bike distance
IN THE STUDY CONDUCTED IN OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY, THE MINERALS INCLUDED FORMS OF IRON AND COPPER
covered in 25 mins increased to an average of 6.5 miles, compared to 6 miles at the start of the study. Steps in the step test increased to almost 44 from about 40. All of the changes were statistically significant and were not seen in the placebo group. They compared the women’s athletic performance at the start of the study to the end of a 30-day study period. The second follow-up experiment examined 36 women and found a 41-second average decrease in run times.
“The run-time drops in people at this stage of life were pretty large when they took the supplement,” he said.The research appeared in the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition.