ML Coaching
I'm glad you're back reading my blog. There are countless supplements out there and the industry makes a lot of money from these products. But many of these products are a pure waste of money. In this article, I'll cover which supplements actually make sense.
How can you know what you really need?
This depends on many factors. Most important is a clearly defined goal, which already narrows down your choice of supplements. Different supplements come into play depending on whether your focus is muscle growth, muscle definition, muscle maintenance, or simply improving your health.
The question of which vitamins and minerals you need comes up again and again. Here too, you should first get a blood test to see what your current vitamin and mineral profile looks like. Vitamins and minerals shouldn't just be taken blindly, but only when your body actually needs them. Overdosing on vitamins and minerals in your blood can, in some cases, have negative effects on your health.
So the rule is: know your levels before you take any vitamin or mineral supplements.
Physical prerequisites
This article applies to healthy people. If you have a chronic condition, you should always check with your doctor first whether a given supplement is advisable or not. The same naturally applies during pregnancy.
This point seems to me one of the most important. As I've mentioned in earlier blog articles, there are many personal trainers, but the elite is limited to a handful. Always be careful if a trainer recommends or tries to sell you a whole container of supplements without first taking a thorough history. You don't need that many supplements, and in the end that trainer wants to make money from it too.
I say this as a personal trainer myself, since my most important principle is transparency towards my clients.
Must-have list
Magnesium
This definitely belongs on the list of supplements you should have.
Functions:
- Cellular energy metabolism
- Nerve-to-muscle signal transmission
- Bone strength
- Supports cellular respiration, energy production and energy release through the formation of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) in the mitochondria
- Release of certain hormones
- Protects the brain from age-related decline
- Involved in more than 300 metabolic processes
Magnesium often also helps with stress-related factors like sleep problems or general irritability, since it has a calming effect on the nervous system. In most cases, magnesium improves sleep regardless of stress levels.
Not all magnesium is the same
There are many types of magnesium. Not all forms are absorbed equally well by everyone.
What forms are available?
- Magnesium citrate
- Magnesium threonate
- Magnesium aspartate
- Magnesium glycinate
- Magnesium chloride
- Magnesium oxide
Magnesium threonate and magnesium citrate appear to penetrate cell membranes and mitochondria, generating higher energy levels. They can also cross the blood-brain barrier and, by better supplying nerve cells with magnesium, help prevent dementia and memory loss.
Magnesium glycinate has the highest bioavailability and promotes relaxation and restful sleep. Magnesium oxide is not recommended, since very few people tolerate it well. Personally, it gives me digestive issues.
As you can see, you should choose your magnesium based on the effect you want. I personally combine magnesium citrate with magnesium glycinate.
How can you tell if you have a magnesium deficiency?
If one or more of these symptoms are caused by a magnesium deficiency, it's even more worth considering magnesium supplementation.
- Muscle twitches and cramps
- Dizziness
- Digestive issues (diarrhea, constipation, or both alternating)
- Irritability
- Fatigue
- Heart palpitations and racing heart
- Inner restlessness
- Headaches
- Depressive states
- Numbness in hands and feet
- Circulation problems
Vitamin D
This also belongs on the list of important supplements. Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin that the body can produce itself with the help of sunlight. Only a small part of your needs is covered through food.
Functions:
- Gut: absorption of calcium and phosphate from food
- Bones and teeth: incorporation of calcium
- Muscles: supply of calcium
- Immune system: differentiation and maturation of immune cells
- Hormone system: secretion of insulin and thyroid hormones
- Regulation of calcium absorption
- Regulation of testosterone levels: vitamin D inhibits aromatase. Aromatase is an enzyme that drives the conversion of testosterone into estrogen and can therefore lower testosterone levels.
When should you take vitamin D?
As mentioned at the start of this article, you should first have your vitamin D level tested in your blood before you start supplementing. If you live in Switzerland especially, the likelihood of a vitamin D deficiency is relatively high. This is due to the lack of sunlight during the winter months.
Vitamin D is best combined with vitamin K2, since otherwise absorption is limited and calcium uptake can be disrupted.
How can you tell if you have a vitamin D deficiency?
If one or more of these symptoms are caused by a vitamin D deficiency, it's even more worth considering vitamin D supplementation.
- Frequent infections
- Poor wound healing
- General fatigue
- Bone and back pain
- Chronic low mood, up to and including depression
Omega-3
Statistics show that most people consume too much omega-6 and too little omega-3.
Omega-3 is found in the following foods:
- Flaxseed oil
- Hemp oil
- Walnut oil
- Rapeseed oil
- Chia seeds
- Herring (Atlantic, Baltic)
- Tuna
- Sprat
- Salmon
Just like with vitamin D, the problem is that your omega-3 needs can't be sufficiently covered through food alone. That's why you should supplement with a good omega-3 product.
What functions does omega-3 have?
- Positive effect on blood lipid levels
- Lowers blood pressure when elevated
- Promotes blood circulation
- Helps prevent (recurring) heart attacks
- Beneficial effects on heart rhythm disorders
- Reduces the progression of chronic inflammation
- Supports eye health
- Important for brain metabolism and function
More omega-3 is always better?
Actually, no. For omega-3 to deliver its full benefits, the ratio between omega-3 and omega-6 in the body needs to be right.
Omega-6 fatty acids can narrow blood vessels and promote inflammation, while omega-3 fatty acids do exactly the opposite. If the ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acids is between 2:1 and a maximum of 5:1, these effects cancel each other out, so the body suffers no health damage from the omega-6 fatty acids. But if the ratio is significantly higher than 5:1, the risk of heart disease, high blood pressure, or rheumatism increases drastically.
Chlorella
Chlorella is a unique microalgae with unique, positive health properties. It's rich in calcium, magnesium, iron, zinc, B vitamins, beta-carotene, and vitamin C.
Chlorella algae is so valuable mainly because of its detoxifying properties. The algae can bind various pollutants, such as heavy metals, and help remove them from the body.
Chlorella is also the plant with the highest chlorophyll content. Chlorophyll has a positive effect on digestive activity and protects cell walls from oxidative damage.
Chlorophyll has further positive properties:
- stimulates the formation of red blood cells and contributes to blood purification
- higher oxygen content in the blood and better cellular respiration
- protects the cell walls from enzymatic destruction by invading bacteria.
- activates metabolism
Chlorella algae also contains a high proportion of fiber. Fiber is technically a carbohydrate, but it can't be digested. It reaches the intestines undigested, stimulates digestive activity, and ensures regular bowel movements. Fiber as such can clear the gut of toxins and pollutants by binding them and excreting them through stool.
A lasting body transformation only works with an optimal detox status. That's why chlorella is one of the must-have supplements.
Multivitamins
A question that comes up often. I would only use multivitamins in the following situations:
- a blood test reveals a deficiency in various vitamins/minerals
- increased vitamin needs due to competition preparation or intense athletic strain over weeks/months
- Winter months
So the answer is: "it depends"
Amino acids
Amino acids definitely belong on the must-have supplement list. Amino acids are the building blocks of protein. The human body needs protein and amino acids for various processes, including muscle growth. There are 23 amino acids. These include the essential amino acids (EAA), which also include the branched-chain amino acids (BCAA) leucine, isoleucine, and valine.
Unlike NEAAs (non-essential amino acids), EAAs can't be synthesized by the body itself and need to be obtained through food. Since the need for EAAs increases for muscle growth and can't be fully covered through food alone, supplementation is recommended here as well.
In the past, the recommendation was to take BCAAs – branched chain amino acids. Their main function is protecting muscle tissue from potential breakdown (catabolism). However, the latest studies show that using EAAs makes more sense.
On one hand, a high-quality protein powder already contains 18-26% BCAA. On the other hand, as already mentioned, BCAAs are a component of EAAs. Overdosing on BCAAs can also lead to an imbalance of other amino acids in the body. Specifically, this concerns a possible depletion of the also-essential amino acid tryptophan in the brain. This can result in sleep disturbances and depressive moods (study by Liebermann et al1)
Bottom line: for optimal muscle growth, the body needs a sufficient protein intake in the form of complete proteins (dietary protein and protein concentrates) combined with EAA intake. BCAAs can be, but don't have to be, consumed separately, since they're already present in sufficient amounts in protein products.
Glutamine
Glutamine is a semi-essential amino acid. In other words, the body can synthesize it itself from other amino acids. However, this is only possible to a limited extent under increased stress (training means stress for the body). Glutamine is found in all proteins and makes up about 20% of the protein storage capacity in the human body.
Glutamine has an important function for the immune system, since it's needed whenever rapid cell growth is required, among other things. Glutamine can also speed up your recovery after a hard training session and thereby reduce the resulting muscle soreness.
Glutamine is thought to increase cell volume and the energy stores within it. It also plays an important role in providing muscle glycogen (the carbohydrate stores in muscle). A good supply of glutamine can therefore improve athletic performance. These are important prerequisites for effective muscle growth.
As with BCAAs, a good protein product already contains certain amounts of glutamine.
So the same applies here: glutamine can be, but doesn't have to be, supplemented additionally. Extra supplementation could provide benefits for muscle growth.
Protein products
When choosing a protein powder, most people look at its biological value.
Biological value indicates how well the human body can use the protein contained in a food and convert it into its own protein structures.
Biological value of some foods
- Whey protein – biological value of 104–110
- Chicken egg – biological value of 100
- Tuna – biological value of 92
- Potatoes – biological value of 98–100
- Pork – biological value of 85
- Edam cheese – biological value of 85
- Soy protein – biological value of 84-86
- Beef – biological value of 80
- Poultry – biological value of 80
- Cow's milk – biological value of 88
- Rye flour – biological value of 82 (extraction rate) 78
- Beans – biological value of 72
- Corn – biological value of 72
- Rice – biological value of 66
(Source: Elmadfa/Leitzmann, 1999) Format adapted from Eberl, C., 2002
Whey protein isolate is among the protein powders with the highest biological value. But is that really the deciding factor when choosing one?
Whey protein isn't well tolerated by many people with lactose intolerance, as well as those with a sensitive gut. Pea protein is the ideal plant-based alternative.
The biological value of pea protein can be increased to the point where it matches that of whey protein. This is achieved very simply by combining pea protein with rice protein – in a ratio of 30 : 70 (30 % pea protein, 70 % rice protein).
I also recommend plant-based protein if you already eat a lot of meat, fish, and eggs. That way, your body gets the full spectrum of plant and animal protein.
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