BRANCHED-CHAIN AMINO ACIDS (BCAAs): Proteins are the main structural components of the body's cells and tissues within the human body. These largely make up the muscles and organs. They are necessary both for the growth, development and maintenance of the body, as well as for repairing and replacing worn or damaged tissues (1). Amino acids (AAs) are essential components of these proteins There are more than twenty different amino acids, which can be combined in any order and repeated in different ways to form them. These include amino acids we find the essential ones, those that the body is not able to synthesize and consequently must be ingested through our food. Within these essential amino acids are the branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs): leucine, isoleucine and valine.
The ingestion of BCAAs before and after exercise has been shown to have an effect that is not only anticatabolic, reducing muscle damage induced by exercise, but also anabolic, stimulating protein synthesis (2) as long as the degree of muscle damage is low to moderate. (3,4). Supplementation with BCAAs has been shown to generates a lower degree of pain, less perception of effort and a better immune response (5) during recovery periods.
Supplementing with different combinations of BCAAs therefore reduces fatigue at a central level (inhibiting brain production of serotonin), particularly during exertion involving a high environmental heat load. It can extend the time before you feel exhausted during aerobic exercises, the effect of which is greater in less seasoned athletes. During prolonged exercise, branched chain amino acids are oxidised in the muscle to obtain energy, thereby reducing their blood levels (6).
In 2010, the European Food Safety Agency (EFSA) issued a report on nutritional and health claims relating BCAAs to the growth or maintenance of muscle mass, attenuation of the decrease in muscle mass in high-altitude sports, faster recovery from muscle fatigue after exercise, reduced perceived exertion during exercise and a healthy immune system (7).
L-GLUTAMINE: Glutamine is an amino acid (AA) derived from another, glutamic acid. It is the most abundant AA in plasma and muscle. Glutamine synthesis in muscle is greater than that of any other AAs. The reason for this high production rate is based on its role as fuel for the cells of the immune system and the intestinal mucosa, and it also participates in the synthesis of purines. This AA is therefore used as an additional supplement by athletes to maintain or improve immune function.
There are studies that show that resistance training can increase plasma concentrations of glutamine, which would improve the adaptive capacity of the immune system (8). Glutamine has an important role in protein metabolism, and hence it can have an anti-proteolytic effect in athletes undergoing very intense training with great muscle destruction.
The administration of glutamine has been proposed to prevent the appearance of fatigue, promote the recovery of muscle fibres, avoid catabolic processes in situations of metabolic stress and, thereby, reduce the incidence of infections (9).
Glutamine is sold in powder or capsules form for oral administration. Certain protocols indicate that it should be taken more than 1 hour before training, or during and after training, to slow protein catabolism and contribute to muscle anabolism. Therefore, supplementation should be used at the beginning of the sports season, in training with high catabolic demands and in the inter-competitive season.
MAGNESIUM: contributes to reducing tiredness and fatigue, electrolyte balance, normal energy metabolism, normal muscle function, contributes to normal protein synthesis, maintaining bones in normal conditions and intervenes in the process of cell division.
CALCIUM: Calcium is of great interest in the supplementation of athletes following exercise thanks to the variety of functionalities it presents, such as contributing to normal energy metabolism, the normal functioning of muscles and the maintenance of bones.
PHOSPHORUS: In combination with calcium, phosphorus contributes to normal bone maintenance, as well as normal energy metabolism and normal function of cell membranes.
IRON: Iron is the trace mineral found in greatest quantity in the human body. Its main roles are the transport of oxygen both in blood (as part of haemoglobin complexes) and in muscle (myoglobin), and the functioning of the enzymes responsible for energy production. Maintaining oxygen transport and energy metabolism during exercise is essential. However, iron deficiencies are one of the most commonly observed in elite athletes (especially women), which can limit their work capacity and muscle function (10). In terms of iron deficiency, its supplementation has not only shown an improvement in blood biochemistry but also increases sports performance, reflecting an improvement in oxygen intake, better control of heart rate and a decrease in lactate concentration in the blood and muscle fatigue (11,12).
ZINC: contributes to normal DNA synthesis, normal acid-base metabolism, normal carbohydrate metabolism, normal macronutrient metabolism, normal fatty acid metabolism, normal vitamin A metabolism, normal protein synthesis, maintenance of bones in normal conditions, normal functioning of the immune system, protection of cells against oxidative stress and intervenes in the process of cell division.
MANGANESE: contributes to normal energy metabolism, to the maintenance of bones in normal conditions, to the normal formation of connective tissue, to the protection of cells against oxidative stress.
POTASSIUM: Plasma potassium levels tend to decrease during exercise (13). Potassium is essential for isotonicity, electrolyte balance, nerve transmission, and active transport mechanisms (11).
IODINE: contributes to normal energy metabolism.
SODIUM: Water with sodium is mainly lost during exercise, specifically in sports that involve a high degree of sweating. The intake of sodium after exercise improves muscle performance and prevents fatigue in endurance sports (11).
SELENIUM: contributes to the normal functioning of the immune system, the normal functioning of the thyroid and the protection of cells against oxidative stress.
VITAMIN B3: contributes to normal energy metabolism, maintenance of the mucous membranes and reduce tiredness and fatigue.
VITAMIN B5: contributes to normal energy metabolism, mental performance and reducing tiredness and fatigue.
VITAMIN B6: contributes to the normal synthesis of cysteine, normal energy metabolism, normal metabolism of homocysteine, proteins and glycogen, maintenance of red blood cells, normal functioning of the immune system and reducing tiredness and fatigue.
VITAMIN B9: contributes to the normal synthesis of amino acids, normal blood formation, normal homocysteine metabolism, normal functioning of the immune system, reduction of tiredness and fatigue and is involved in the process of cell division.
