Nutrition. Vitamins. You.
If you’re looking to build and maintain muscle health, it’s important to make sure you are getting the proper nutrients. Learn more about the nutrients you need from Melissa Bistricer, RDN.
Do you know which nutrients your body needs before and after you exercise? It can depend on the person. Learn about some important nutrients for energy production and muscle recovery from Amanda Williams, MPH.
Invite Health Podcast, Episode hosted by Jerry Hickey. Ph
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Can Vitamin D improve strength in younger people and help you keep mobile when you are older? That’s what we’re going to be discussing on today’s podcast episode. There are numerous studies that say that is true! Let’s discuss.
A recent headline reads, “Can Vitamin D Make You Stronger?” Well, a study from the University of Birmingham makes that case. Increased levels of Vitamin D led to stronger leg strength, according to the study published in the journal PLOS One. The level of Vitamin D was studied based on blood levels, not just dietary consumption. If you have young, healthy skin and you are out in the sun, the sun interacts with the cholesterol in your skin, then your liver, and then your kidneys all to be converted into the active form. In this particular study, researchers used the active form of Vitamin D.
A review of 310 adults (between the ages of 21 and 32) from seven different human clinical trials from Queen Mary University in London, found that Vitamin D supplementation increased upper arm and lower leg strength. The precursor that is stored in the liver is not yet activated (it has to go through the kidneys to be activated). The amount coming from the liver is easy to check because it is stored in the blood for two weeks. This level should be at least 35 and these studied indicate that that is enough to provide the muscle strength benefit. This does not mean that a level of 35 is perfect for all of the different benefits and attributes that come from the vitamin. Some of the its activities require higher levels in the blood, like a level of 50 or 55. I believe that a level between 50 to 75 is perfect. That Vitamin D then travels to the kidneys, interacts with Magnesium and is then converted to the fully active form.
Vitamin D Sports Injury Studies
The National Football League (NFL) holds a combine, where college athletes are tested in front of coaches and scouts. In 2014, the blood levels of vitamin D in 214 athletes were studied by researchers and they found that the athletes that had low levels, also had a higher risk of breaking or fracturing a bone and poorer muscle function. Over half of the athletes trying out for the NFL (59%) had inadequate Vitamin D. An additional 10% were actually deficient. The Hospital for Special Surgery in New York reported, “our study revealed that 86% of the players who missed competition because of strain injury had inadequate levels of Vitamin D. Lower extremity muscle strength or core muscle injury was present in 50% of athletes, which was stronger associated with lower Vitamin D levels.”
How Vitamin D and Fish Oils Can Help With Fading Muscles. Listen Now >>
A study done of the Pittsburgh Steelers found that 69% of the team members had low Vitamin D. They collected this data pre-season during their training camp. Those with the lowest levels were much more likely to get injured and were released from the team due to their injury. A separate study in 2011 was done on the New York Giants, where 30% of the team members had low levels themselves (to the point of deficient), 51% were insufficient (low but not deficient), and 17% were normal. They found that muscle injury was strongly correlated with the amount of Vitamin D.
Thank you for tuning in to the Invite Health Podcast. You can find all of our episodes for free wherever you listen to podcasts or by visiting www.invitehealth.com/podcast. Make sure you subscribe and leave us a review! Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram at Invite Health today. We’ll see you next time on another episode of the Invite Health Podcast.
The body requires 20 different amino acids in order to function properly. Creatine is one of those amino acids and has been studied for its benefit for both muscle and brain health.
Protein is one of the basic building blocks of the human body and is essential for things like healthy skin, muscle building, energy and more! Whey Protein is the best source, in order to reap all of the benefits of its important amino acids.
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Creatine Monohydrate is not just for your muscles and it’s not just for gym lovers! Research over the past 20 years has shown that it is beneficial for your muscles, but it also supplies excellent benefit for your brain.
What is Creatine?
Creatine was first identified in 1832 as a major component of muscle. By 1912, Harvard researchers found that ingesting a Creatine supplement boosted its content in muscle. It is a naturally-occuring amino acid that supplies energy to all cells.
Creatine truly came into public view during the Barcelona Olympics of 1992. The Gold Medal winners for the men’s 100 meter race and for the women’s 400-meter hurdles were both Creatine users.
Muscle Health Benefits
A molecule in muscle called ATP releases a phosphate group and then becomes ADP. The release of the phosphate group gives energy. Creatine Monohydrate recycles ADP back to ATP faster helping maintain the pool of energy for muscle during physical performance.
According to a large volume of research, this important amino acid has been shown to improve power, increase muscle development and build strength, reduce the risk of injury, and speed up the rate of recovery after exercise or after sports performance. It also boosts endurance. Research also shows that taking Creatine after exercise works better for building strength which makes sense because muscle fibers open up during exercise so it is easier to get nutrients into the muscle tissue.†
Creatine is also very safe; a review of 200 published studies by researchers led by Texas A&M University proves its safety and reliability.
Brain Health Benefits
Creatine works in the brain similar to the way it works in muscle – by accelerating the recovery of energy. It also works as an antioxidant in the brain, helping to shield the brain from injury.
About twenty years ago, animal research was already indicating that Creatine Monohydrate was potentially protective for the brain, and that it may help shield it from getting damaged (such as during the traumatic brain injury incurred during a football game). It also has potential to help shield the brain from age-related brain diseases such as Parkinson’s disease. Human clinical trials show that it helps protect the brain from trauma in both the young and adults. In traumatic brain injury patients, Creatine Monohydrate gave a significant improvement in communication, cognition, personality and behavior, and the ability of the patient to take care of themselves.†
In numerous clinical studies, Creatine has been shown improve brain performance.†
– Jerry Hickey, Ph.
In 2003, researchers from the University of Sydney found that Creatine Monohydrate supplements boosted working memory and intelligence in a group of young vegetarians. This is important, because vegans and vegetarians cannot obtain this important amino acid from food. Further research in 2010 from the University of Swansea in the UK confirms this finding; within the first five days Creatine improved the memory of vegetarians. The study included 121 young women who were either vegetarians or omnivores, showing that it improved memory functions by 40% within the first five days in vegetarians. For the rest of the population, results showed that Creatine improved how quickly the brain worked and how accurately the women answered questions, but also and importantly supported brain energy.
This is a very important finding. Recent research in the elderly finds that they become inactive not because their body is tired but because their brain is tired and research shows that supplementation of this memory and muscle amino acid safely improves muscle strength and endurance in the elderly but it also boosts their brain energy; something very difficult to achieve otherwise.
Thank you for tuning in to the Invite Health Podcast. You can find all of our episodes for free wherever you listen to podcasts or by visiting www.invitehealth.com/podcast. Make sure you subscribe and leave us a review! Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram at Invite Health today. We’ll see you next time on another episode of the Invite Health Podcast.
