Sometimes our sporting events are highly demanding, and this demand will not be due exclusively to the intensity of the exercise itself. The ultra-distance events or stage competitions, sports calendars where we have to compete almost weekly, will be real challenges for which we must be prepared. Therefore, in Runnea we talk about supplementation with antioxidants to recover faster and better muscle damage before intense physical activity.
A correct physical preparation is the fundamental basis to face these challenges with guarantees of success, but food will be a key element to enable a strict training regimen. In turn, the nutritional strategy during the competition, especially in ultra-endurance events, will be vital to achieve our goal.
What is mitochondrial biogenesis and how does it affect athletic performance?
Sometimes in order to optimize our performance, we look for a supplement that helps our body to perform better or to improve some function (recovery, fatigue, etc.). If we go to the market the offer of sports supplements is overwhelming, and in many cases lacks solid scientific evidence.
However, sometimes taking a supplement can be beneficial for a very specific moment of the season. In this sense, the use of antioxidants can be beneficial for a specific and specific period of our individualized training plan.
During the practice of exercise there are a series of reactions, which will generate the "dreaded" free radicals. One of the evils attributed to these free radicals is cell damage. Obviously, uncontrolled cellular damage, unresponsive to any kind of external stimulus (such as that caused by exercise) is not desirable. However, these free radicals, the product of systematic and programmed training, are one of the main precursors of such important physiological phenomena for our performance as mitochondrial biogenesis (of vital importance for generating energy from the aerobic pathway). Without this stimulus, our workouts would not be as effective because we would not achieve adaptations so important for the improvement of our performance.
Antioxidant supplementation, a successful strategy to recover from cellular damage
Sometimes, and due to ignorance, having a demanding training period leads us to seek this supplement to try to minimize muscle damage or the feeling of fatigue. However, taking these antioxidants, at key moments of the season where we seek adaptations to training, can lead to alter or reduce the adaptations associated with training.
- You may beinterested in: How to stop oxidative stress after a competition in endurance runners?
On the other hand, once we are in a competitive period, characterized by having achieved the necessary adaptations, our objective will be to reduce the fatigue carried over from previous months and to seek the best form. Sometimes, we are also faced with numerous competitions in a short period of time, which will require a quick recovery after the races. In this type of situation, where regeneration after a competition is a priority, supplementation with antioxidants can be a successful strategy with the aim of minimizing the damage caused by the practice.
A clear example where recovery is crucial for the final performance can be a stage competition. The athlete will not be looking for new adaptations during this competition, but to recover as well as possible between the different stages.
SOD enzyme, all its benefits to stop cellular damage
Sometimes, limited time or access to foods with a high concentration of antioxidants (berries, green leafy vegetables, green tea, etc.) makes the occasional use of supplements an interesting option.
One of the main responsible for minimizing the damage generated by the superoxide anion radical (one of the most important free radicals) is the enzyme superoxide dismustase (SOD). This enzyme is characterized as one of the main containment barriers and helps subsequent mechanisms of action against cell damage. In a way, SOD neutralizes the action of superoxide anion, making it possible that the damage it can generate on our cells is much less.
This enzyme (SOD) is present inside the mitochondria, in the cytoplasm of the cell and in the extracellular fluid.
- You may beinterested in: Watch out, runner: Do you want to improve your athletic performance in a natural way?
There are different types of supplements on the market, especially antioxidants. However, there are differences between products and brands. In this regard, the Spanish brand TetraSOD® presents one of the products with the highest concentration of the enzyme SOD, thanks to the use of marine phytoplankton.
However, the SOD enzyme will not only have an antioxidant function, there is a hypothesis that this enzyme plays a relevant role in improving the immune system. This could help the athlete to reduce the chances of suffering from colds in the weeks before the main competition or during weeks of high demand.
Read more news about: Nutrition
