Sports Nutrition Myths
No food, drug, or nutrients can quickly build muscles, increase speed, or improve endurance. Serious athletes are always looking for ways to improve their performance. Unfortunately, many athletes want to improve themselves so much that they will try almost anything. They may be fooled by foods, drugs, or nutrients that promise miraculous improvement. Athletes may also listen to inaccurate advice and may avoid eating some foods that really are nutritious. Athletes should beware of the following sports nutrition myths.
Muscle Building Myths
The more protein and protein supplements you eat, the more muscle you will have.
INCORRECT. There is no evidence that excess protein will lead to more or stronger muscles. In fact, excess
protein is stored by the body as fat.
Steroids are the best way to develop massive muscles.
INCORRECT. Steroids can be dangerous. While steroids are powerful drugs that help build muscle, they have
many risky side effects. Taking steroids can stunt your growth, cause acne, deepen your voice, and alter your sex organs. You can build muscle with diet and exercise. Although it takes a little longer, you're not risking your health.
Quick-Energy Myths
Eating honey, sugar, soft drinks, or any sweets just before competition will provide a burst of quick energy.
INCORRECT. Sugary foods eaten just before competition do not improve your speed or strength. That's because it takes the body one to four hours to digest food. So foods eaten just before an event are in your stomach when you compete. Most of the energy used in competition or practice comes from food eaten days before the event that has been stored in your muscles.
Vitamin supplements will give you more energy.
INCORRECT. None of the 14 known vitamins supplies energy. Some vitamins help the body use energy. However, these vitamins are easily supplied by an athlete's normal diet. Megadoses of vitamins won't give you more energy
or improve your endurance. If you consume more vitamin C or B vitamins than your body needs, they are simply flushed out in your urine. If you consume more vitamins A and D than you need, they are stored in your fat.
Too much of these vitamins can be poisonous.
Performance Myths
Water during exercise causes upset stomach and slows you down.
INCORRECT. There is no evidence that drinking water during exercise causes upset stomach or any other problems. In fact, drinking fluids during exercise is very important. Drinking 1/2 cup of fluid such as cool water every 10-15 minutes during exercise helps replace body fluids lost as sweat.
Drinking milk causes cotton mouth.
INCORRECT. Cotton mouth is dry mouth due to lack of saliva. It seems to be the result of emotional stress and a loss of body fluids, not drinking milk.
Muscle cramps are cause by inadequate salt intake.
INCORRECT. Cramps are caused by server losses of water through sweating. Drinking water before, during, and after exercise can prevent these water losses. Salt tablets can aggravate this condition by increasing the body's need for water.
Special supplements such as amino acids, bee pollen, ginseng, brewer's yeast and DNA improve athletic performance.
INCORRECT. There is no evidence that any of these substances improve athletic performance. Most of these items are expensive. Some may even be harmful to both performance and health.
Athletic success is not a miracle. It is the result of talent, hard training, and plenty of preparation before competition. Athletes who look for miracles instead of following a sensible diet and training program can hurt their bodies and their performance.
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