Introduction
Nowadays, there is a lot of talk and writing about dietary supplements, but what exactly are dietary supplements? There are many interpretations and definitions of dietary supplements and drawing a clear line between when a supplement is part of the diet and when it is considered doping is not at all a simple task. Here we will provide the definition of dietary supplements given by prof. Dr. Sergej Ostojić. “Supplementation is the additional intake of nutritional substances and non-pharmacological agents with the aim of achieving certain health effects or improving sports performance. Supplementation includes essential nutrients (vitamins, minerals, proteins, carbohydrates) and non-essential substances (inosine, carnosine, plant extracts) with the aim of increasing muscle mass, reducing body mass and fat content, improving specific elements of form (strength, speed, endurance) and improvement of sports supplements”.
Sports Supplements – Why are They Important
Sports supplements play an important role in planning nutrition and improving the performance of athletes. What is important for every athlete is that the supplement is effective and that it is not considered a doping agent. That is why, in addition to choosing a supplement that “works”, it is important to choose a high quality and reliable manufacturer.
The goals of sports supplementation are numerous and depend on what we want to achieve by taking a particular supplement – whether it is an increase in muscle mass, a decrease in body mass and fat content, an increase in endurance, strength, or speed. Creatine is one of the few supplements that can act on all these items, but sometimes it is desirable to combine it with another supplement to further enhance the effect.
Slika 1: Benefit CreGAAtine
creGAAtine
CreGAAtine is currently the best creatine-based supplement on the market. CreGAAtine is a combination of creatine and the substance from which it is formed, guanidinoacetic acid (GAA). Thanks to the addition of GAA, CreGAAtine has superior effects compared to standard creatine:
- Significantly greater increase in creatine in the muscles (8.5x greater increase in creatine in the muscles)
- Significantly greater increase in creatine in the brain
- There is no weight gain caused by water retention
- It “targets” less developed muscles
- It does not retain moisture thanks to the packaging in sachets containing one dose, which preserves the quality of the product
In addition to all these benefits, CreGAAtine has a certificate from the Informed Sports organization and the World Anti-Doping Agency, which means that it does not belong to doping agents.
Besides increased capacity for stronger training and thus allowing us to develop muscles faster, CreGAAtine has additional mechanisms by which it acts on muscle growth. CreGAAtine works to increase insulin-like growth factor that promotes muscle growth and development. It also affects the main pathway of muscle tissue synthesis, called mTOR. Additionally, CreGAAtine prevents the action of factors that reduce muscle growth, the so-called. myostatin (1). Thanks to all these mechanisms of action, CreGAAtine is a key supplement on the way to building muscle mass.
Karnozin Extra
Karnozin Extra is a unique combination of carnosine, coenzyme Q10, carnitine and natural antioxidants. Carnosine is a substance that consists of two amino acids, beta alanine and L-histidine. The highest concentration of carnosine is in skeletal muscles, like creatine.
Karnozin Extra is an ideal supplement for the combination with CreGAAtine because they complement each other’s effects, they act synergistically. CreGAAtine increases energy reserves in our body and thus increases training capacity. Karnozin Extra prevents the increase of acidity in the muscle that occurs during intense training. In this way, by combining CreGAAtine and Karnozin Extra, we act on two fronts, we give the body more energy, and on the other hand, we prevent muscle fatigue, which overall increases the capacity for training and performance. Also, Karnozin Extra stimulates the work of mitochondria, which are the main energy cells in our body (you can read more about it in the next blog post).
Slika 2: Karnozin extra and CreGAAtine
Kolostrum Extra Pure Gold
Colostrum is a sports supplement that has been in the spotlight for 25 years thanks to its enormous potential. Cow colostrum is the first milk obtained after calving and represents, so to speak, “milk concentrate”.
Colostrum helps athletes build muscle mass, improves sports performance, supports the functioning of the immune system, and reduces muscle damage caused by exercise (2). Colostrum also balances the permeability of our intestines. It has been shown that any form of stress, including intense training, can damage the function and integrity of our intestines. This increase in permeability can have a bad effect on our body because, due to the increased permeability, toxins and bacteria can pass from the intestines into the bloodstream, which further burdens our immune system. This intestinal damage is often the cause of symptoms such as cramping, diarrhoea and nausea, which are symptoms that occur in 50% of marathon runners (3). Kolostrum Extra Pure Gold is colostrum that comes from an organic farm, and does not contain GMOs, antibiotics or hormones. Kolostrum Extra Pure Gold contains 8 out of a total of 9 essential amino acids, which are those amino acids that the body cannot only create, but must be consumed through food. An adequate intake of amino acids is a key factor for the growth and development of our muscles during increased effort.
Conclusion
Based on everything written so far, we can conclude that supplementation is an important part in achieving the set goals, especially when it comes to the growth of muscle mass. In addition to proper nutrition, it is necessary to help the body with supplements that stimulate the growth of muscle mass. This is primarily where CreGAAtine helps due to its multiple mechanisms of action on muscle development. The effect of CreGAAtine can be enhanced by the addition of supplements that contain amino acids, minerals and vitamins that are necessary for muscle development, such as Kolostrum Extra Pure Gold, or supplements that allow us to train harder and longer, such as Karnozin Extra.
References:
- Ostojic SM, Premusz V, Nagy D, Acs P. Guanidinoacetic acid as a novel food for skeletal muscle health. Journal of Functional Foods. 2020 Oct 1;73:104129.
- Davison G. The use of bovine colostrum in sport and exercise. Nutrients. 2021 May 24;13(6):1789.
- Jeukendrup AE, Vet-Joop K, Sturk A, Stegen JH, Senden J, Saris WH, Wagenmakers AJ. Relationship between gastro-intestinal complaints and endotoxaemia, cytokine release and the acute-phase reaction during and after a long-distance triathlon in highly trained men. Clinical science. 2000 Jan 1;98(1):47-55.
