Will enzymes help me with body building?

Most likely. If an adequate number of metabolic enzymes are not working in the muscle tissue, there would be little or no muscular growth and little or no muscular activity to create growth. Enzymes are the catalysts that first digest food then convert it into energy to make the muscles move and grow.

Do athletes need to take vitamin supplements?

Popular belief has it that vitamin supplements offer athletes both health benefits and improved athletic performance. According to one survey, 84% of world-class athletes use vitamin supplements. It goes without saying that athletes need adequate vitamins and minerals to perform. But are the amounts that are adequate for sedentary people also adequate for active people? If not, which nutrients do active people need more of? The answers remain uncertain, but science is searching for them in the metabolic workings of the muscles and in the roles that vitamins play there. However, research seems to indicate that athletes’ vitamin needs differ very little from the RDA. It should be pointed out that vitamins and minerals are co-enzymes, which means they need an enzyme to work. Vitamins do not deliver energy by themselves they require enzymes for energy. It is the enzyme that unlocks the energy in food.

Do athletes and physically active people have different enzyme needs than others?

Yes, in theory athletes have a greater need for enzymes. Research has shown that enzymes hare lost in perspiration and the body uses up enzymes at a greater rate during exercise. This is especially true for those that push their body past it’s endurance level.

I’m trying to body build and I want to know if enzymes will help me do this?

Most likely. If muscle tissue enzymes are not working in the muscle tissue, there would be no muscular growth, nor even the basic muscular activity to create growth. Enzymes are the catalyst that turn food into energy to make the muscles move and grow.

What is the ideal diet for athletes?

First, athletes need a nutrient-dense diet composed mostly of unprocessed foods. These foods should supply maximum vitamins and minerals for the energy they provide. When athletes rely heavily on processed foods that have suffered nutrient losses and contain added sugar and fat, nutrition status suffers. Even if these foods are fortified or enriched, manufacturers cannot replace the whole range of nutrients and non-nutrients lost in processing.

Second, athletes must eat for energy, and energy needs may be immense. The athlete may want full glycogen stores as well. Simply stated, a diet that is high in carbohydrate (65% of total calories) low in fat, (20% or less), and adequate in protein (15%) meets the athlete’s energy needs and works best to ensure full glycogen and other nutrient stores.

Third, athletes need protein. Meats, eggs, milk, and milk by-products are rich protein sources. To recommend that athletes eat plenty of meat, eggs, and milk by-products would be narrow advice for many reasons. For one thing, athletes must protect themselves from heart disease, and even lean meats contain fat, much of it saturated fat. To best meet protein needs, athletes need to eat a variety of protein food sources. Substitute fish, chicken, and plant proteins instead of consuming mostly meat, eggs, and milk by-products. Eating lean red meats (sparingly) is an excellent way to add quality protein to the diet. Don’t just eat red meat every meal. Drinking low-fat milk and eating low-fat milk by-products is also an excellent way to obtain quality protein in the diet.