Think Trace Nutrients For Health

Minerals may not be the most glamorous sports nutrition supplement, but they are very important and frequently ignored – particularly in the bodybuilding diet. The typical bodybuilding diet, for example, focuses on egg whites, oatmeal, chicken breast, rice, vegetables (sound familiar?) I knew one bodybuilder who ate nothing but tuna and brown rice (even for breakfast). I pleaded with him to take a mineral supplement, but he didn’t think it was important. Mineral supplements cost a few cents a day and can provide valuable insurance against some major problems you really don’t want, like osteoporosis and anemia.

Which brings us to this month’s topic: trace elements. These are the minerals required by the body in very small amounts. The body generally stores less than five grams of the trace minerals, so supplementation is helpful. This column will discuss three trace elements: iron, zinc, and chromium.

IRON

Iron is probably the most well studied of these, and also perhaps the one which is most commonly deficient. Most of the body’s iron is found in the red blood cells, where it is bound by hemoglobin. Hemoglobin is the protein which transports oxygen from the lungs to working tissues. Without enough iron, you can’t make enough hemoglobin and then this reduces the blood’s oxygen carrying capacity. In this condition, known as iron deficiency anemia, exercise performance is severely limited.

The average man will have about 1,000 mg of stored iron, while women store only about 300 mg. Most men lose about one mg of iron a day; a menstruating woman loses about 1.4 mg. This is variable, however, and can be as high as 2.2 mg a day. Unfortunately, your intestines are not very efficient at absorbing iron. On average only about 10 percent of the iron you ingest is actually absorbed. For this reason the RDA for iron is 10 mg a day for adult males and 15 mg a day for adult non-pregnant females.

Dietary iron comes in two general forms, called heme iron and nonheme iron. Heme iron (found in meat and liver) is relatively well absorbed – about 23 percent. Only about three to eight percent of nonheme iron (found in vegetables) is absorbed.

The Parrillo Performance Mineral Electrolyte Formula™ provides five mg of iron per tablet in a special chelate form to enhance absorption. For the ultimate iron supplement, try Liver Amino Formula™, an ultra-purified liver preparation that supplies heme iron. Endurance athletes, women, and vegetarians are at greatest risk for iron deficiency and should consider this supplement. It has been specially prepared, with the fat and cholesterol removed, and it provides high-quality protein in addition to heme iron.

ZINC

Zinc is another important trace element. It is found in meat, seafood and poultry. Zinc is bound to many enzymes and is required for the optimum function of many diverse metabolic pathways. Zinc deficiency results in reduced growth rate, anorexia (appetite loss), and impaired wound healing. Several studies have shown that athletes are more prone to zinc deficiency than sedentary people (1-3). Among the various studies, about 23 percent of female runners were found to be zinc deficient. This seems to be a result of both increased zinc excretion in urine and sweat as well as decreased zinc intake. Although zinc is not normally thought to be a key mineral for exercise performance, it is required for an enzyme involved in anaerobic energy production, the energy pathways that power weight lifting. So while adding extra zinc probably won’t improve your lifting, a zinc deficiency could definitely hurt it.

CHROMIUM

Chromium is of special interest to athletes because it helps insulin act more effectively, and thus improves carbohydrate utilization. Some studies suggest it also has effects on lipid metabolism and perhaps lean body mass. The RDA for chromium has been set at 50 to 200 micrograms (mcg) a day. Most people consume between five and 150 mcg a day. Chromium deficiency is common, probably because it is depleted in refined foods. The best food sources for chromium are meats, whole grains, yeast, nuts, cheese and molasses. Urinary excretion of chromium is increased by exercise, so athletes probably have a higher chromium requirement (4).

Several studies have examined the role of chromium in weight training athletes (5,6). One group of beginning weight trainers were given 200 mcg of chromium per day for 40 days. The group increased lean body mass significantly more than the group given a placebo. Similar results were observed with football players. In another study, women receiving chromium achieved greater increases in lean body mass during a 12-week weight lifting program, but no difference was seen in men.

Some studies have also indicated that chromium might help fat metabolism as well.

The Parrillo Mineral Electrolyte Formula™ provides 25 mcg of chromium as chromium picolinate per tablet. Our vitamin and mineral supplements are designed to be taken one tablet with each meal. That will work out to be five or six tablets a day for most bodybuilders. This will supply 25 to 30 mg of iron each day, in addition to all of the other minerals included. This is enough to ensure adequate iron and chromium stores even in intensely training athletes, who lose more minerals daily and thus have higher requirements.

For best results, take one Parrillo Mineral Electrolyte Formula™ with each meal. This supplement is an excellent source of essential nutrients for metabolic functions. It’s a must for the hard-training athlete.

References

1. Dressendorfer RH and Sockolov R. Hypozincemia in runners. Phys. Sportsmed. 8(4):97 (1980).

2. Haralambie G. Serum zinc in athletes in training. Int. J. Sports Med. 2:135 (1981).

3. Singh A, Deuster PA and Moser PB. Zinc and copper status of women by physical activity and menstrual status. J. Sports Med. Phys. Fitness 30:29 (1990).

4. Anderson RA, Plansky MM and Bryden NA. Strenuous running: acute effects on chromium, copper, zinc and selected clinical variables in urine and serum of male runners. Biol. Trace Elem. Res. 6:327 (1984).

5. Evans GW. The effect of chromium picolinate on insulin controlled parameters in humans. Int. J. Biosocial Med. Res. 11:163 (1989).

6. Hasten DL, Rome EP, Franks BD and Hegsted M. Anabolic effects of chromium picolinate on beginning weight training students. Int. J. Sports Nutr. 2: 343 (1993).