THE 8 TOP SUPPLEMENTS FOR EXERCISERS OF ANY AGE

Whether you want to stay in peak health, have healthy joints, develop lean muscle, or all the above, there are 8 supplement “musts” to help you reach and maintain your health and fitness status. I’ve outlined them here, in no particular order. Keep in mind, though, no supplement works as effectively unless it is supported by proper diet.

#1 Multivitamins

Multivitamins fill in gaps in today’s nutrient-depleted food, and provides nutritional insurance that we’re getting the vitamins we need for great health. Parrillo Performance’s Essential Vitamin Formula™ starts with a 500 mg base of vitamin C and adds in vitamin A, B-1, B-2, B-6, and B-12, plus a jolt of folic acid, and for the Grand Finale, 5,000 iu of beta-carotene, the mightiest of antioxidants. This perfect combination of vitamins and minerals will help keep you going by supplying your body with much needed vitamin insurance. Suggested usage: One tablet with each meal.

#2 Vitamin C

With exercise, there’s a dramatic increase in the amount of oxygen used by your body. A fraction of this oxygen is converted into “free radicals.” Free radicals are unstable oxygen molecules that attack
bodily tissues. (1)

Fortunately, the body is equipped with a mighty defense team of substances known as antioxidants, which neutralize free radicals and prevent them from doing harm. Vitamin C is one of these antioxidants. It keeps free radicals from destroying the outermost layers of cells and has the power to regenerate vitamin E, another antioxidant. (2)

Normally, free radicals don’t cause much of a problem. But during strenuous activity, free radicals can start outnumbering antioxidants – a condition called “oxidative stress.” It leads to muscle tissue damage and inflammation, increases the body’s consumption of antioxidants, and leaves you vulnerable to disease. (3)

You may be able to ward off oxidative stress, however, by supplementing with vitamin C. In a recent experiment, investigators discovered that oxidative stress was highest when subjects did not supplement with vitamin C. (4)

To ensure that you get the vitamin C your body demands, supplementation with extra amounts than you get in our multivitamin is an excellent idea. Our Bio-C™ formula contains 1000 mg of vitamin C per tablet, and is formulated with health-building Citrus Bioflavonoids (concentrate from lemons, oranges, grapefruit, limes, tangerines). Take one or more tablet daily, preferably with meals

#3 Vitamin D

You’ll get sufficient levels of this important vitamin in our multivitamin, but I wanted to underline its importance separately. Inadequate levels of vitamin D increase risk for a host of conditions, including high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, cancers, arthritis, obesity, diabetes, osteoporosis, and overall risk of premature death. So you definitely want this nutrient in your supplemental arsenal!

#4 Vitamin E

Vitamin E is a component of cells, sandwiched between the fatty layers that make up cell membranes. When disease-causing free radicals come along, they hitch up to vitamin E, damaging it instead of the rest of the cell membrane. In the process, vitamin E soaks up the free radicals, and the cell is protected from harm. Vitamin C and other antioxidants can regenerate vitamin E. But with a shortage of vitamin E, there is an increase in free radicals, cellular injuries, and subsequent disorders to bodily
tissues.

Vitamin E is thus an important antioxidant that saves cells from damage. Specifically, vitamin E prevents a free radical-initiated process known as “lipid peroxidation.” In a domino-like series of chemical reactions, free radicals hook up with fatty acids in the body to form substances called “peroxides.” Peroxides attack cell membranes, setting off a chain reaction that creates many more free radicals.

Because of vitamin E’s positive effect on the immune system and other factors, I believe supplementation with this vitamin is important. Our Natural Vitamin E Plus™, made from natural vegetable sources and therefore well assimilated by the body, is a good source of vitamin E. I recommend 1 capsule a day, taken with meals.

#5 Multiminerals

Many trace minerals play key roles in energy metabolism. During intense exercise, the rate of energy turnover in skeletal muscle may be increased up to 20 to 100 times the resting rate. Although an adequate vitamin and mineral status is essential for normal health, marginal deficiency states may occur when the metabolic rate is high.

Prolonged strenuous exercise performed on a regular basis may also result in increased losses from the body or in an increased rate of turnover, resulting in the need for an increased dietary intake, from food and supplements. Increasing your calories from lean, nutritious food, such as the foods recommended on the Parrillo Nutrition Program, can help increase your intake of trace minerals, but exercisers may need to pay additional attention to their intake, particularly of iron and
calcium.

Per tablet, Parrillo Mineral-Electrolyte™ contains 250 mg of calcium, 5 mg of iron, 250 mg of phosphorus, 75 mcg of iodine in the form of kelp, 250 mg of magnesium, 11 mg of zinc, 50 mcg of selenium, 500 mcg of copper, 10 mg of manganese, 25 mcg of chromium picolinate, 45 mg of potassium, 500 mcg of boron, along with other nutrients. I recommend that you take one tablet with each meal during the day for improved metabolism and well-being.

#6 Fish Oil

Fish oil contains omega-3 fatty acids, which are essential fats that your body needs to function properly but does not make. Humans must eat them through food, which means eating seafood, such as salmon, tuna, sardines, mackerel or shellfish. Among the most potent omega-3s fatty acids are eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA).

Fish oil has an impressive resume of benefits. Fish oil and the omega-3 fatty acids it contains can help you boost your exercise performance. In a study of 32 healthy men, researchers found that supplementation with fish oil boosted aerobic power almost as much as the aerobic exercise itself! (5)

Fish oil may also prevent breast cancer. It combats inflammation and improves virtually all aspects of health, including the heart, skin, brain, joints, and overall mood.

Each capsule of Parrillo Fish Oil DHA 800 EPA 200™ contains 1100 milligrams of omega-3 fatty acids; this includes 800 milligrams of DHA and 200 milligrams of EPA. I suggest supplementing with 2 capsules daily, taken with meals.

#7 Evening Primrose Oil

Evening primrose oil in particular has specific benefits for athletes, bodybuilders – really, anyone who is interested in improving personal health and fitness. It comes from a plant that grows wild along roadsides. It is so named because its yellow flowers resemble in color real primroses, and these flowers open only in the evening.

From this oil, your body can directly obtain GLA, which stands for gamma-linolenic acid. GLA is ultimately converted into the prostaglandin E1 series, a group of beneficial chemicals that helps reduce inflammation, regulates blood clotting, decreases cholesterol levels, and lowers high blood pressure, among other functions. Thus, evening primrose oil is indicated for various diseases or conditions in which prostaglandins are associated, and these include premenstrual syndrome (PMS); heart disease; diabetic neuropathy, a type of nerve damage that is a complication of diabetes; and arthritis. A growing number of medical experts and scientists now believe that taking GLA-rich oils can effectively fight inflammation – the major cause of swollen, painful joints. GLA is a building block of a beneficial type of prostaglandin, which exerts an anti-inflammatory effect on the body. Thus, supplementing with GLA increases production of these prostaglandins and may help control the pain and inflammation associated with joint problems and arthritis.

The Parrillo Performance solution is Evening Primrose Oil™ a concentrated source of essential fatty acids, including GLA. EFA’s keep joints lubricated, hair and skin healthy, and brain neurons firing correctly. Each 1000 mg gel cap contains 30 IU’s of vitamin E, 100 mg of Gamma Linolenic Acid and 760 mg of Linoleic Acid. Take one to three capsules daily.

#8 Glucosamine & Support Nutrients

Our ongoing research recently led us to develop the Parrillo Joint Formula™ to assist in the rebuilding of damaged joints, tendons, cartilage, and soft tissue. The nutrients contained in this supplement include:

Glucosamine: Chemically, glucosamine is a combination of glucose and amino acids, and it has been extensively studied for joint health and support. When you supplement with glucosamine, it gathers in the liver, kidneys and articular cartilage. Once it reaches the chondrocytes, the cells that produce cartilage, the glucosamine is incorporated into those cells. Eventually, it forms a viscous fluid that helps protect and lubricate your joints and cartilage.

Chrondroitin: Like glucosamine, this is another one of the molecules that make up cartilage. One of its functions is to attract fluid into the tissue, and this gives cartilage resistance and elasticity. Also like glucosamine, chondroitin appears to stimulate cartilage cells to create new cartilage and it may also slow the breakdown of cartilage.

Shark Cartilage: This supplement can provide relief to painful, swollen, and stiff joints. The secret to shark cartilage’s success in treating arthritis primarily lies in the complex carbohydrates it contains: mucopolysaccharides, which relieve the chronic and painful inflammation that is so injurious to joints. Other benefits of shark cartilage are to regulate the immune system and prevent new blood vessel growth into the cartilage of the joints. European researchers have reported dramatic reductions in pain and inflammation in arthritis patients supplementing with shark cartilage.

Green Sea Mussel: This nutrient supports the restoration and maintenance processes of synovial fluid and connective tissues, joints, ligaments, tendons, cartilage and intervertebral discs. The suggested usage is one or two tablets three times a day. (Joint Formula™ should not be taken if you are allergic to seafood.)

Keep in mind that all these products should be used in conjunction with The Parrillo Performance Nutrition Program for best results.

References

1. Ji LL. Exercise, oxidative stress, and antioxidants. The American Journal of Sports Medicine. 1996;24:S20-S24.

2. Kanter MM. Free radicals, exercise, and antioxidant supplementation. International Journal of Sport Nutrition. 1994;4:205-220.

3. Ji LL. Exercise, oxidative stress, and antioxidants. The American Journal of Sports Medicine. 1996;24:S20-S24.

4. Alessio HM, et al. Exercise-induced oxidative stress before and after vitamin C supplementation. International Journal of Sport Nutrition. 1997;7:1-9.

5. Bucci, L. 1993. Nutrients as ergogenic aids for sports and exercise. Boca Raton, Florida: CRC Press.