Supplementation
Do you NEED to take supplements? Short answer: if you regularly eat a balanced diet, then no
There are some cases in which supplementation is necessary in the treatment of deficiencies, but there is no NEED to supplement if you already get an adequate amount of nutrients through your diet and there are actually potential negative effects of overconsumption of certain micronutrients.
However, there are three supplements that I would recommend that are proven to have positive benefits…
1: Vitamin C. It is an antioxidant, it aids in collagen and hormone synthesis and it has been shown to dramatically decrease cortisol levels and DHEA-S levels.
2: Creatine. Taking creatine in combination with resistance training leads to an increase in muscular strength, power output and performance.
Finally: Caffeine. Consuming caffeine an hour before resistance training leads to a significant increase in the concentration of anabolic hormones, which are the building hormones.
Hope that helps!
References:
Alfieri, A., D’Angelo, S., & Mazzeo, F. (2023). Role of Nutritional Supplements in Sport, Exercise and Health. Nutrients, 15(20), 4429. https://doi-org.libproxy.txstate.edu/10.3390/nu15204429
Beglaryan, N., Hakobyan, G., & Nazaretyan, E. (2024). Vitamin C supplementation alleviates hypercortisolemia caused by chronic stress. Stress and Health, 40(3), e3347. https://doi-org.libproxy.txstate.edu/10.1002/smi.3347
Burke, R., Piñero, A., Coleman, M., Mohan, A., Sapuppo, M., Augustin, F., Aragon, A. A., Candow, D. G., Forbes, S. C., Swinton, P., & Schoenfeld, B. J. (2023). The Effects of Creatine Supplementation Combined with Resistance Training on Regional Measures of Muscle Hypertrophy: A Systematic Review with Meta-Analysis. Nutrients, 15(9), 2116. https://doi-org.libproxy.txstate.edu/10.3390/nu15092116
Rahimi, M. R., Semenova, E. A., John, G., Fallah, F., Larin, A. K., Generozov, E. V., & Ahmetov, I. I. (2024). Effect of ADORA2A Gene Polymorphism and Acute Caffeine Supplementation on Hormonal Response to Resistance Exercise: A Double-Blind, Crossover, Placebo-Controlled Study. Nutrients, 16(12), 1803. https://doi-org.libproxy.txstate.edu/10.3390/nu16121803
