It’s no surprise that the majority of athletes are not aware of the importance of vitamin C is to performance. Few can get by with terrible diets and supplementation for awhile (see NBA Super Star Derrick Rose’s weird eating habits). Fortunately for fans of Chicago Bulls Derrick Rose has hired a personal trainer and chef and is also taking important steps to remain a superstar into his 40’s.
A quick online search for common athlete diets will reveal a love for McDonald’s, beer, Snickers and Dorito’s. Many of the superstar athletes who take regular supplements, which include vitamin C, and maintain healthy eating habits, perform at a high level way beyond their primes. Below are several examples of athletes who train just as hard in the kitchen as they do on the field or court.
- Steve Nash – NBA SuperStar
- Joe Namath – NFL Hall of Famer
- Robert Parish – NBA Hall of Famer
- Billie Jean King – Tennis Player
- Kobe Bryant – NBA SuperStar
- Tony Gonzales – NFL Tight End
The value of vitamin-C supplementation to athletes
We’ve discovered five of the primary reasons you should include high dose vitamin C in your regular nutrition regimen..
- Vitamin C (Ascorbic acid) is also involved with amino acid metabolism, especially the formation of Collagen. Collagen is the primary constituent of connective tissue, the stuff that holds your bones and muscles together. This may not seem important, but as you lift heavier weights, the stress you put on your structure becomes tremendous and risk of injury dramatically increases.
- Vitamin C helps in the absorption of Iron. Iron is necessary to help Oxygen bind to hemoglobin in blood. Without adequate oxygen transportation in blood, muscles are robbed of precious oxygen and performance is greatly reduced.
- Vitamin C is an antioxidant, protecting muscle cells from free radical damage, thus enhancing recovery and growth.
- Vitamin C is perhaps the most water soluble vitamin there is. In other words, it diffuses very rapidly in water. Since a muscle cell is mostly water, the more muscular an athlete becomes, the more vitamin C disperses and the lower the concentration of this critical substance becomes in body tissues. So vitamin C requirements are greatly increased for athletes.
- Ascorbic acid also assists in the formation and release of steroid hormones, including the anabolic hormone testosterone.