Vitamin Suppliments?

**woody78** · 18-10-2011 01:26 PM

I’ve been training for about 10 months now, 3 times a week, and things are going good! However I have noticed that over last few months I seem to be picking up every little sniffle thats going - where as before i never really got ill that much.

Not sure if its because I’m coming into contact with lots of different people at the gym, or whether its the training itself, but I've seen that a lot of you guys take a vitamin supplement and recommend it. So just wondering if this is something that I should start to do?

**NU_nutrition_TS** · 18-10-2011 02:12 PM

A lowered immune response is quite common in athletes, apparently. Any or all of the factors you mention could be a causative factor: benches and equipment are probably teeming with pathogens when you consider how many sweaty hands/bodies have been in contact with them day after day. Plus, like being in a GPs waiting room, you are in close proximity to a number of strangers who may be suffering from contagious diseases.

I would imagine that recovering from strenuous exercise must divert some resources away from the immune response to pathogens, so it is not surprising that athletes tend to suffer from increased risk of infections. I don't think vitamins are necessarily a miracle cure-all but they are certainly cheap enough to give them a try.

**MaxRep** · 18-10-2011 03:03 PM

IMO: Simply, yes.

**hailtotheking** · 18-10-2011 03:31 PM

Science-Based Medicine » Vitamins and Mortality Lol

**woody78** · 18-10-2011 05:48 PM

Cheers chaps, appreciate the responses!

**NU_nutrition_TS** · 18-10-2011 06:22 PM

Quote

Originally Posted by hailtotheking

Science-Based Medicine » Vitamins and Mortality Lol

That's actually a well-balanced article. It is true that the studies quoted (which have been sensationalised in the mainstream media) are fraught with potential confounding variables, so cannot be taken as definitive proof of anything - positive or negative. However it does seem logical that isolated, often synthetically-derived vitamins could have pro-oxidant effects when taken continually and in high doses. A good quality multi-mineral/vitamin complex may be more beneficial (certainly potentially less harmful) and, ultimately, getting the essential micronutrients from natural, whole foods is probably best.

I think there is definitely a place for good quality vitamin/mineral supplements (naturally derived wherever practicable) in cases of deficiency (poor diet) or a deficiency-specific ailment.