Nutrition for Athletes: These Vitamins and Minerals Are Important
Whether you're sweating it out at the gym or clocking up the miles running: you're working hard to achieve your goals. But are you giving your body the right and enough fuel? Discover in this blog which vitamins and minerals can support you as an athlete.
Sports Nutrition: What Your Body Needs
As an athlete, you demand a little more from your body. Your muscles use extra energy, you lose more fluids, and after an intensive workout, you naturally need to recover well. With a healthy and varied diet, you usually get enough nutrients, vitamins, and minerals to support your body during your workouts1. For those who exercise occasionally, like once a week, this is often sufficient. But if you exercise more frequently, say more than three times a week and 1 to 2 hours each time, your body might need some extra support2.
Why Are Vitamins and Minerals (Extra) Important for Athletes?
All vitamins and minerals are naturally important, but for athletes, some play an even bigger role in recovery and performance. Some of these nutrients help your body to use energy more effectively, others support your immunity or muscle function. Below, we've listed the most important ones for you:
- B vitamins (such as B6, B12, and folic acid) help your body to extract energy from food.
- Vitamin C has a positive effect on your immunity, especially during and after intensive workouts.
- Magnesium supports muscle function and helps with energy production.
- Iron contributes to normal oxygen transport in your body.
- Vitamin D is important for maintaining strong muscles3.
Magnesium for Athletes
Magnesium is a super important mineral for your muscles. It ensures that signals are smoothly transmitted between your nerves and muscles, so your muscles can contract and relax properly. Additionally, magnesium also helps to reduce fatigue. During an intensive workout, you use more magnesium, especially in endurance sports like running and cycling. This is because your muscles are constantly active. Moreover, you also lose extra magnesium through sweat and urine.
You can find magnesium in foods like nuts, leafy green vegetables, meat, whole grain products, and dairy. Read more here about foods with magnesium.
If you opt for a magnesium supplement, magnesium bisglycinate is a good choice. This form is easily absorbed by your body and is usually well tolerated, even in higher doses.
Exercising and Vitamin D
Vitamin D is one of the most important vitamins for athletes. This sunshine vitamin helps keep your muscles strong and flexible and also supports your immune system, which is especially important if you train often.
Foods with Vitamin D
Vitamin D is mainly found in oily fish, and in smaller amounts in meat and eggs. Additionally, vitamin D is often added to products like margarine and baking and frying products. Read more here about where vitamin D is found.
Your body can also produce vitamin D itself, which happens in the skin through sunlight. There are two forms of this vitamin: D3 (cholecalciferol) and D2 (ergocalciferol). Vitamin D3 is produced in your skin through exposure to sunlight, while D2 is mainly found in mushrooms and fungi4. Although both forms contribute to your vitamin D status, vitamin D3 is better absorbed by your body. Therefore, D3 is often the best choice for a supplement, especially for athletes. Or choose, for example, a combination of vitamin D3 and omega-3.
Multivitamin for Athletes
If you exercise regularly, a dietary supplement like a sports multivitamin can be useful to supplement your daily diet. This ensures you get the necessary vitamins and minerals, especially on days when you've challenged your body significantly. A multivitamin is always a supplement to a healthy and varied diet, not a replacement.
What Makes a Sports Multi Different?
A sports multivitamin often contains higher doses of vitamins and minerals compared to a normal multivitamin, which can support an active lifestyle well, such as B vitamins, magnesium, vitamin D, C, and iron. Read more here about the differences between a normal multivitamin and a sports multivitamin.
Other Important Vitamins and Minerals for Athletes
Besides the mentioned vitamins and minerals, there are other nutrients that are important for athletes. Below are a few that deserve extra attention:
- Iron contributes to normal oxygen transport in your body, which is important for endurance athletes during prolonged efforts. Foods rich in iron include red meat such as beef, whole grain bread, nuts, seeds, and legumes.
- Calcium is good for the skeleton and muscle function. If you sweat a lot or consume few dairy products, it's helpful to monitor your calcium intake. Sweating causes you to lose electrolytes such as sodium, potassium, magnesium, and calcium.
- Zinc plays a role in supporting the immune system and contributes to the process of cell renewal. You can find zinc in foods like meat, cheese, grain products such as oats, nuts, and shellfish like prawns and mussels.
Do You Need Other Supplements as an Athlete?
Sports supplements are everywhere these days: from creatine and protein powder to BCAA and electrolytes. But do you really need them? In this blog, you’ll learn when sports supplements are or aren't a good idea for you.
Good to Know
Exercising demands a little extra from your body, especially when it comes to vitamins and minerals. A varied diet with sufficient vegetables, fruits, proteins, and healthy fats helps to support your body well. Want a bit of extra assurance? A multivitamin for athletes can be a handy addition to supplement your diet.
Sources:
- Ghazzawi HA, Hussain MA, Raziq KM, Alsendi KK, Alaamer RO, Jaradat M, et al. Exploring the relationship between micronutrients and athletic performance: A comprehensive scientific systematic review of the literature in sports medicine. Sports. 2023;11(6):109.
- Voedingscentrum. If you exercise often, do you need extra supplements? Available at: https://www.voedingscentrum.nl/nl/service/vraag-en-antwoord/afvallen-en-gewicht/extra-supplementen-sporters.aspx
- VanDusseldorp TA, Escobar KA, Johnson KE, Stratton MT, Moriarty T, Kerksick CM, et al. Impact of varying dosages of fish oil on recovery and soreness following eccentric exercise. Nutrients. 2020 Jul 27;12(8):2246. doi: 10.3390/nu12082246. PMID: 32727162; PMCID: PMC7468920.
- Smith GI, Atherton P, Reeds DN, et al. N-3 PUFA polyunsaturated fatty acids augment the muscle protein anabolic response to hyperinsulinaemia-hyperaminoacidaemia in healthy young and middle-aged men and women. Clin Sci. 2011;121:267-278
- Gammone MA, Riccioni G, Parrinello G, D’Orazio N. Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids: benefits and endpoints in sport. Nutrients. 2019;11(1):46.
- Ochi E, Tsuchiya Y. Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) in muscle damage and function. Nutrients. 2018;10(5):552.
- Voedingscentrum. Vitamin D. Available at: https://www.voedingscentrum.nl/encyclopedie/vitamine-d.aspx#blokwaarvoor-heb-je-vitamine-d-nodig
