What does your body need? How do you decide if the food you are consuming is enough? How do you decide if one brand of supplements is better than the other?
Such questions are extremely common, particularly for athletes, gym-goers, sports people. However, the present scenario is seeing a large shift in dynamics, when regular people (non sports-affiliated) are also considering taking supplements. It is important to understand the intricacies of supplements, what kind of supplements to consume, why and how.
While there are a lot of unanswered questions, we need to first proceed to understand what supplements are generally used for, and what they do to your body. Dietary supplements include intake of vitamins, minerals, amino acids, herbs and enzymes. Usually the food you consume, in the instance of a balanced and healthy diet, should be able to provide all the products your body needs for regular functioning. However, athletes and sports people require a higher amount of protein intake which can be left incomplete by regular diets. In other cases, a normal person’s body might have an extreme rate of metabolism, or they have high levels of stress (work, life, personal, etc.). Here, it would be difficult for them to receive their body’s required stance of proteins and other vitamins through a regular diet.
In such scenarios, individuals can be asked to take in synthetic supplements. Athletes, gym-goers are expected to consume a certain amount of supplements. Regular people can undertake the supplements after careful consideration and preferably under the guidance of an expert.
One among the many types of supplements includes protein supplements. What are protein powders?
Protein supplements are extremely popular among health conscious individuals. They come in several different forms and are used for multiple purposes. People use them to increase body mass, muscle mass, overall body composition, and to help meet their protein needs. Athletes who regularly lift weights, find that taking protein supplements helps maximize their muscle gain and weight loss. Protein supplements also help older adults, people who are ill, vegetarians and vegans who find it difficult to meet their body’s protein requirements through dietary intake alone.
Proteins are made up of amino acids. They are the building blocks of the energy sources in our body. The Optimum Nutrition Essential Amino Energy focuses on providing a combination of these amino acids to regulate our body’s energy levels and keep us active throughout the day. Some amino acids can be made in the body while others can be obtained through diets. Typically all amino acids are categorized into essential and non-essential. There are nine EAAs, which include the following amino acids: Histidine, Isoleucine, Leucine, Lysine, Methionine, Phenylalanine, Threonine, Tryptophan, and Valine, and are considered essential amino acids because they need to be consumed through diets, as the body cannot make them on its own. The other amino acids are non-essentials because the body is capable of producing them. Usually the combination and sequence of the amino acids determines how the protein will function in the body.
Optimum nutrition is well known around the world for two of their products- Gold Standard and Amino Energy, their most popular pre-workout supplements. The Optimum Nutrition Essential Amino Energy consists of caffeine and taurine, and also uses plant extracts such as green tea and green coffee. The brand specifically ensures that the Essential Amino Energy does not include creatine. The essential amino energy has a macro-blend of a range of amino acids including all the essential amino acids such as Taurine, Glutamine, Arginine, Leucine, Beta-Alanine, Citrulline, Isoleucine, Valine, Tyrosine, Histidine, Hydrochloride, Phenylalanine, Threonine, Methionine.
The Optimum Nutrition Essential Amino Energy, counts for 5 calories per serving, 1 gram of carbohydrate per serving and 15 mg sodium per serving. It includes 100 mg caffeine, which is slightly lower when compared to other products of the brand. The Essential Amino Energy is a classic product for a pre-workout, that focuses on delivering all essential amino acids.
Amino acid is a group of 20 compounds which are organic with specific formation traits. They play a foundational role and are involved in many chemical reactions throughout the body to help maintain regular, normal functions. Amino acids play a role in almostevery vital functioning system in the body. They assist in the creation and growth of muscles, connective tissue and skin. They assist in maintaining muscle tone and tissue strength, healing and repair, normal digestion, providing energy for your body, regulating moods by helping produce hormones, producing neurotransmitters, and maintaining healthy skin, hair and nails.
How do amino acids and amino energy supplements help athletes?
They increase tolerance to pain during exercise so that athletes can push themselves further during training. Modifying the way the body perceives fatigue, prolonging how long athletes perform before the fatigue sets in, decreasing the duration of recovery from overtraining, improving immune function for less frequency or illness or infection, improving performance in aerobic training, supporting blood flow for improved endurance, development of lean muscle mass and overall strength, antioxidant production to reduce cellular damage, helping prevent muscle wasting and enhancing how body metabolizes fats.
Consuming amino acid supplements:
While Optimum Energy Essential Amino Energy produces oral supplements of amino acids, there are other ways in which amino acids can be consumed.
IV Infusion- typically contain specialized ingredients which are blended together in a sterile saline solution. These ingredients can help us to achieve our specific goals as their type and content varies. IV infusions are risky in terms of infections, and also toward the fact that they are a time consuming process (upto 30-45 minutes).
Dietary supplementation of EAAs effectively promotes our healthspan. Essential Amino acids also helps to regulate lipid and glucose metabolism while balancing out the energy. It also aids in to maintain our immune homeostasis. Many epidemiological results show that dietary macronutrient composition affects health span through different and interconnected mechanisms. Their effects are minutely related to the metabolic status on which they perform. Essential Amino Acids trigger different and even opposite effects which depends on the different states of the organism body. Protein synthesis in human body can completely decrease with age as 10 times less in elders when we compare it to newborns babies. Similarly, the protein catabolism also decreases with age.Dietary BCAA supplementation has been shown to improve motor performance and physical endurance.
What are BCAAs?
Branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) are essential nutrients. They are proteins found in food. Our muscles burn down these nutritients to create energy in body. The specific names of amino acids that combinedly produces BCAAs are isoleucine, leucine, and valine. Simply seeing, branched-chain means their chemical structure. These amino acids are body nutrients that can help metabolism of muscles and are necessary for muscle building tissues. If you do bodybuilding, you can take branched-chain amino acids in different forms to help you with recovery process of workouts. It also inhances our athletic performance. Several studies have suggested that BCAAs can fight with muscle breakdown when we do our exercises.
Branched chain Amino acids may assist to bring on muscle growth, boost your appetite, relaxes muscle soreness, reducing exercise fatigue, ease symptoms of tardive dyskinesia, etc. Apart from this, it also help in symptoms of hepatic encephalopathy because of cirrhosis from getting liver cancer, treat different brain disorders while improving mental function in people with phenylketonuria.
Other benefits of BCAAs include:
- Increased muscle growth
- Decrease muscle soreness
- Reduce exercise fatigue
- Prevent muscle wasting
- Benefits people with liver disease- studies indicate beneficial effects of BCAAs and in therapy of chronic renal failure.
BCAAs i.e. valine, isoleucine, and leucine are refered as essential amino acids, which has been studied due to different disorders, specifically liver cirrhosis, sepsis, trauma, burn injury, renal cerosis and cancer.
ANYTIME NUTRITION
The Optimum Nutrition Essential Amino Energy is considered to be an ‘anytime nutrition’ supplement, indicating that the product can easily be consumed wherever and whenever, without a lot of pre-processing. The supplement is blended with different variants of coffee, tea and even a sparkling ready to drink version. Another suggestedtechnique is to add the product into popsicles, gummies and ice pops. Generally, the powder is instantised for glass and spoon mixing. However, a shaker cup provides faster and ‘on-the-go’ results. A 2 scoop serving tastes best, when mixed in cold water, about 10 to 12 ounces. However, for the cafe series flavor, it is suggested to use cold unsweetened almond milk.
How to use protein supplements?
The best way to use Optimum Nutrition Essential Amino Energy is to proceed with a method best suitable for you. Whether you’d mix it with water, or cold milk, or find another creative way to appetize yourself, it is up to you! On that note, here are a couple of suggested ways for protein supplement intake:
Some individuals prefer to blend their protein powders with other antioxidants, omegas and chia seeds. Depending on whether you wish to enhance fiber levels or carbohydrate levels, the choices are simply inexhaustible. Another innovative technique in the kitchen: baking protein powders. This simply means baking cakes, cupcakes, cookies, breads, etc. with an added hint of protein supplements. Some individuals choose to go even healthier and opt for baking substitutes. Protein powders can easily be mixed with your morning coffee, tea or milkshake to side with your breakfast. Others simply incorporate protein powders in their usual recipes. The supplements are versatile and can be added to curries, soups, pastas and even pizza crusts.
It is important to ‘personalize’ your whey. Look for creative techniques, rather than sticking with the basics. It not only makes the whole process more exciting, but also makes you more accepting of your dietary needs.
For sports and physical activities, it is important to consume proteins and carbohydrates at a time that works best for you. While proteins help support muscle recovery, carbohydrates help to replenish glycogen stores lost during the activity. However, for non-sport enthusiasts it is mandatory that you choose a ‘food-first’ diet. The proteins supplied through a balanced diet should be adequate; the lack of which should be considered as a cause to indulge in supplements. Similarly for athletes, the type of sport also is a cause of variations in protein consumption. For example, strength-based activities require higher protein intake, whereas sports which require more effort or that are longer in duration call for higher carbohydrate intake.
The Optimum Nutrition Essential Amino Energy is a ‘high quality complete protein’ meaning it contains all the essential amino acids. It is also naturally rich in BCAAs (as discussed above).
Caffeine and its consequences
The Optimum Nutrition Essential Amino Energy contains 100 mg (per serving) of caffeine. Caffeine is recognised as the world’s most widely used stimulant. A highly flavored ingredient, it is preferred by healthy adults and performing athletes alike. Caffeine supplies both physical and mental energy for indoor/outdoor activities, competitive sports and high-intensity workout. Caffeine helps our body to perform better during physical activity, that is why it is known as ergogenic aid. Caffeine is responsible to help to increase our endurance, energy, and focus level in every work. This focus and energy can be used in the time which demands good physical energy such as endurance activities, high-intensity activities, sports, events, etc. After all, it serves many different functions depending on every Individual. But when it comes to increase our performance, caffeine is a staple and first choice product for many.
The impact of caffeine differs from person to person. Each individual metabolizes caffeine differently, and thus caffeine largely depends on the person taking it, and for the various purposes it is being consumed (energy booster, endurance, fighting fatigue, etc.) While some individuals consume caffeine before an activity and some take it in between the activity, it is preferable to drink the beverage prior to the activity. Caffeine can take as little as fifteen minutes to two hours to have a stimulating effect once consumed. The effect of caffeine can last upto four to six hours approximately at times. Make the most of your activity and give your body time to let caffeine kick in.
How much caffeine should I take?
Everyone can tolerate different amount of caffeine at different levels. So the amount you need to consume totally depends on you, your body and its activity level. Some may be more sensitive to caffeine, whereas others might be desensitized to the equivalent amount. A range between 100 to 350 mg of caffeine can help to support endurance, energy and focus. Some athletes may desire more or less. One person might feel okay with a cup of coffee while the other may reach to a higher level of stimulant pre-workout
Remember, caffeine can only be found within selected beverages in its natural form, but many people may need supplementals to improve their performance. It is advisable to read the label of caffeine first to find the amount. You can always personalize caffeine supplements for what is the most appropriate in accordance with any activity. Supplements can be pretty versatile at many times – that’s where you may increase or decrease it’s amount as you want it. The more isn’t always better and enough in case of caffeine. It is good to takein in moderate levels, understand your level of tolerance, and be concious of daily consumption level. The Optimum Nutrition Essential Amino Energy has the exact amount of caffeine required for a healthy workout and for boosting energy (100 mg). The amount can easily be adjusted according to individual needs, by simply adding an extra scoop of the supplement.
Optimum Nutrition Essential Amino Energy: Conceptual review
The reviews of the product boast of its variety and characterization. Unlike general protein supplements, essential amino energy has a healthy blend of all EAAs and other amino acids as well. It increases energy, focus and supports muscle recovery. The product can be used as a pre-workout drink or a post-workout drink or even as an afternoon ‘pick-me-up’ drink to energies your mood. The range and versatility of the product are evident. Customers are a fan of this product, particularly for its vast availability of flavors such as orange, pineapple, grape, fruit punch, blue raspberry, blueberry lemonade and many more.
Overall, the Optimum Nutrition Essential Amino Energy is an outstanding product, and provides the best results. If you are getting your food on time and doing Exercise even 4 times a week, then this supplement alone can create magic in your life. You just need to consume it regularly with water or your preferred fluid, you can perform better while achieving your desired physique. This supplement is not gender or age biased, anyone from any age or gender can consume it. It’s just before the consumption, you can consult with your doctor if you are having any health conditions.