Sports nutrition: Which nutritional supplements are useful?
BIKE
· 24.09.2022
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In our last article on nutrition for mountain bikers, we talked about natural fuels for the bike motor with the Nutritionist Simone Kumhofer and got a lot of tips. Nevertheless, the market for powders, tablets and drinks that only show fresh fruit or vegetables on the packaging is huge. That's why we spoke to a sports physician about these nutritional supplements - and what they can do for biking.
BIKE: What are nutritional supplements?
Prof Dr Dr Patrick Diel: The definition is difficult, as many preparations are sold as food supplements although they are not legally allowed to be.
Mineral tablets, calcium, magnesium, sodium, creatine phosphate, vitamin C, vitamin B12 and other complex preparations are legally compliant. For me, energy gels or protein bars are also food supplements, as they are artificial products with many additives.
Do we hobby bikers need nutritional supplements?
No, amateur cyclists do not need them in their everyday training and can absorb the minerals through natural foods. However, competitive athletes who perform intensively over long periods of time may find themselves in a deficiency situation. In this case, magnesium tablets can be used if necessary.
Even hobby bikers often suffer from hunger pangs.
Hunger means that your carbohydrate stores are empty and your performance drops because the body now resorts to burning fat. You don't need food supplements here, but carbohydrates: bananas, glucose etc. provide energy quickly, but don't last long. High-quality muesli bars or a cheese roll are better. Mini salamis are good because of their salt and fat content. Ideally, however, you should avoid hunger pangs in the first place.
The market is huge, what should you look out for when buying?
Many products from the internet have no authorisation and are critical in terms of their functionality and quality. They are often contaminated with substances such as amphetamines or anabolic steroids, which are on the doping list. On www.koelnerliste.com you can see which products do not count as doping agents. Here, even amateur athletes can be sure of the quality.
