How to Create Dietary Supplements for Endurance Athletes
As the world becomes more health-aware and fitness-oriented, endurance activities and sports are taking center stage for the growing tribe of active and health-focused people. These endurance enthusiasts need much more than water to sustain through and recover from their grueling routines. Enter endurance supplements, a growing category that supplement brand owners cannot afford to overlook.
In this podcast, Gene Bruno and Ryan Gillen discuss how to create dietary supplements for endurance athletes and the science-backed nutraceutical ingredients that have been shown to promote endurance, manage post-exercise discomfort, and support recovery.
Gene Bruno, MS, MHS, RH(AHG) is a professor of nutraceutical science at Huntington University of Health Sciences and is the Vice President of Scientific and Regulatory Affairs at NutraScience Labs. Ryan Gillen is our New Business Development Manager who specializes in building new supplement brands.
A life-long sports enthusiast, Ryan played lacrosse in college and now participates in a range of activities like cross-training and cycling. Gene takes two 30 minutes aerobic walks daily and also does strength training. They talk about how these ingredients can help them sustain their endurance for the activities they perform.
Tune in with Gene and Ryan as they discuss the different categories of endurance nutraceuticals to help brand owners understand how to use them in their products.
Energy Fuels and ATP Promoters
These two categories consist of the nutraceuticals that can work as fuels for our body to make ATP or support ATP production. Gene explains that aerobic metabolism is significantly more efficient in producing energy. He discusses slower-burning fuels like Medium Chain Triglycerides (MCTs) that offer more extended endurance. They don’t work as quickly as carbohydrates and have become famous for promoting weight management. An effective combination of carbs and MCTs can help you create time-release energy fuels.
Additionally, BCAAs such as isoleucine, valine, and particularly leucine are helpful in energy production and endurance. Research shows that leucine is also valuable for muscle-building.
He also discusses Shilajit’s and Coenzyme Q10’s roles as ATP promoters and what makes Coenzyme Q10 safe and great for all ages. Talking about the adaptogenic properties of Shilajit, he reminds us that it was also used traditionally in the Himalayan region for increasing testosterone levels.
Gene also cautioned that it’s critical to ensure the quality of the ingredients and avoid those with inferior quality or containing heavy metals.
According to the research, Gene also mentioned a branded combination of different plant materials that can increase energy levels by around 359%.
Adaptogens
Adaptogens are vital ingredients in sports nutrition as well as non-sports nutrition for energy and endurance. These nutraceutical ingredients help your body adapt to physical, emotional, or mental stress. Some potent adaptogens are Ashwagandha, Ginseng, and Rhodiola, which can make a profound difference in energy and are popular. They can be valuable additions to a supplement brand’s line-up, catering to athletes like marathon runners who undergo tremendous physical and mental stress during the events.
One such ingredient, discussed in detail, is Ashwagandha, an adaptogen that can help endurance athletes train more effectively, and that too for extended periods.
Other Multifaceted Ingredients
Gene and Ryan place caffeine at the top of their list. A popular stimulant, caffeine is safe to be consumed without any side effects, other than for those that are sensitive to caffeine or are very young. Besides endurance, caffeine has also been shown to help sharpen focus and deal with fatigue. Another popular and much-studied ingredient, L-theanine in green tea, is said to offer the benefits of caffeine while helping calm the jitters caused by caffeine.
The two discuss Cordyceps and mushroom extract and how they can help support the immune system besides offering energy and endurance.
They also talk at length about amino acids and what makes them tick as supplement ingredients. Gene explains how amino acids like phenylalanine or tyrosine can help produce neurotransmitters such as dopamine and norepinephrine that can help you stay mentally alert.
While talking about what works and why Gene also emphasizes the importance of paying attention to the amino acids that compete and those that do not.
He points out that besides understanding the various categories of endurance nutraceuticals, brand owners need to be careful about the quality and combination of the ingredients to deliver optimum efficacy. A good contract supplement manufacturer can guide them on this minute but crucial information.
We’ve just touched upon a few things discussed in this podcast on Creating Supplements for Endurance Athletes. If supplements for endurance are a category that excites you, then you wouldn’t want to miss the rest of it.
Click here to listen to the complete podcast on our YouTube channel.
