People who reach high levels of physical effort on a regular basis should supplement their diets with foods rich in vitamins and nutrients to help their bodies cope with high requirements

Nov 17, 2006 08:52 GMT  ·  By

A new study on the nutrition of active individuals, including athletes, brought home the importance of a healthy, natural diet rich in vitamins, minerals and other micronutrients. According to a report recently published in the International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism by Oregon State University scientists emphasized the fact that individuals who do strenuous physical effort on a regular basis, including college athletes and other elite competitors, must be extremely careful about what they eat every day.

Researchers stated that athletes should not only have a diet which comprises recommended daily allowances set by the U.S. Government, but consume more natural foods rich in vitamins and micronutrients because high-level physical activity requires increased doses of nutrients to burn while exercising and to repair body cells and tissues when destroyed.

The team of experts cautioned that active people who face strenuous physical effort almost daily must be more careful about their diets and intake of vitamins, especially B vitamins, or else they will develop serious conditions and a poor health later on. A large number of young athletes do not pay enough attention to their diets and are not concerned about how their diet is going to impact their health and body strength in years to come.

However, young athletes should become more aware about the fact that their bodies need plenty of vitamins and nutrients to successfully cope with strenuous activity - the body needs nutrients and B vitamins primarily in order to be able to convert proteins and sugars into energy, to repair cells and tissues, to fight a wide range of diseases and conditions etc.

As compared to the body of a normal individual who does not perform high-level working out sessions, the body of an athlete needs larger amounts of nutrients as it loses a part of vitamins and minerals when eliminating sweat, urine and feces after strenuous activity. Leader of the study Melinda Manore, who is a researcher in the Colleges of Agricultural and Health and Human Sciences, pointed out the fact that athletes who do not adopt a highly-rich-in-nutrients diet are very likely to damage and put in danger their further long-term health:

"Many athletes, especially young athletes involved in highly competitive sports, do not realize the impact their diets have on their performance. By the time they reach adulthood they can have seriously jeopardized their abilities and their long-term health."