Nutrition is probably the single most important predictor of performance in football players. Consequently, a number of nutritional supplements have been proposed to improve football performance; some of these are detailed below.
Creatine
Creatine is a naturally occurring amino acid derivative that forms a key component of dietary intake. The majority (about 95%) of the body's creatine is stored in skeletal muscle, of which 60 to 70% is involved in the anaerobic production of the body's energy currency; adenosine triphosphate (ATP). Following reports in the early 1990s that the body's creatine content could be increased by supplementation, creatine-monohydrate has become a popular nutritional supplement. Its used primarily to increase lean body mass and improve performances of single and repetitive high intensity, short-duration exercise tasks such as weightlifting and sprinting; however more recently creatine has been used as a method of hyperhydration to increase the tolerance of exercising in the heat due to its common side effects of increased body water content.
A number of creatine products are available on the market today and since the early 1990s the performance effects of creatine have been studied extensively. There is considerable support for the use of creatine in sport; however, considerably less data exists concerning the possible effects of oral creatine-monohydrate supplementation on football performance. Although possible that creatine could enhance repeated intermittent exercise such as that involved in football, the research has tended to focus on shorter duration maximal cycling bouts to test this hypothesis. It is therefore difficult to recommend whether or not creatine use is supported by research in football; however it should be noted that if creatine is taken, caffeine consumption should be limited due to the inhibitory effects of caffeine on the performance benefits associated with creatine supplementation.
Beta-Alanine
Oral ingestion of Beta-alanine has been found to be beneficial in increasing concentrations of a compound called carnosine. Carnosine is an important intra-muscular buffer which is synthesised within the muscle from histidine and beta-alanine. Consequently, elevated levels of carnosine, induced by beta-alanine consumption, has been found to enhance exercise capacity; particularly during exercise that is high intensity in nature. Although the consumption of beta-alanine itself has not been found to be directly responsible for gains in muscle mass and exercise performance, research shows that in both trained and untrained subjects, the enhanced tolerance to ionic disturbances that supplementation with beta-alanine provides enables a greater volume and intensity of training to be achieved when compared to non-supplemented individuals. Therefore, it appers that beta-alanine optimises the ability to train by acting as a buffer to hydrogen ions produced during training, which in turn allows for a greater training stimulus and consequently a greater training effect.
Caffeine
Commonly found in tea, coffee and chocolate, caffeine is a potent central nervous system stimulant which has the temporary effects of reducing fatigue and improving mental focus; both of which are beneficial to football performance (please see our online shop for caffeine containing products that could enhance your teams performance).
The primary mechanism by which caffeine is thought to exert its effects is related to the structural similarities that is shares with a compound called adenosine. Apart from being an important mediator in the energy transfer processes of the body, adenosine is an inhibitory neurotransmitter that is believed to promote sleep. The structural similarity of caffeine to adenosine means that upon ingestion caffeine can bind to the receptors that adenosine is supposed to bind to, without causing the inhibitory effects. By displacing adenosine, caffeine is believed to prevent the sleepiness usually caused by adenosine binding.
Withdrawal from caffeine can give what is known as "tension headaches" in the 3-5 days following the cessation of caffeine intake. Increased caffeine consumption increases the number of receptors of adenosine (as remember the body thinks that adenosine is binding to them when in fact it is actually caffeine due to the structural similarities between the two). Consequently, the body becomes much more sensitive to adenosine when caffeine is withdrawn (due to the increase in receptors). As adenosine contributes to the dilation or enlargement of blood vessels; the increased sensitivity to adenosine results in an increase in blood volume in the head. As the blood vessels of the head are enclosed in the skull; this means that there is a build-up of pressure which leads to the headaches.
Carbohydrate
Decades of research confirm that sports drinks are superior to water at improving performance; it is therefore not surprising that carbohydrate-electrolyte solutions are amongst the most commonly used supplements in sport. The primary goals of consuming a carbohydrate-electrolyte beverage during competition are twofold; to replace the water and electrolyte losses incurred during exercise whilst simultaneously providing energy to supplement the body's stores; both of which act to delay fatigue.
As glycogen is the major energy source for intermittent exercise, it is not surprising that reduced pre-game glycogen levels resulted in less intense exercise being completed during a football match and a 25% reduction in the distance covered in the second half when compared to players with higher starting levels. Ingesting a sports drink during exercise maintains blood glucose levels and promotes the uptake of carbohydrate into muscle cells. This in turn increases the use of carbohydrate as an energy source. There is also increasing evidence that consuming carbohydrate-electrolyte beverages can benefit the skilled as well as the physical performances involved in a football match. Visit our online shop for scientifically supported carbohydrate-electrolyte drinks for use during your next training session or match.
Carbohydrate and Protein Containing Electrolyte Drinks
New research indicates that drinking a carbohydrate and protein beverage during training can also enhance muscle synthesis, as well as maintain hydration and energy provision. Ingestion of a carbohydrate drink that contained a pre-digested form of protein lowered the whole-body protein breakdown rates that normally occur during intense exercise and also raised protein synthesis when compared to a carbohydrate-only drink. Additionally, the same drink also improved markers of hydration and core temperature in another research study. Visit our online shop for the specific drink that was used in this research.
Carbohydrate and Protein in Recovery
It has been said that the restoration of muscle glycogen stores following exercise is one of the most important factors determining the time needed to recover. Therefore careful manipulation of the timing and type of carbohydrate and protein consumption following exercise allows the simultaneous restoration of glycogen stores and facilitation of the growth and repair of cells.
Glycogen restoration following exhaustive exercise can be split into two distinct phases which relate to the mechanisms of action of nutrient uptake.
-
Phase 1: An initial rapid phase of glycogen synthesis that generally lasts between 30 and 60 minutes. This phase can proceed without the presence of insulin as exercise causes extra transporters (i.e., GLUT-4) to move to the outer surface of the cells and increase carbohydrate uptake.
-
Phase 2: Following this rapid phase of glycogen synthesis, muscle glycogen synthesis occurs at a much slower rate and in the presence of carbohydrate availability and high insulin levels, this phase can last for several hours.
Nutritional supplements that harness the effects of these mechanisms are available in our online shop.
Further information concerning the specific use of any of the supplements mentioned here, and the use of others that are not, to enhance the readiness, performance and/or recovery from football is available on request; just contact us using the details provided on the contact page.