Well, if you are belongs to fitness industry somehow – you definitely heard about magical powders such as protein powder, creatine, branched chain amino acids (BCAA), multivitamin tablets etc.

But, do they have any magical powers? Do they transform your body to a professional bodybuilder’s body?

Then answer is NO! All of the items mentioned above is grouped under the term called as Supplements. Let’s deep dive into supplements, in this blog.

What is meant by supplements? What is the need of it?

Consider an average human who is engaged in typical activities such as going to work, doing housework, and spending a few minutes jogging. Due to this simple lifestyle, the person requires a straightforward diet with maintenance calories and sufficient nutrition. This approach fulfills the body’s entire nutritional requirement.

Consider another individual with a more ‘active’ lifestyle, which entails engaging in activities such as weight lifting or High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT), in addition to managing work and housework responsibilities. Such individuals require extra attention to their diet. Given that they exert greater effort to achieve their goals, it is important for them to ensure an adequate intake of both micronutrients and macronutrients to enhance their physique. In this scenario, they might require supplementary nutrients that could be challenging to obtain from regular food due to issues of bioavailability or the need for careful consideration of calorie intake.

In the second scenario, that person requires additional nutrients; therefore, they need to obtain these nutrients in the form of supplements.

So, supplements are not a replacement for food or meals. They help us obtain sufficient micro and macro nutrition without adding any calories.

Usage and safety

Well, there are many types of supplements available in the market, and you should consider buying them according to your specific needs. Below are the various types of supplements available in the market.

• Vitamins – Vitamins are a type of micronutrient used to repair our body. Examples include Vitamin D, Biotin, and Multivitamins.
• Minerals – Minerals, similar to vitamins, are micronutrients available in natural foods. However, if someone is facing challenges in obtaining these minerals from food, they should consider supplementing them in their diet. Examples of minerals include Calcium, Magnesium, and Iron.
• Amino acids – Amino acids are the building blocks of proteins, and they are beneficial if you are lifting heavy weights to reduce muscle atrophy.
• Proteins are a type of macronutrient widely available in meat-based foods. They are required to maintain body muscle mass or to gain muscle weight, and they promote fat loss during weight reduction.
• Creatine – Creatine is used to increase strength, muscle mass, and performance. Foods such as fish and meat are rich sources of creatine.

Now, the next question would be: Are these safe, or do they have any side effects?

The supplements are safe if they are genuine and you are not overdosing on any of them.

Because all of the supplements available in the market have been well-studied for short-term and long-term effects, and they are monitored by food safety authorities in respective countries.

However, if you have any health issues, or a breastfeeding mother, or if you or your parents have or had issues related to kidney, liver, heart, etc., please consult a physician before taking any supplements. They can guide you on what to take and what not to take.

Results

Please understand that they are not magical products, and they don’t drastically change the body or increase performance by themselves. As I mentioned above, they are similar to normal food, used to cover up any deficiencies in the diet.

So, the results of any of the supplements are completely dependent on the diet, lifestyle, exercise, and even genetics!

What I can suggest to you is this: Learn about your diet, count your calories, micronutrients, and macronutrients. If you believe you have some deficiencies, consider supplementing those elements.

So, the results of any authentic supplements are completely based on you!

Takeaway

• Supplements doesn’t have any magical powers to create unrealistic changes in your body, they just provide what you need.
• Vitamins, Creatine, Protein powder, BCAAs etc. are different types of supplements.
• Genuine supplements are good to your body, if it is used under recommended usage and according to your need.
• If you have any health issues, consult your physician before taking any of the supplements.
• There are many studies done, including short and long term effects on the supplements that are available in market. So, it is safe to have genuine supplements in recommended usage.