More then 50% of competitive athletes take some form of supplements on a regular basis, either to ensure adequate micronutrient intake or to achieve an excess with the hope of enhancing performance and training responsiveness.
When vitamin-mineral deficiencies appear in active people, they often occur among;
1) vegetarians or groups with low energy intake (dancers, gymnasts, weight-class athletes who strive to maintain or reduce body weight)
2) those that eliminate one or more food groups diet, or
3) individuals who consume large amounts of processed foods and simple sugars with low miconutrient density (e.g.endurance athletes)
For the above individuals, a multivitamin-mineral supplement at recommended doses can upgrade the micronutrient density of their diet.
However, more than 50 years of research does not support the wisdom of using vitamin (and minerals) supplements to improve exercise performance, the hormonal and metabolic responses to exercise, or ability to train arduosly in healthy persons with nutritionally adequate diets.
MEGAVITAMINS
Some athletes take megadoses of vitamins or at least 10 times and up to a 1000 times the RDA, hoping to improve performances. Such practice is harmful as excess vitamins behave as chemicals.
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