Tag Archives: Supplements

Should You Take Supplements Before Working Out?

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Timing is everything—even when it comes to keeping your bones healthy. That’s the takeaway from a new study that finds taking calcium supplements before working out helps minimize exercise-induced calcium loss.

Athletes who train intensely can lose substantial amounts of calcium when they sweat, leading to decreased bone density. So authors of the study, which was presented recently at the annual meeting of the Endocrine Society, set out to see if taking calcium supplements pre- or post-workout would help fix the problem. They divided 52 male cyclists into two groups. One group took 1,000 mg of calcium along with 1,000 iu of vitamin D (which helps the body absorb calcium) 30 minutes before training. The other group took the same calcium-vitamin D combo an hour after training.

The result: Though both groups showed decreased blood-calcium levels, the cyclists who popped the supplements before breaking a sweat had much less calcium loss, said Vanessa Sherk, PhD, lead author of the study and postdoctoral research fellow at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus. The findings suggest that when a person consumes calcium makes a difference in terms of how much bone density loss they rack up.

“It’s interesting research because we already know that getting enough calcium is crucial to maintaining bone health, but this may be the first study demonstrating that timing plays a role,” says Steven Hawkins, PhD, a professor of exercise science at California Lutheran University and a fellow of the American College Sports Medicine, which partially funded the study.

So should you pop calcium pills or load up on yogurt before killing it in your cycling class? Because the results are preliminary and the study focused on a small group of hardcore athletes (not to mention all men), Sherk says that further research needs to be done before any recommendation can be made. On the other hand, future studies may prove that calcium before a workout really does shore up bones—and women in their 20s, 30s, and 40s already need up to 1,000 mg of calcium daily as well as 600 iu of vitamin D to maintain good health. So it certainly can’t hurt to chose a pre-workout meal or snack from the dairy aisle, says Hawkins. Think: yogurt and nuts, an egg-white omelet with cheese, or a low-fat milk smoothie. But skip the supplements if you can. Nutrients are better absorbed when you consume them via food sources.

photo: iStockphoto/Thinkstock

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Pregnant Women May Not Need Daily Iron Supplements

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There are a ton of things to worry about when you’re expecting, but remembering to take an iron pill every single day doesn’t need to be one of them: Taking an iron-folic acid supplement just twice a week—instead of daily—leads to an equally healthy birth weight, growth rate, and possibly even improved cognitive development, suggests a new study published in the journal PLOS Medicine.

Researchers at the University of Melbourne in Australia asked more than 1,000 pregnant women in Vietnam to take either daily iron-folic acid supplements, twice-weekly iron-folic acid supplements, or twice-weekly iron-folic acid supplements plus micronutrients. They then measured the baby’s birth weight, how much he or she had grown at six months, and his or her cognitive development at the same time.

While birth weights and growth rates were similar across all groups, cognitive development scores were actually higher for the infants whose mothers took the supplements twice a week. Plus, the women who took the supplements twice a week were more likely to take them consistently than those who took them daily.

Iron is key for getting enough oxygen to both you and your baby, and this can affect fetal development, says Mary Jane Minkin, MD, clinical professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Yale University School of Medicine. Plus, not having enough iron in your blood can make you feel more fatigued, which is a big bummer since pregnancy is already pretty tiring.

That said, the supply of iron in your blood doesn’t fluctuate much from day to day, says Minkin, and the results of this study suggest that cutting back to twice-weekly supplements may not have much impact on your overall iron blood count—or, apparently, on the health of your child.

And as for folic acid?  While slashing your intake of the nutrient may not have had any impact on the outcomes measured in the study, Minkin strongly suggests continuing to take supplements for it daily since getting the recommended .4 milligrams each day helps protect your child against neural defects like spina bifida.

One important thing to remember: How much iron you need while you’re pregnant can vary from woman to woman, says Minkin, and can also depend on whether or not you were iron-deficient going into the pregnancy. So whether you’re already pregnant or trying to be, it’s best to talk to your doctor to find out just how much iron you need to be taking—whether it’s from daily supplements or a less frequent dosage.

Photo: iStockphoto/Thinkstock

More from WH:
Foods to Avoid While Pregnant
How Your Second Pregnancy is Different from Your First
5 Ways Pregnancy Changes Your Body

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Calcium Supplements Linked to Lower Mortality Risk

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A few months ago, Women’s Health reported that excessive calcium consumption was linked to a higher risk of mortality. New research now provides more insight on the subject: In a study recently accepted for publication in The Endocrine Society’s Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, researchers report that taking calcium supplements—up to 1,000 mg a day—is linked with lower mortality risk.

A research team from McGill University in Canada analyzed health data from more than 9,000 people that participated in the Canadian Multicentre Osteoporosis Study—though not all of the participants actually had osteoporosis. To get the skinny on calcium supplement consumption, researchers interviewed participants in person every five years and also asked them to fill out a yearly questionnaire about which medications and supplements they were taking.

The women who reported using calcium supplements—up to 1,000 mg per day—had about a 20 percent reduced risk of dying at some point during the 10-year study. Higher doses, however, led to inconclusive results.

That’s in line with research published a few months ago that found women with a calcium intake exceeding 1,400 mg per day increased their mortality risk by 100 percent, compared to those who kept their intake between 600 and 999 mg.

All of this evidence points to the fact that the RDA for calcium—1,000 mg per day for women between the ages of 19 and 50—is in fact the best amount to aim for, says David Goltzman, MD, of McGill University.

The latest research suggests that taking calcium supplements can be a safe way to up your intake—so long as you don’t exceed 1,000 mg per day from both supplements and dietary calcium.

That said, it’s always best not to rely on supplements to meet your nutritional needs. In fact, researchers found similar reductions in the risk of mortality when people increased their dietary calcium intake, as well.

“The most appropriate way to meet your calcium needs is through your diet,” says Goltzman. “If, however, you cannot meet your average daily requirement of calcium, there would be no harm—with respect to increased death—to consume calcium supplements up to 1,000 mg per day.”

These calcium-rich foods will help you get more of the nutrient—without having to resort to a supplement:

The ingredient: Milk or calcium-fortified soy milk
Calcium content: 299 mg per 8-ounce serving (30 percent DV)
Recipe idea: Greek-Style Frittata

Photo: Craig Cutler

The Ingredient: Plain, nonfat yogurt (note: Greek yogurt has less calcium)
Calcium content: 415 mg per 8-ounce serving (42 percent DV)
Recipe idea: Blueberry Yogurt Parfait

Photo: Catherine Sears

The Ingredient: White beans
Calcium content: 96 mg per ½-cup serving (9 percent DV)
Recipe idea: Tuscan Spinach Dumplings with White Beans

Photo: Quentin Bacon

The ingredient: Kale
Calcium content: 100 mg per 1-cup serving (10 percent DV)
Recipe idea: Kale and Cannellini Beans

Photo: Mitch Mandel

Plus, check out 9 other awesome kale recipes.

The ingredient: Almonds
Calcium content: 75 mg per 1-ounce serving (7 percent DV)
Recipe idea: Shaved Brussels Sprouts with Radicchio

Photo: Kang Kim
Photo: Liquidlibrary/Thinkstock

More from WH:
18 Self-Checks Every Woman Should Do
Is Calcium Dangerous?
The 18 Best Supplements for Women

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Warning: Check Your Supplements For This Ingredient

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If you’re taking a dietary, weight-loss, or workout supplement, make sure to check the label carefully. The FDA released a warning last week for all consumers to steer clear of supplements containing the ingredient dimethylamylamine (DMAA) since it’s been linked to more than 40 adverse event reports. Although these complaints don’t prove that DMAA was the culprit, people who’ve taken supplements with the ingredient have reported suffering from cardiac and nervous system disorders, psychiatric disorders, and even death.

Currently found in some performance-enhancing products, DMAA is an active compound that was originally approved for use in nasal decongestants, but its approval was revoked in 1983, according to the FDA. It’s a vasoconstrictor, meaning it works to narrow the blood vessels, but it can also elevate blood pressure and lead to cardiovascular problems like shortness of breath or even heart attacks, says Tamara Ward, from the FDA’s Office of Media Affairs. Right now, no medical use of DMAA is recognized by the FDA—and with these risks, it shouldn’t be sold over the counter in weight-loss supplements, either. “We’ve determined that the dietary supplements containing DMAA are illegal and should be removed from the market,” says Ward.

Unfortunately, that won’t happen overnight, which is why the FDA is urging consumers to check their supplement labels for the harmful ingredient. If you think you may have taken a supplement containing DMAA and are experiencing any adverse side effects, call your doctor immediately and file a report at the FDA’s MedWatch site.

So how can you know if your supplement contains DMAA? Check the ingredients for dimethylamylamine as well as the other names that DMAA commonly goes by:
– 1,3-dimethylamylamine
– methylhexanamine
– geranium extract
Then check out the full list of companies and products currently using DMAA in their supplements by visiting the FDA’s website. Each of these companies has received a warning letter stating that the ingredient is illegal, which is the first step in getting them off the shelves fast.

The bottom line: Don’t forget to run any supplements by your doctor before you start taking them. Products like weight-loss pills and workout enhancers are not approved by the FDA before they hit the market, says Ward, so it’s crucial to get the go-ahead from a physician before using them.

photo: iStockphoto/Thinkstock

More from Women’s Health:
The Danger Lurking In Your Medicine Cabinet
FDA Approves New Weight Loss Pill
The Best Supplements for Women 

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Veggies Far Better Than Supplements at Delivering Health Benefits

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Broccoli
Photo: iStockphoto/Thinkstock

If you want to reap the health benefits of broccoli and other cruciferous veggies, supplements just won’t do, according to new research published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.

“Adequate levels of nutrients like vitamin D are often difficult to obtain in most diets. But the particular compounds that we believe give broccoli and related vegetables their health value need to come from the complete food,” says Emily Ho, the principal investigator with the Linus Pauling Institute at Oregon State University.

The study shows that glucosinolates, a class of phytochemicals found in cruciferous vegetables that may reduce the risk of breast, prostate, lung, and colorectal cancer, is poorly absorbed and of far less value if taken as a supplement.

Intensive cooking depletes the vegetables’ health benefits as well, Ho says. However, they can be lightly cooked for two or three minutes, or steamed but left crunchy, and still retain sufficient health benefits.

Get more tips for boosting the health benefits of your veggies:
The Best Produce for Women

Get More Antioxidants
Vegetables You Should Eat Together

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