Are you an athlete who is on the lookout for supplements that can help with endurance training and boost stamina? Have the new claims of oxygen supplements been working on your mind? Today, we give you a little insight on oxygen supplements and whether at all they help you perform better!

Read on to know more!

Athletes And Oxygen Supplements:

Athletes need to use various methods and means for enhancing their performance level. From performance enhancing medications to special diets and workout regime, they leave no stone unturned. While multivitamin and protein supplements are used by the athletes worldwide to get nutrients and stay fit, use of oxygen supplements is not that widespread. Of late, such supplements have been appearing in the market, though experts are divided in their opinion regarding the practical benefits offered by such supplements.

The Concept Behind Oxygen Supplements:

The manufacturers selling oxygen supplements in canned form claim that using these products offer users a quick boost to sagging energy levels, which happens post a game or high-intensity workouts.

It is true that during strenuous activities like exercise, running or playing outdoor games, our heartbeat goes up and the lungs start working at an optimum level to supply oxygen (1). After such exercise or activities, the oxygen level in the blood takes a dip, resulting in muscular fatigue. The lactic acid gathers in muscles, and ATP generation is thwarted.

As you take rest after a game or workout, oxygen replenishment begins, and tired muscles recover. While taking in oxygen in the air is helpful, it does not have a high concentration of oxygen. Oxygen supplement makers say their products containing concentrated supplemental oxygen charge up your muscles and body faster and better.

Availability Of Concentrated Supplemental Oxygen:

Earlier, supplemental oxygen was prohibitively priced, but with time, the cost has come down, making it easily accessible for athletes. The new handy tanks are portable and do not cost much either. Now, athletes do not need a doctor’s prescription to use such supplements in most instances.

Arguments And Findings Against Efficacy Of Supplemental Oxygen For Athletes:

While the makers of supplemented oxygen have resorted to marketing campaigns and offers to promote their products, the health experts have not been silent! A number of studies have been carried out on the efficacy of these supplements and their impact on real-world sports scenario.

The health experts point out that taking supplemental oxygen may sound like a good idea to boost oxygen intake and charge sore muscles for athletes, but in reality it is of little use. They point out at the potential flaws of the theory used by proponents of oxygen supplement products:

• To reap the benefits of soaking in concentrated and elevated amount of oxygen, an athlete will have to hold breath till the game begins – which is impractical and close to impossible.

• The theory of post-exercise oxygen intake boosting recovery process lacks any strong scientific evidence. As a matter of fact, post exercise phase is marked by modest oxygen delivery to muscles and tissues and submaximal heart rates. Contrary to belief, during post workout recovery stage, oxygen demand is not high.

• Breathing in concentrated oxygen does not actually aid athletes in recovering faster. This is because a majority of the inhaled oxygen gets carried by haemoglobin. Only a miniscule percentage gets dissolved in blood.

• Studies carried out on various athletes by leading health entities, including JAMA, exhibited no major benefit of inhaling concentrated oxygen either before or after a workout (2). The same view was echoed by a study published in the European Journal of Applied Physiology. The studies basically show using supplemental oxygen can have a placebo effect on athletes, but that does not offer any real physiological benefit.

• Studies on the use of concentrated oxygen based supplements found out that inhaling the oxygen does increase the amount of oxygen in arterial blood. However, the blood flow to working muscles gets noticeably reduced. As a result, the muscles receive the same amount of oxygen at the end!

Contrary to our belief that oxygen supplements can help an athlete perform better, these supplements actually do not live up to their claims. Experts recommend that athletes instead train harder to be able to perform better. Like they say, it is hard work that always pays!!

Do tell us how this post has helped you. You can comment in the box provided below.

The post Supplemental Oxygen For Athletes: How Does It Work? appeared first on STYLECRAZE.

by Maanasi Radhakrishnan via STYLECRAZE