In particular, the need for the water-soluble vitamins – vitamin C, B vitamins, biotin, pantothenic acid, niacin – increases because they are increasingly lost through urine and sweat. Furthermore, deficiencies can occur if an adequate vitamin intake through food is neglected. In many cases, even very body-conscious, athletic people are not able to eat a balanced diet and cover their vital substance requirements (micronutrients) through food. The increased formation of free radicals in the body aggravates vitamin and antioxidant deficiencies.
A vitamin deficiency is usually accompanied by a drop in performance, which is characterized by a lack of appetite, general weakness, easy fatigue, and increased susceptibility to infections.
Reasons for an increased need for vitamins during sports activities:
- The altered regulatory metabolism under athletic stress, especially via increased stress hormone release – increased adrenaline, noradrenaline, cortisol, beta-endorphin, catecholamine and aldosterone release – inhibit the activity of white blood cells (leukocytes) and affect the absorption, distribution as well as excretion of vital substances.
- Extreme short-term stress leads to stress-related metabolic disorders, weakening the immune system and increased vital substances (micronutrients) are degraded or lost.
- Increased vital substance degradation (micronutrients) due to increased metabolic activity and the high catabolic metabolic state.
- Increased loss of vital substances after active physical overload – even in the first week of recovery – mainly via the kidneys.
- Increased excretion via stool, urine and especially sweat (competition stress) often causes consistency reduction of stool to violent watery stools. Long-distance runners lose amazing amounts of blood, protein as well as vitamins under competition stress, which can far exceed those in sweat.
- If drinks with too high sugar content – over 25-50 grams per liter – are drunk during and after physical exertion, such can impair gastric emptying as well as the absorption of vital substances (micronutrients).
- Bad and wrong eating habits – too much sugar, fat, alcohol – as well as one-sided, irregular and too little food intake lead under extreme stress situations to the vital substance deficiency (macro- and micronutrients) and are usually associated with a reduction in performance as well as resilience, with functional limitations and even with health damage and diseases.
- Athletes who have to pay attention to a low body weight and eat undercaloric compared to the increased caloric turnover in training – observed in long-distance or ski runners, girls and women in gymnastics, gymnastics or figure skating – easily develop a deficit of essential vital substances (micronutrients). In conjunction with the vital substance deficiency (macro- and micronutrients), the low food intake leads to hormonal regulatory disorders. These in turn cause physical as well as psychological changes, such as anorexia and bulimia, disturbances in the menstrual cycle, demineralization of the bones with susceptibility to fatigue fractures as well as stress fractures.
- Smoking, alcohol consumption and lack of sleep increase the need for vital substances (micronutrients).
- Increased oxygen exposure leads to increased oxidative stress.
