Sports nutrition is not new. In fact, as far back as the record of human history goes we can find people looking for sports nutrition products – food and other substances that would help improve their physical abilities and strengths.
In medieval times, doctors encouraged the consumption of a human heart as a sports nutrition method. It was thought to increase intelligence and bravery. The extracts of the human heart’s pituitary glands were believed to enhance the strength of the body’s muscles.
As early as 300 BC Olympians in Greece ate mushrooms as a sports nutrition food. In 1865 sports nutrition for swimmers in Holland revolved around caffeine, while athletes in Belgium around the same time consumed sugar cubes that had been dipped in ether. Cactus was considered a sports nutrition product for marathon runners.
Dietary supplements for sports nutrition are now easily available through pharmacies, health food retailers, supermarkets, by mail and of course all over the Internet. Sports nutrition supplements are the most sought after of any dietary nutrition products, with athletes consuming sports nutrition and dietary supplements more often than 40 percent of the world’s general population. 59 percent of professional athletes consume dietary supplements as part of their sports nutrition regimen, as do 43 percent of college athletes.
The most common method of supplementing a sports nutrition regimen is with multiple vitamins and minerals such as vitamin C, iron, B-complex vitamins, Vitamin E, Vitamin A and calcium.
Serious athletes focus on sports nutrition to improve their athletic performance by increasing their endurance, strengthening their muscles, helping their bodies recover from heavy workouts, and to prevent any illness or injury from overexertion.
