Muscle well-being is very important to keep us active at any age. A healthy and varied diet will provide all the nutrients required but in case of an extra support, we can rely on a specific dietary supplement to support muscle strength.

Supplements for muscles

A dietary supplement is a preparation designed to support a healthy and well balanced lifestyle. It can be used to increase the intake of specific nutrients but also to help some functional aspects such as focusing and memory or muscle strength. Despite the idea that athletes may benefit more from dietary supplements designed to support muscle strength and mass, it is now evident that everyone can have positive effects by such supplementation.

It is important to keep in mind that dietary supplements can never be considered as a substitution of a varied and healthy diet. They only are high concentrated preparations containing nutrients, vitamins and minerals either essential and non-essential.

What do “essential” and “non-essential” stand for?

When a compound (some aminoacids, nutrient or minerals) can’t be produced by the body but it is needed for survival, it is called essential. Therefore a compound can be:

  • non-essential: the substance can be either produced by the body or introduced by diet;
  • essential: the substance can only be introduced with food

Creatine

Creatine is a non-essential nutrient produced by kidneys, liver, pancreas and brain and it has multiple functions.

Therefore, creatine can be either made up by our own body or taken with food.

Creatine-rich foods are mainly protein-based like:

  • milk;
  • meat;
  • nuts.

Creatine is very important for tissues requiring to buffer their energy such as brain and muscles and in fact it is a compound enhancing energy production.

Once in the body, creatine is transformed in phosphocreatine and stored to supply muscles with energy when required. 5 Therefore the main use of creatine is to support sport performances and to increase muscle mass.

The other important tissue that may benefit of creatine action is brain. Creatine demonstrated to help memory, especially in stressed and aging people with a selective positive effect.

Creatine supplementation in young adults and elderly is involved in:

  • exercise capacity;
  • recovery;
  • resistance to fatigue:
  • lean body mass    
  • coping with stressful situations.

Lastly, creatine might have also a beneficial role in cardiovascular health.

L-arginine

L-arginine is a non-essential aminoacid produced in the small intestine which is involved in protein building.

Adequate L-arginine intake is guaranteed by protein-rich food, such as:

  • fish;
  • red meat;
  • poultry;
  • soy;
  • whole grains;
  • beans;
  • dairy products.

L-Arginine increases blood flow and muscle contraction and therefore it is greatly used as dietary supplement by athletes to enhance physical performances.

Beta-alanine (β-alanine)

β-Alanine is a non-essential aminoacid produced by the liver whose assumption through diet involves:

  • meat;
  • poultry;
  • fish.

β-Alanine, as creatine does, can enhance energy production through production of the molecule carnosine which is stored in the skeletal muscle. Thanks to its action on carnosine production, supplementation with β-alanine contributes:

  • exercise performance;
  • recovery.

Moreover, β-alanine has also beneficial effects on improving muscle endurance and efficiency in elderly with a positive result on daily activity performances. This is very important in terms of keeping active, a central point in elderly well-being.

Can a dietary supplement help?

Muscles strength and brain functions can be efficiently fueled by a healthy and varied diet and a regular physical activity. However, in case of intense physical activity, energy requiring-periods or aging, a nutritional supplement containing creatine, L-arginine and β-alanine might help.