Nutritional Supplements – About Antioxidants and Amino Acids

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Nutritional supplements of various types have been sprouting in the market in the recent years together with consumers’ increasing awareness about weight loss, muscle-building, and overall health. If you’re looking at taking these supplements, you should know which type addresses your health requirements. Here are three of the common supplements to give you an idea.

Antioxidants are among the most important among the health supplements. They are usually made from plant extracts and work through your blood in cleaning free radicals. While free radicals are essential in keeping your body healthy, they are compounds that can also cause cancer, heart disease and other ailments if there isn’t a substantial amount of antioxidants to react with them.

Antioxidants are present in many of the foods you regularly see in stores. Dairy products, fruits, vegetables, grass-fed meats, and whole grains are just some of them. But these also contain sugars, fats, and other not-so-healthy elements. This is where the supplements come in. When you search for supplements online or in brick-and-mortar health shops, you’ll find antioxidants in various forms and usually with other vitamins and minerals. You can get them as capsules, powdered drinks, health bars, and even purees.

Amino acids are another group of compounds needed for good health. Aside from protein and enzyme synthesis, development and functions of your nervous system, hormones, and muscles are among the major purposes of amino acids. You also need these essentials to improve concentration, mental stability, and other emotional and psychological activities.

For those who are into building muscles and other sports and fitness programs, amino acids are a must. The popular protein shakes and bars that you’ll see sold in gyms and health supplement shops are mostly made of amino acids.

Whey protein is popular as a supplement after a workout and whenever you need protein fast. This form of protein is digested in approximately 30 minutes. This will help repair muscles you’ve used in your drills and exercises. Ideally, someone into muscle-building should take a gram or two of protein for every pound of body weight in one day.

If you’d like to build lean muscles, you might need to take additional antioxidants or proteins to help you towards your fitness goal. You can easily buy supplements online, aside from the usual health shops and pharmacies. But it would be best to consult a medical professional to make sure you purchase the supplement that’s best for you.