Question

A friend of yours who plays competitive soccer comes to you and asks what supplements he should consume. He says he often feels tired, and so, was thinking about trying ginseng.

1. What would you would want to assess first in terms of his tiredness?

2. What would you advise him in terms of ginseng?

3. He also heard that consuming sodium bicarbonate before performance may decrease lactic acid. He asks if he should consume it, and if so, in what dosage and form. What would you tell him?

Answer 1

1. The following points should be assessed to assess his level of tiredness :-

- duration of workout and practice

- the amount of calorie intake

- a thorough physical examination and basic investigation to detect presence of any disease .

2. Instead of ginseng , I will prefer whey protein . Whey is high in essential amino acids and other healthy nutrients. It's also rich in the amino acid cysteine, which raises levels of the antioxidant glutathione and leads to many health benefits.

3. Taking sodium bicarbonate is a safe and reliable way to increase exercise performance, especially in high-intensity and interval activities. It may also increase strength and help maintain coordination in tired muscles. Yes ,he can consume it . The standard dose of sodium bicarbonate supplementation is 200-300 mg/kg orally .