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Published on: 16-May-2022

Whether you want to participate in a marathon, triathlons, or any other running game, you should never compromise your daily diet. However, runners often forget to treat their nutritional deficiencies while planning healthy meals.

That’s why the following guide highlights the importance of five essential vitamins that every runner must include in their daily routine.

If you take a longer time to recover between the workouts and experience a significant reduction in energy after training, these are all signs of nutritional deficiency. Keep reading to learn how good are Joggo supplements to keep you healthy and energized.

Vital 5 Vitamins for Runners

Vitamins are organic compounds necessary to regulate different body functions. If you want to improve your running performance, boost your immunity system, and keep your body healthy and strong, read along to learn about the health benefits of five essential vitamins for runners.

Vitamin B12

Also referred to as the energy vitamin, Vitamin B12 plays a crucial role in the proper functioning of the nervous and immune systems. Furthermore, it assists in creating RNA and DNA, the catalysts to support the growth of functionality of the body cells.

Adding Vitamin B12 to your daily diet prevents tiredness, while its deficiency leads to chronic fatigue and depression.

The good news is that the runners can obtain the desired amount of Vitamin B12 from trout, salmon, clams, beef, calf liver, oysters, poultry, dairy products, and sea buckthorn berries.

Vegans have a higher risk of Vitamin B12 deficiency. They can consult a doctor to prescribe them supplements containing a sufficient amount of B12.

Vitamin D

Commonly known as the sunshine vitamin, Vitamin D is important for your bone health. The sun rays are a natural source of Vitamin D to regulate calcium and other body processes such as immune response, cell regeneration, muscle tissue function, and protein synthesis.

Sadly, around 77 percent of the general population is suffering from Vitamin D deficiency, and that includes the athletes as well leading to severe consequences, such as:

  • Skeletal diseases
  • Fractures
  • Osteoporosis
  • Metabolic disorder
  • Autoimmune diseases
  • Cognitive disorders
  • Cardiovascular disease

In addition to soaking in the sun and taking the desired supplements, you can add food containing Vitamin D. These include salmon, eel, tuna, herring, mushrooms, sardines, cheese, and eggs.

Vitamin C

No one can deny the role of Vitamin C in boosting the immune system. It’s essentially an antioxidant to neutralize free radicals in the body, leading to exercise-induced oxidative damage. Not only that, but it also minimizes muscle damage, fatigue, and immune dysfunction induced by exercise.

Gum bleeding, poor immune system and wound healing, and anemia are signs of vitamin C deficiency.

The runners should ensure a daily recommendation of Vitamin C, 90 grams for adults above 18 years. Additionally, you can include the following food rich in Vitamin C in your diet:

  • Broccoli
  • Cauliflower
  • Acerola cherries
  • Mangoes
  • Sweet yellow peppers
  • Guavas
  • Mustard Spinach
  • Citrus fruit
  • Kiwi
  • Brussel sprouts

Vitamin B6

It’s one of the strongest vitamins required for proper brain functioning. Furthermore, it improves cognitive abilities by producing the desired chemicals within the body to make the athletes well-aware of their surroundings while running.

Vitamin B6 aids in making hemoglobin which transports oxygen to the body cells and tissues to produce energy to run. Furthermore, B9 facilitates the breakdown of the proteins into amino acids, used by different body tissues, muscles, and cells to convert protein into energy while running.

On the other hand, the Vitamin B6 deficiency affects the ability to focus and response time. Not only that, but the runner’s energy levels are significantly reduced.

The recommended daily dose of B6 is 1.3 milligrams for adults. For example, a medium-sized banana contains around 0.4 milligrams of Vitamin B6. Furthermore, you can include food containing B6, such as potatoes, poultry, fish, and chickpeas.

Vitamin A

Vitamin A is a fat-soluble antioxidant that aids in regulating neurological function and eyesight. Furthermore, it minimizes body inflammation, which is caused as a result of the long-running session.

In addition to Vitamin D, Vitamin A is also essential for proper bone development and growth. According to research, people with Vitamin A deficiency are more susceptible to bone fractures.

You can add Vitamin A to your diet by eating carrots, mangoes, kale, spinach, broccoli, apricots, milk, butter, eggs, and sweet potatoes.

However, you should know that your body can store fat-soluble vitamins. Therefore, you should avoid taking Vitamin A in excess and consult the doctor for recommended dosage.

Final Thoughts

Courtesy of the advancements in medical sciences, the runners don’t have to worry about vitamin deficiency disorders. However, not taking the desired vitamins can severely affect mental and physical functionality.

The key takeaway of the above article is to highlight the importance of incorporating the necessary vitamins into your daily diet to boost your running performance.

In addition to eating food containing these vitamins, you should also include vitamin supplements after consulting with your doctor.


Your Personal Path to Wellness Starts Here>>Karen Malkin Health Counseling


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