Over the past decade, we’ve seen an ever-increasing number of women becoming involved in competitive recreational and professional sports, a number that will surely continue to increase. Along with this trend, more of my female patients have been asking about Ergogenic aids -- products that will, they claim, increase your performance by making you stronger, faster or increasing endurance.

Often I’m asked if these products are effective or not. While I won’t bore you with how each trial or study was conducted (the information here comes from studies from The Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, The Gatorade Sports Science Exchange and various Medical Science in Sports studies), I do think it’s important that women be informed of the facts and fictions of these athletic aids.

There has been a lot of buzz in gyms these days regarding increased performance utilizing Power Plate training. Six trials were conducted comparing Power Plate training with conventional training on vertical jump performance, three repetition bench press, upper body strength, maximum one set pushups, one repetition max in bench press and a 40 meter sprint. There was no increase in performance using the Power Plate. There may be other benefits, but not in performance.

Studies conducted with cyclists and triathletes concluded that sports drinks that had a good combination of water, carbohydrates and protein increased endurance and time to exhaustion and decreased muscle breakdown. The same sports drink was used in conjunction with creatine monohydrate in a trial with weight trainers. The drink consisted of a total of 270 calories, with 32 grams of protein, 34.4 grams of carbohydrate and 5.6 grams of creatine. Each group performed the same workout on the same days. One group took the drink in the morning and evening on the workout day, while the other group consumed the drink just before and just after the workout. The group taking the drink right before and after showed increased overall strength, lean muscle gain and hypertrophy. The only difference between the two groups was the time of day the supplement was taken.

Since I mentioned creatine monohydrate, let’s discuss this supplement. It has been studied for some time and does have a positive ergogenic effect by increasing energy production, increasing muscular performance, strength and hypertrophy. It also enhances excretion of toxic substances through the kidneys with no detrimental effects to the kidneys. This particular study used a dosage of 10 grams daily for 90 days. This is a high dose – most athletes I’ve spoken to get great results with three to five grams a day.

Another supplement gaining popularity is L-Carnitine, taken for its supposed fat burning capabilities. In fact, L-Carnitine burns carbohydrates, not fat. I would not recommend this supplement if you’re involved in aerobic activity as most of your energy production comes from carbohydrates during these activities.

Korea Red Ginseng has been shown to help prevent muscle injury and decrease healing time when muscle injury occurs. This effect was achieved with three servings a day at 2 1/3 grams a serving.

Individuals with osteoarthritis have seen substantial pain relief when taking a combination of glucosamine sulphate and chondroitin sulphate. The dosage was 400 milligrams of glucosamine with 500 milligrams of chondroitin, taken three times daily. In the test group there were no side effects noted. Other studies have confirmed the pain relieving results, but their supplement included 500 milligrams of Vitamin C. The premise for the addition of Vitamin C was to increase the absorption of the glucosamine and chondroitin. I’d recommend using the Vitamin C.

Vitamin C is also great for athletes with EIA (exercise induced asthma). Subjects who consumed 1,500 milligrams of vitamin C a day saw a reduced severity in their EIA symptoms, compared to a placebo.

One supplement that nearly all of us can benefit from is omega-3. Omega-3 fatty acids increase brain function, reduce anger, anxiety, fatigue, depression and confusion. We consume very little in our Western diet and supplementation is a good idea. Take up to eight capsules, in divided doses, daily. The target is to consume at least 2.4 grams of omega-3 a day.

Caffeine has been vilified by some and praised by others as far as being a performance enhancer. When a variety of athletes were tested using two milligrams of caffeine or placebo a kilogram of body weight, there was an improvement in 20 meter and 30 meter sprints, passing accuracy in Rugby players and an increase in bench press repetitions. There was no increase in one repetition maximum in bench press. Other interesting findings included no difference in dehydration levels in the groups and no hypertension in the caffeine group. Athletes’ tested included tennis players, cyclists, rugby players and weight lifters.

Several studies show carb loading does increase performance when done properly. It can increase muscle glycogen by 170 percent over normal.

I know most of you are working hard to just get in a work out a few times a week and are not professional or elite athletes. However, what works for them can also work for you. Utilizing the information provided can help you get the most out of your time in the gym.

Dr. Zid treats athletes and dancers from around the world and practices at Lincoln Park Chiropractic located at 2202 North Lincoln Avenue, 773.248.2790.