Nutrition
Q: Are sports supplements okay for teens?
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MPH, MSc
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Q: I have a 14-year-old son who plays sports intensively every day. His coach has told him that he needs to gain some weight, and my question is whether dietary supplements are appropriate, and if so, which ones he should take.
A: There is growing interest among teenagers in dietary supplements, particularly sports supplements. Even before adolescence, many want to "train like the older kids." Protein shakes and high-calorie shakes are the main supplements that can help. However, to achieve effective muscle growth, three things must be evaluated together: total calories, protein, and training.
1. Calories
To gain weight, you need to increase your energy intake (more calories). However, the goal is to gain muscle mass, not total weight, which could increase in the form of fat tissue. For the weight gained to come from muscle mass, it is essential to do exercises that stimulate muscle growth; otherwise, the person will simply gain fat. However, if the teenager's weight is low, the calories in their meals should be increased, either by adding extra food to each meal (a piece of fruit and a dairy product for dessert, for example) or by adding an extra meal, etc.
Some dietary supplements for increasing calories are called "weight gainers." They are usually a mixture of carbohydrates and milk protein. The fact that these shakes are sweet, almost like a dessert, helps people who eat little to consume more calories when added to meals (as a dessert, between meals, etc.). They are not usually particularly healthy products (despite the eye-catching packaging, they are often simply a mixture of corn maltodextrin powder and milk powder). Nor are they any more effective than increasing calories from other products (for example, a bowl of oatmeal with milk and some cocoa powder is perfectly capable of being a "weight gainer").
2. Protein
Our muscle tissue is made of protein, and we need to consume protein from food to maintain and/or increase it. The amount of protein needed varies depending on age and physical activity. An active teenager may need slightly more protein in their diet than a sedentary teenager, and the growth phase should also be taken into account. A teenage athlete may consume 1 g - 1.2 g of protein per kilogram of body weight throughout the day, approaching the upper limit depending on age, gender, total physical activity, and type of training. A teenager in the midst of growth, engaging in very high daily physical activity or competition, may reach 1.2 g to 1.5 g per pound of body weight if there are no medical contraindications or health problems that advise against it. An adult may reach 1.5 g to 1.8 g per pound of body weight if they wish to increase muscle mass in conjunction with strength training.
The main supplement for this purpose is protein powder, usually from milk (whey protein). One scoop of whey protein typically contains about 15-20 g of protein. Half a scoop of protein mixed with 300 ml of milk provides about 15-20 g of extra protein to the protein ingested with meals. Drinking a shake after training may be enough to supplement your diet with extra protein. When choosing a whey protein, look at the percentage of protein in the total product (usually 80% protein) and make sure it does not contain many additives (sometimes they contain emulsifiers, artificial flavorings, sweeteners, and even colorings). In our opinion, this is excessive, and at most it should contain a little natural sweetener apart from cocoa or some natural flavoring. There are neutral-tasting whey proteins without additives, to which you can add cocoa, a little cinnamon and honey, etc. However, preventing deficiencies is more important than taking extra protein, and the positive effect of protein in turn depends on exercising in the first place. Once a diet is energy and nutritionally adequate, ensuring a minimum of protein, adding more extra protein has a modest effect on muscle growth.
3. Exercise
The most important factor for muscle growth is physical exercise. Muscle tissue does not grow if a person is sedentary, no matter how much protein they eat. Strength training is very important because it ensures that the calories consumed are used for muscle growth, not fat growth. If the exercise performed is aerobic (running, soccer, etc.), many people will not develop much muscle mass. Many parents are afraid of strength training because they believe that weights prevent children from growing. This is wrong. This belief comes from observational studies of Japanese children who worked in manual labor jobs with heavy loads, which were incorrectly interpreted by doctors as causal relationships and ended up generating a popular belief that is very harmful. If anything hinders growth and damages children's health, it is a sedentary lifestyle.
However, weight training requires some learning and adaptation to each person's physical abilities. Exercise should be done by learning to perform the movements safely, with weights appropriate to the adolescent's physical ability. It is advisable for a professional to teach adolescents how to perform the movements safely, without making compensatory or harmful movements, with a weight adapted to their ability, and with an appropriate progression that allows for muscle growth. Ideally, there should be a strength training component that involves a large portion of the muscle mass rather than dumbbell exercises for isolated muscle groups. It is not necessary to train every day to get enough stimulation. Exercises with a clean and press type movement with no momentum and involving controlled movement are ideal in our view for working large muscle groups.
Conclusion
Muscle growth requires, first and foremost, stimulation (strength training) and, secondly, ensuring a minimum calorie intake appropriate to the adolescent's needs and a minimum protein intake. Adding extra protein once the minimum requirement has been met through diet has a minor effect on muscle development, with weight training being more important than diet for increasing muscle mass. Therefore, supplements are not necessary, nor is it necessary to consume large amounts of protein, and there is nothing in a protein supplement that is better than eating protein-rich foods. Protein supplements can have some advantages, such as convenience, for example, the fact that they are easy to take at any time. They can also be cheaper per gram of protein than many foods. Despite the eye-catching packaging, a common protein supplement is usually nothing more than powdered milk derivatives with some additives and sweeteners. To estimate the amount to supplement, you must first consider how much protein and calories you consume in your diet, and then add what is missing. However, we emphasize that once a normal protein intake is achieved, adding more protein has less effect on muscle growth, so we do not recommend overuse.
Apart from protein, other sports supplements are not necessary (such as multivitamins), and most other supplements should not be recommended for adolescents. In short, weight gain must be done properly, or it is counterproductive in terms of both health and the desired performance. If you have any health problems, you should consult your doctor.
A: There is growing interest among teenagers in dietary supplements, particularly sports supplements. Even before adolescence, many want to "train like the older kids." Protein shakes and high-calorie shakes are the main supplements that can help. However, to achieve effective muscle growth, three things must be evaluated together: total calories, protein, and training.
1. Calories
To gain weight, you need to increase your energy intake (more calories). However, the goal is to gain muscle mass, not total weight, which could increase in the form of fat tissue. For the weight gained to come from muscle mass, it is essential to do exercises that stimulate muscle growth; otherwise, the person will simply gain fat. However, if the teenager's weight is low, the calories in their meals should be increased, either by adding extra food to each meal (a piece of fruit and a dairy product for dessert, for example) or by adding an extra meal, etc.
Some dietary supplements for increasing calories are called "weight gainers." They are usually a mixture of carbohydrates and milk protein. The fact that these shakes are sweet, almost like a dessert, helps people who eat little to consume more calories when added to meals (as a dessert, between meals, etc.). They are not usually particularly healthy products (despite the eye-catching packaging, they are often simply a mixture of corn maltodextrin powder and milk powder). Nor are they any more effective than increasing calories from other products (for example, a bowl of oatmeal with milk and some cocoa powder is perfectly capable of being a "weight gainer").
2. Protein
Our muscle tissue is made of protein, and we need to consume protein from food to maintain and/or increase it. The amount of protein needed varies depending on age and physical activity. An active teenager may need slightly more protein in their diet than a sedentary teenager, and the growth phase should also be taken into account. A teenage athlete may consume 1 g - 1.2 g of protein per kilogram of body weight throughout the day, approaching the upper limit depending on age, gender, total physical activity, and type of training. A teenager in the midst of growth, engaging in very high daily physical activity or competition, may reach 1.2 g to 1.5 g per pound of body weight if there are no medical contraindications or health problems that advise against it. An adult may reach 1.5 g to 1.8 g per pound of body weight if they wish to increase muscle mass in conjunction with strength training.
The main supplement for this purpose is protein powder, usually from milk (whey protein). One scoop of whey protein typically contains about 15-20 g of protein. Half a scoop of protein mixed with 300 ml of milk provides about 15-20 g of extra protein to the protein ingested with meals. Drinking a shake after training may be enough to supplement your diet with extra protein. When choosing a whey protein, look at the percentage of protein in the total product (usually 80% protein) and make sure it does not contain many additives (sometimes they contain emulsifiers, artificial flavorings, sweeteners, and even colorings). In our opinion, this is excessive, and at most it should contain a little natural sweetener apart from cocoa or some natural flavoring. There are neutral-tasting whey proteins without additives, to which you can add cocoa, a little cinnamon and honey, etc. However, preventing deficiencies is more important than taking extra protein, and the positive effect of protein in turn depends on exercising in the first place. Once a diet is energy and nutritionally adequate, ensuring a minimum of protein, adding more extra protein has a modest effect on muscle growth.
3. Exercise
The most important factor for muscle growth is physical exercise. Muscle tissue does not grow if a person is sedentary, no matter how much protein they eat. Strength training is very important because it ensures that the calories consumed are used for muscle growth, not fat growth. If the exercise performed is aerobic (running, soccer, etc.), many people will not develop much muscle mass. Many parents are afraid of strength training because they believe that weights prevent children from growing. This is wrong. This belief comes from observational studies of Japanese children who worked in manual labor jobs with heavy loads, which were incorrectly interpreted by doctors as causal relationships and ended up generating a popular belief that is very harmful. If anything hinders growth and damages children's health, it is a sedentary lifestyle.
However, weight training requires some learning and adaptation to each person's physical abilities. Exercise should be done by learning to perform the movements safely, with weights appropriate to the adolescent's physical ability. It is advisable for a professional to teach adolescents how to perform the movements safely, without making compensatory or harmful movements, with a weight adapted to their ability, and with an appropriate progression that allows for muscle growth. Ideally, there should be a strength training component that involves a large portion of the muscle mass rather than dumbbell exercises for isolated muscle groups. It is not necessary to train every day to get enough stimulation. Exercises with a clean and press type movement with no momentum and involving controlled movement are ideal in our view for working large muscle groups.
Conclusion
Muscle growth requires, first and foremost, stimulation (strength training) and, secondly, ensuring a minimum calorie intake appropriate to the adolescent's needs and a minimum protein intake. Adding extra protein once the minimum requirement has been met through diet has a minor effect on muscle development, with weight training being more important than diet for increasing muscle mass. Therefore, supplements are not necessary, nor is it necessary to consume large amounts of protein, and there is nothing in a protein supplement that is better than eating protein-rich foods. Protein supplements can have some advantages, such as convenience, for example, the fact that they are easy to take at any time. They can also be cheaper per gram of protein than many foods. Despite the eye-catching packaging, a common protein supplement is usually nothing more than powdered milk derivatives with some additives and sweeteners. To estimate the amount to supplement, you must first consider how much protein and calories you consume in your diet, and then add what is missing. However, we emphasize that once a normal protein intake is achieved, adding more protein has less effect on muscle growth, so we do not recommend overuse.
Apart from protein, other sports supplements are not necessary (such as multivitamins), and most other supplements should not be recommended for adolescents. In short, weight gain must be done properly, or it is counterproductive in terms of both health and the desired performance. If you have any health problems, you should consult your doctor.
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