As the new year approaches, and you prepare to start your new fitness plan, you might be thinking, what can I use to help me with post-exercise recovery? 

New FUTURELIFE® REPAIR FOOD™ is a nutritional supplement, designed to be used in combination with a balanced diet to repair, maintain and assist in recovery of your joints, cartilage, bones, and muscles. ACTI8™ is a unique patented blend of hydrolysed collagen peptides, branch chain amino acids (BCAAs), chelated minerals and specific vitamins that are targeted to aid in the mentioned benefits. This article will specifically highlight the benefits and functions of BCAAs, chelated minerals and the targeted specific vitamins found in ACTI8™. 

CALCIUM CHELATES 

Calcium is an extremely important mineral found in our bodies. About 99% of our body’s calcium stores are found in our bones. This provides our bones with the strength they require. Our bones also act as a storage facility for calcium that may need to be released for other functions, like assisting in muscle function. Chelated calcium contributes to 9% of our calcium in our blood and this calcium format allows it to be absorbed by our body tissue1. 

It is important to ensure that we look after our bone health, whether it is to prevent osteoporosis or short-term bone injuries. Our diet has a significant impact on our bone health. Our bone mass changes during our lifespan. It starts off with rapid building of our bone mass during childhood and our teenage years it then slows down during middle age and is followed by age related bone loss as we get older. Women (especially early post-menopause) tend to have more age associated bone mass loss than men and are thus more vulnerable to osteoporosis and other diseases related to bone loss.  Exercise is beneficial in improving bone strength. Nutrition has an important influence on bone health across our lifespan.  The key nutrients that aid in our bone health are calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, vitamin C & D, potassium, and protein. Food sources that contain these nutrients include, dairy, fruits, and vegetables and fish2. 

MAGNESIUM CHELATES 

Magnesium is an essential mineral in our bodies. It has a vital role in brain, muscle, and heart functioning. Magnesium is mainly stored in our soft tissue, bones, and muscle. Not having enough magnesium in our diets can lead to muscle weakness and cramping. The required amount of magnesium for our bodies is important for post-exercise recovery and optimal performance3. 

Magnesium can be found in fruits, vegetables, seeds, nuts, and whole grains. Evidence shows that the general population, as well as physically active people do not consume enough magnesium and thus supplementation may be necessary and could assist in improved exercise performance and post-exercise recovery4.

BCAAs

Branch chain amino acids (BCAAs) include leucine, isoleucine and valine which are all essential amino acids (they cannot be made by the body, so we need to consume them daily, via our food intake). BCAAs have mostly been used to curb structural muscle damage caused during exercise. BCAAs, especially leucine has been seen to promote the repair process that our muscles require. BCAA supplementation with a balanced diet could possibly be a nutritional strategy used to try prevent/ improve exercise induced muscle damage5.

VITAMIN D AND VITAMIN C

Vitamin D plays an important role in maintaining optimal bone health. It assists in calcium absorption. Not consuming enough vitamin D can result in bone loss and muscle weakness6.  

Collagen production influences the healing of our bones, tissue, tendons, and ligaments. Vitamin C may enhance collagen production resulting in connective tissue healing.  Vitamin C can contribute to bone healing after fractures and increased production of collagen. All assisting in the improvement of bone, joint, cartilage and muscle structure7.

FUTURELIFE® REPAIR FOOD™ BENEFITS

Consuming the adequate amount of calcium, magnesium, vitamin C, vitamin D and BCAAs is not always easy in our faced-paced lifestyle. One 75g serving of FUTURELIFE® REPAIR FOOD™ nutritional shake contains 10g of hydrolysed collagen peptides, as well as:  

• 30mg of vitamin C
• 5µg of vitamin D
• 390mg of calcium 
• 126mg of magnesium 
• BCAAs (isoleucine=495mg, leucine=862.5 and valine=570mg)

FUTURELIFE® REPAIR FOOD™ is not only available as a nutritional shake but it is also available in a protein bar. FUTURELIFE® REPAIR FOOD™ Protein Bar come in two flavours, chocolate and vanilla, and is a high protein bar with 10g of added hydrolysed collagen peptides, making it the perfect snack option.   

FUTURELIFE® REPAIR FOOD™ is available in a convenient pre-packed 75g serving or a 50g protein bar.

Making FUTURELIFE® REPAIR FOOD™ nutritional shake the ideal post-exercise solution.

CONCLUSION 

It is important to consume a diet that has adequate calcium, magnesium, BCAAs, vitamin C and D when it comes to reducing your risk of cartilage degeneration, maintaining bone strength, building repairing muscles and improving your joint mobility. Adding FUTURELIFE® REPAIR FOOD™ to your fitness regimen can help you meet these requirements together with a healthy, balanced diet.

REFERENCES

1. Yu E, Sharma S. Physiology, Calcium. [Updated 2020 Aug 29]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2020 Jan-. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK482128/
2. Sale C, Elliott-Sale KJ. Nutrition and Athlete Bone Health. Sports Med. 2019;49(Suppl 2):139-151. 
3. Blancquaert L, Vervaet C, Derave W. Predicting and Testing Bioavailability of Magnesium Supplements. Nutrients. 2019;11(7):1663. 
4. Zhang Y, Xun P, Wang R, Mao L, He K. Can Magnesium Enhance Exercise Performance?. Nutrients. 2017;9(9):946. Published 2017 Aug 28. 
5. Fouré A, Bendahan D. Is Branched-Chain Amino Acids Supplementation an Efficient Nutritional Strategy to Alleviate Skeletal Muscle Damage? A Systematic Review. Nutrients. 2017;9(10):1047. Published 2017 Sep 21. 
6. Yao P, Bennett D, Mafham M, et al. Vitamin D and Calcium for the Prevention of Fracture: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. JAMA Netw Open. 2019;2(12):e1917789. Published 2019 Dec 2. 
7. DePhillipo NN, Aman ZS, Kennedy MI, Begley JP, Moatshe G, LaPrade RF. Efficacy of Vitamin C Supplementation on Collagen Synthesis and Oxidative Stress After Musculoskeletal Injuries: A Systematic Review. Orthop J Sports Med. 2018;6(10):2325967118804544. Published 2018 Oct 25.