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Key nutrients improve cellular health and ultimately performance in distance runners. Learn how nutritional and gut health testing can uncover needs for optimization.
All athletes, including runners, require fuel to perform in their sport. This may seem like a no-brainer, but there is a ton of research to study exact nutritional protocols that optimize performance. And with each person's unique body chemistry, each nutritional protocol must be personalized. So how do you know if your personal protocol is optimized for you? Let's take a look at the key nutrients for endurance and the type of testing that can identify lingering nutritional needs.
Your body is made up of trillions of cells that carry out your metabolic activities. Your cells are packed with mitochondria, the energy generation station. Long-distance running requires lots of mitochondria to pump out continuous energy. This doesn't happen overnight. Regular training multiplies the size and number of mitochondria in the cells to be able to run a marathon, or farther.1 So, what fuels mitochondria?
Macronutrients include carbohydrates, fats, and protein. All three are needed to feed the Kreb's cycle (AKA citric acid cycle), which is where the mitochondria turns food into energy. Carbs should make up the highest percentage of calories for distance runners, up to 60-70%. It is also important to consume enough macronutrient calories in general to fuel ongoing training - many athletes don't consume enough. These are just basic guidelines; many studies experiment with nuanced nutritional protocols with certain types of training.23
Micronutrients including B vitamins and minerals fuel the enzymes that propel the Kreb's cycle, and insufficiencies may reduce exercise performance.4 Without the micronutrients, the macronutrients struggle to get used. B vitamin supplementation was shown to increase exercise endurance and reduce post-exercise fatigue in non-athletes who were asked to run on a treadmill.5 The minerals magnesium, manganese, and iron are also important for cellular energy production.6 In a 6-month study, middle-distance runners' blood and urine levels of minerals were tracked. Manganese and other minerals were lower, indicating a possible need for repletion, as low levels can alter the athlete's physical capacity.7
Mitochondria can be negatively impacted by oxidative stress (more on this next), so antioxidants can be helpful to protect the mitochondria and cells from damage.
When you run, your cells generate free radicals, which are molecules that cause damage to cells. This process is called oxidative stress. Think of a rusty bicycle - when metal is left out in the rain repeatedly, it begins to oxidize, or rust. Similarly, when our body is exposed to free radicals, cells are oxidized and damaged. Oxidative stress is part of life - everyone generates free radicals. Ordinarily, our body is well equipped to handle it. But exercise happens to increase free radical production. Oxidative stress can damage muscles and prolong recovery time after a run.8 Which is why antioxidants are so important, to protect the cells.
Antioxidants are built into your body and found in your food. When the body has adequate antioxidant reserves, the damage from oxidative stress is minimized and a return to training can happen sooner. Some antioxidant examples include glutathione, vitamins A, C, & E, coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10), zinc, selenium, alpha lipoic acid, and plant-based antioxidants.
Most athletes are aware of the need for protein for recovery and repair. Protein is important, but so are fruits and vegetables. Increasing the amounts of dark leafy greens, berries, and other antioxidant rich foods in the diet is one of the strategies to a speedy recovery.
Half-marathon runners who incorporated some fresh, raw spinach into their diet during the two weeks leading up to the event experienced an alleviating effect on biomarkers related to oxidative stress and muscle damage. This means that their recovery happened much more quickly following the event.9
In another study, runners experienced an average of 15.3% increased time-to-exhaustion with real purple grape juice. They lasted 12 minutes longer than the control group, which was given an artificial grape-flavored beverage as a placebo. The real grape group experienced an increase in total antioxidant capacity and a reduction in inflammatory markers. Less muscle and joint pain is a big benefit of keeping inflammation in check - this may explain why the athletes were able to push farther.10
As a runner, your body is constantly rebuilding and recovering, so your demand for nutrients is higher than the average person. Making sure you have the right nutrients and proper gut function for absorbing those nutrients is crucial to optimizing your performance.
Metbolomix+ is a Comprehensive Nutritional Test that uncovers individual nutrient needs. What's interesting is that the test incorporates markers that are part of the Kreb's cycle, markers that show cellular damage from oxidative stress, amino acids from protein, fats that fight inflammation, and toxins that could be slowing you down. All this information is compiled into personalized nutrient need recommendations for antioxidants, B-vitamins, minerals, amino acids, fatty acids, and digestive support.
Many runners experience GI distress which can include nausea, vomiting, heartburn, bloating or diarrhea. This can lead to non-completion on race day.3 Athletes with regular GI distress might consider a Gut Health Test that looks at whether you are digesting and absorbing your food properly, if your gut is inflamed, and the vital balance of the gut bacteria that can affect every system in your body - the gut microbiome.
It is well known that runners struggle with intestinal permeability, also known as leaky gut. Some bacteria have a toxic component of their cell wall called lipopolysaccharide (LPS) that can pass through a permeable gut membrane and into the bloodstream. LPS was found to be elevated in ultra-marathon runners requiring medical attention. LPS may also slow down recovery time after the race. Probiotics including Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium species are beneficial bacteria that can modify the microbiome. They have been shown to reduce GI symptoms, improve leaky gut, and may be associated with running speed maintenance during a marathon.3
Optimizing nutrition for cellular health can significantly benefit runners by enhancing energy production, reducing oxidative stress, and improving overall performance. Understanding the role of key nutrients such as antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals is crucial for supporting these processes. Additionally, personalized testing can provide valuable insights into individual needs, helping runners tailor their nutrition and supplementation for maximum benefits. By prioritizing nutrition for cellular health and gut health, runners can unlock their full potential and achieve new levels of performance.
For more information on sports science research and testing in the athlete, watch Biomarkers & Pathways of Interested: Advanced Laboratory Assessments for the Athlete presented by Dr. Warren Brown.
This article is meant for educational purposes only and is not meant to be misconstrued as medical diagnosis or treatment advice.
