Do supplements really help masters runners?

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1.Grape seed extract

Running just because you love it? Muscle Damage.
Muscle damage may not feel the greatest, but it is necessary to improve your strength. Why and how to use Grape seed extract for faster workout recovery and potentially increased muscle growth.
Muscle damage is the key to strength
Injury to cells during physical activity is an essential quality of sport and exercise. In fact, according to a current review, it is a strong stimulus for growth and adaptation to whatever your sporting activity is. The goal is to balance training gains with muscle damage and muscle recovery. Antioxidants like vitamins C, A and E are valued by runners for their ability to reduce inflammation.
- Grape seed extract group → faster and more complete muscle healing
- Grape seed extract group → faster recovery of muscle structure
- Grape seed extract group → faster muscle stem cell activation
- Grape seed extract group → lower levels of inflammation
- Grape seed extract group → protect yourself against sunburn and sun damage
Research shows that when grape seed extract is applied to skin prior to UV light exposure, the compounds may have a sunscreen effect, helping to reduce redness and damage to cells.
If you are aiming for improved muscle recovery, picking up the grape seed extract should be the icing on the cake.

2. Specific to Runners-CoQ10
CoQ10's potential to contribute to the maintenance of muscle strength and to bolster energy are of particular interest to runners. CoQ10 works in cellular components called mitochondria that produce an energy-storing compound -- adenosine triphosphate, or ATP -- that provides instant energy. Efficient production of ATP helps runners, who put a lot of demand on their energy systems, go harder and farther before fatiguing.
Exercise Studies With CoQ10
A study published in 2008 in the "Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition" highlighted the potential benefits of CoQ10 for runners and other intense exercisers. Participants who supplemented with CoQ10 for two weeks experienced higher concentrations of the compound in their blood plasma and exhibited greater stamina when running on a treadmill. Also in 2008, the journal "Nutrition" published a study showing that eight days of supplementation with 300 milligrams of CoQ10 decreased cyclists' sensations of fatigue and enhanced their recovery. Athletes participating in kendo, a Japanese form of fencing, who took CoQ10 for 20 days, experienced less muscle damage during training, reported a study published in a 2008 issue of the "British Journal of Nutrition." All of these positive effects on exercise imply that runners who take CoQ10 could last longer, recover faster and experience fewer injuries, but research is still considered inconclusive.
CoQuinone® 30
It’s all about energy—especially energy on a cellular level. Alpha-lipoic acid is a powerful antioxidant that plays a crucial role in creating energy in the cells. Coenzyme Q10 helps convert food energy into cellular energy. There is also a concentration of coenzyme Q10 in the heart and organs with high-energy demands. USANA combined alpha-lipoic acid with coenzyme Q10 to create CoQuinone® 30, a fantastic supplement of these energy-supporting nutrients. The benefits associated with these nutrients include sound muscle function, healthy nerve function, and good cardiovascular health. As you age, your body naturally produces less Coenzyme Q10. Fortunately, the proprietary CoQuinone 30 formula is clinically proven to deliver more CoQ10 to the blood stream than competing products.
The energy that every cell needs to function is produced through a complex process in the mitochondria, organelles within the cell. Within the mitochondria cells store energy in a molecule called adenosine-5-triphosphate, or ATP, which is synthesized and used by every cell in the body. Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) is an essential part of the electron transport chain the mitochondria use to make ATP. CoQuinone® 30 dietary supplement was developed to deliver high-quality, highly bioavailable CoQ10 to the cells to support the production of ATP.*
Cells with the highest energy demands, such as in the heart, have the highest levels of CoQ10, which has been studied for years in the United States, Europe, and Japan for its role in producing cellular energy for the heart and other muscles.1 Several human clinical trials demonstrate CoQ10’s effectiveness in maintenance of good heart function.2-5*
Antioxidant Protection
A byproduct of energy production in the mitochondria is the formation of damaging free radicals. Nature has designed a molecule in CoQ10 that is remarkable because it not only assists in ATP production, it also works in concert with other antioxidants to clean up the free radicals that are produced during that process and protect against their damaging effects.6,7 As an antioxidant, it rivals vitamins E and C.8,9 In addition, CoQ10 helps to regenerate and recycle vitamin E.*
Alpha Lipoic Acid
Alpha lipoic acid is another component involved in mitochondrial energy metabolism and recycling oxidized CoQ10.10 This system also helps to regenerate and recycle other antioxidants, including vitamins E and C and glutathione.7,11,12*

3.Protein for Runners
Should I be taking a protein supplement?
For muscle recovery during endurance training, 1.2 to 1.7 g of protein per kg of body weight is optimal. If you fail to consume enough protein when training hard, your body will break down muscle to fuel your body on training runs. The goal with running is to build and maintain lean muscle mass, not break it down for fuel.
Won’t Protein Cause Me to Put on Weight or Bulk Up?
All runners are hyper aware of their weight and body size. Most of us know that every pound counts, and additional pounds increase stress on our joints and require more energy with each mile you run. It’s also a common myth that carbohydrates are king and protein is for weightlifters.
However, protein, in and of itself, doesn’t increase muscle mass. Rather, heavy resistance training, in combination with a high protein diet, will increase muscle mass and weight.
Endurance training with the correct amount of protein will simply facilitate faster recovery and allow you to train harder on workout days by repairing and growing lean muscle mass. Is USANA Nutrimeal a Good Options?
Yes.If this 20 g protein deficit continues over a series of days, your body will not be able to rebuild or repair the muscle fibers and he will start to lose muscle mass. You may notice an increase in general fatigue and a slowing of his typical easy run and workout pace.
Obviously, these are outcomes runners desperately want to avoid. Adding a protein shake or a protein bar is an easy fix for this protein deficit diet.

4. Glucosamine
Glucosamine is made of glucose and the amino acid glutamine. It is already present in the body, but runners take glucosamine to prevent the breakdown of joint cartilage and to promote cartilage formation, according to the Sports Injury Bulletin. Glucosamine may also preserve the joints during heavy training and marathon running sessions.

Active adults and athletes all agree that joint problems can be an unforgiving and formidable foe that can cause you problems throughout your life. However, you’re not helpless. Clinical studies suggest that adding glucosamine to your diet helps maintain healthy cartilage and joints. USANA Procosa is not only an excellent source of glucosamine, it’s formulated with vitamin C, manganese, and silicon to provide additional nutrition essential for optimal joint health.* Another advantage of Procosa is that it contains the Meriva bioavailable curcumin complex, speeding the supplement’s action to provide more immediate benefits. Vitamin C and Meriva also help neutralize cell-damaging oxidative stress.* Procosa is a great way to start taking care of your joints so you can keep doing the things you love.*
5.Fish oil is a useful supplement for endurance athletes to take. Here’s why.
One subject that continues to come up in conversations about recovery and injury prevention is fish oil — absorbing the omega-3 fatty acids from fish oil will help a runner ward off the damaging effects of inflammation.
Aside from protection from disease, what are the specific benefits that the anti-inflammatory effects of fish oil provide for athletes?
Studies were completed in the general population — not high-end endurance athletes. Athletes have experienced excellent benefits from our omega-3 oils. Pain and inflammation associated with work outs or injuries has diminished and recovery time between workouts has been reduced.
What might we expect in the endurance athletic community?
Endurance sports induces inflammation and adrenal stress. Inflammation factors such as CRP, IL-6, TNF-aplha all go up dramatically. These factors actually degrade muscle mass and affect the health of organs and tissues. High dose omega 3 oils decrease these inflammatory factors, and enhance protein utilization and affect recovery times. In the future, we plan to use a finger prick blood test to actually measure the inflammatory markers before and after an endurance event and relate to our supplementation guidelines.