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Alyssa: Stay away from anything that says it contains a proprietary blend because that is, you know, basically supplement jargon for we put random stuff in here and we’re not going to tell you what it is and good luck.
Steve: Wow.
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Steve: Welcome to the Uphill Athlete Podcast. I’m your host today, Steve House, and joining me is Alyssa Leib, our in house dietitian. So Alyssa, today I wanted to talk about what supplements should I be taking as an uphill athlete?
Alyssa: This is a really good question, and it’s one that I get a lot. Um, and I, I guess I want to preface this whole conversation with what supplements should I be taking? There aren’t necessarily any. know, so I’m happy to talk through what some of the better research and more effective supplements are that I tend to see athletes seeing benefits from but I don’t want anybody to interpret any of this as you have to take these supplements if you want to be a successful athlete. Um, you can absolutely achieve your athletic goals without any kind of supplement, um, for the most part. But, uh, you know, I, I’d rather. I like to approach supplementation as you’re already meeting your basic needs and you’re looking for that extra edge or in some situations like protein powder there’s a Small gap that you’re trying to fill.
Steve: Okay. So what, what are the, first of all, maybe what is the role of supplementation in your view?
Alyssa: so it’s it’s a combination of things and I guess when we talk about supplements Um also just to sort of add some clarity here, you know, we have our vitamin and mineral supplements so for example if you have an iron deficiency and you talk with your health care provider and determine that taking an iron supplement is going to be beneficial for you in correcting that deficiency That’s sort of one side of the supplement Discussion, but the other side, and I think this is what most of us think about is more on the side of sort of ergogenic supplements, things that are going to have an additional impact on performance specifically, um, beyond just this correcting a deficiency for health purposes side of things. Um, so, you know, here, this is where I’m really talking about, you know, things like creatine, caffeine, potentially bicarbonate. We can definitely dive into all of those.
Steve: Yeah. Okay. Well, let’s, let’s start off with, you know, just the, the most common thing I think people think of is just vitamin and mineral supplements.
Alyssa: So this is something that is very, very individualized. And, you know, I have definitely noticed patterns. Um, for example, for most people who live not near the equator, um, Many people are, for example, vitamin D deficient, and in a lot of cases, a vitamin D supplement can be beneficial. Um, similarly, I see really high rates of iron deficiency in athletes, populations, however, Uh, I want to strongly advise against any sort of blind supplementation. I always think that before you take a vitamin or a mineral supplement, you should be getting lab work done to make sure that this is something you actually need. And you should be, you know, working with a healthcare provider, whatever that is, um, to see if there’s maybe another way that you can meet that need.
So for example, if you are vitamin D deficient, is it because you’re not eating anything that includes vitamin D? Can you increase your, your food intake in order to meet that need first. So it is really hard to give any kind of like sweeping generalization around vitamin and mineral supplementation, just because there there is so much individual need, uh, when it comes to that. Um, one thing I will say is that multivitamins are generally a waste of time and money. I’m very much a fan of let’s look at the specific thing that you need, uh, and kind of go from there.
Steve: Yeah. So how does one go about, you know, doing this work to figure out what, what they need and don’t need?
Like do they call their, you know, who do they talk to, and who can order blood work, and that kind of stuff.
Alyssa: So this is definitely something where a trip to your doctor can help. Um, one thing I will say in the US doctors are not always full on top of the needs of athletes and so sometimes it does take some advocating for yourself to get the right things checked. Um, you know, I see this really often with iron doctors are really quick to order a regular iron level or red blood cell or hemoglobin, but to actually get a ferritin level or total iron binding capacity usually takes a little bit of pressure, which can be very frustrating.
Um, if you are somebody who works with a coach or a dietitian, um, you know, these are people who can potentially help you to figure out what tests to actually be asking for,
Steve: if they feel like they need to be asking for this, what is the difference between asking for, um, an iron level check and a ferritin level check?
Alyssa: How much time do we have? Um, they, they measure slightly different things. So ferritin is the storage form of iron, um, and so it really is a better marker of longer term iron status. Um, versus, you know, a serum iron is going to be, you know, a little bit more shorter term. Um, it really is measuring how much iron is actually just hanging out in the blood.
Um, they’re all pieces of the same puzzle. Um, and I, I really feel like when I do work with people who, you know, have a, some sort of iron defficiency or, or some other, you know, something related to their iron. I really do feel like I’m putting my detective hat on, um, and really going through and looking at what all of the different pieces of the puzzle are pointing to, um, sometimes, you know, you may see that iron levels are low or that your red blood cell count is low, but it may actually not be related to iron at all.
It could B12. Um, so it’s really important to get this full picture so that you can actually do that detective work and figure out, well, what is it that’s actually related. Okay. causing, you know, my symptoms or, you know, my red blood cell count or my hemoglobin to be a little bit low.
Steve: Yeah, and I know as a, as a coach myself and as a coaching team, we’ve often asked for help from you for figuring out people’s, you know, because we were, we’re picking up on some of these like, um, hints that there might be something off with a, with a particular athlete and it, But it’s important to educate ourselves as athletes as to what we’re actually asking for.
To your point, not all physicians are going to know exactly, understand exactly what we’re looking for. And it takes a bit of specificity sometimes. Um, most do, most do. I don’t want to throw everybody under the bus. But, uh, but there’s obviously a lot of amazing physicians out there. But, uh, you know, and I particularly noticed it with female athletes that I’ve, I’ve coached in the past, and it often shows up, uh, at higher altitudes as well when we, when we’re, if they go off, and I think they’re going to do great, and then they don’t acclimate well, and then it’s like, oh, okay, I should have, you know, should have been on top of that, you know, and then it turns out often to be a ferritin level issue.
So I’ve, I’ve seen that, Play out a number of times. I think it’s really important, especially for our female athletes to to be aware of that and to be asking their coaches as well for, you know, guidance on, you know, is this something I should be looking at or consulting directly with you as well, of course, but that can be a can be a it’s a really common one I’ve seen a lot.
Alyssa: Yeah, absolutely. And I think, you know, because iron does play such a critical role in transporting oxygen through the body, um, for anyone who is spending time at altitude, whether it’s an altitude camp or an expedition, you know, staying on top of this and just getting your levels checked ahead of time is, is definitely smart because it can take months, uh, to correct a deficiency.
So it’s definitely something that you want to get started on early, um, ideally before it becomes a problem.
Steve: Absolutely. You mentioned earlier that there’s a couple of supplements that you, you do recommend to most people. And I know that’s a big statement coming from any dietician. what are those? What, what is one of those, uh, supplements that you, you talk about?
Alyssa: Yeah, so our two best researched supplements are protein powder and creatine, and they are both well researched. We know that they do what they claim to do, um, and they’re also safe, which is very important, uh, because there, there is a lot of, um, say sketchiness for lack of a better term in the supplement industry, but if you, you know, choose your supplements appropriately, protein powder and creatine should be safe for most people.
Um, and again, neither is something that you must do, but they can help. Um, so starting with protein powder. You know, this is something that I think a lot of us can relate to struggling to meet our protein needs And without diving too much into it I I definitely think that there is a little bit of a tendency to over emphasize the importance of protein at the expense of Carbs, which I would make the argument carbohydrates are actually The more important macro to worry about and that it can be challenging to meet your carb needs there, too But all of that said I know that it’s also hard to meet your protein needs and so having you know a protein powder or Some other form of protein supplement like a bar Can be a really good easy safe effective way to kind of fill that gap in your diet If you just 20 30 grams a day
Steve: You know, and I’ll speak from my, my personal experience, uh, this was something that I would bring on expeditions because we’re often living on You know, suboptimal food, and a lot of the, and don’t have, protein is very hard to come by when you don’t have refrigeration, so, as you don’t in most base camps, so that, that could, was, uh, something, it’s, it’s hard to figure out, you know, you don’t have abundant You know, fresh fruit juices and things like that on expedition.
So it’s been hard, but now there’s more flavored sort of pre mixed things that you can just mix with water and stuff. And that seems to fill a fill a need there. it can be, uh, it can be hard. Is there anything with the timing of the protein intake that, uh, people should consider when supplementing with protein?
Alyssa: Yes, and no. Um, you know, I know a lot of people like to, you know, have their protein shake after a workout, and that’s great. Um, I would say if we’re kind of viewing protein powder as It’s just another source of something that we are getting through the diet. It doesn’t really matter if you’re going to take protein powder versus just have a meal that contains protein, um, as long as you’re getting that protein after your workout.
Uh, so I know that that’s an area where I really commonly see people taking their protein shake. Um, but really if we kind of view it as we’re just trying to fill that gap that we’re not able to meet, um, through our food intake alone, it doesn’t really matter where you take it. Like I know people who. You know, mix protein powder into their oatmeal or make little muffins or pancakes with it and just have it as part of a meal that might otherwise be lower in protein.
Steve: Yeah. Now for a first time protein supplementation, somebody’s going to walk in and they’re going to see all these different kinds of protein and it’s a bit overwhelming. What do you recommend?
Alyssa: Yeah, it is very overwhelming. There is a lot out there. Um, so I always recommend, um, and this is, again, part of a larger conversation that we can have, uh, later, but I always recommend choosing a protein powder that has been third party tested. Um, so without getting into it too much right now, There is very little regulation in the supplement industry, um, at all, and, uh, we have actually seen really high rates of cross contamination with heavy metals, in particular, in protein powders.
So choosing something that has been third party tested, whether it’s NSF or Informed Sport certified, basically that’s just assuring that whatever the bottle says is in it, aka protein powder, maybe some flavoring, maybe some sugar, that’s all that’s in there. There’s no Arsenic or lead or cadmium hidden in there beyond, you know, the levels that are accepted By the FDA like it’s just protein.
Um, so that’s always my number one recommendation And then as far as the form of protein, uh, whey protein, which is made out of one of the proteins from milk, uh, is really considered the gold standard, and that’s because it is highly bioavailable, so our bodies can digest and absorb that protein really easily, um, and really effectively.
That said, if you do not consume dairy for any reason, um, whether you are Vegan, lactose intolerant, just prefer not to, there are plenty of plant based options out there that are really good. I recommend in that case choosing either a soy protein or some kind of blend. So really commonly we see this as pea protein blended with brown rice protein.
Um, and the reason for that is simply that most plant proteins are not complete. So they don’t have all of the amino acids that we need. Um, In our body to do all of the different things that protein does so by choosing soy protein. That’s already a complete protein or by blending P with brown rice.
You’re ensuring that you get all of those amino acids.
Steve: That’s great information. What about, um, branched chain amino acids, BCAAs? They’re often highlighted even on a lot of products, and you can buy them in capsule form, and so on. What, where do the, where do BCAAs fit into the protein picture?
Alyssa: So BCA is our types of amino acids that play a really important role in building muscle. Um, so leucine, uh, Isoleucine and valine are our BCA is and if you buy a BCA supplement, it just contains those 3 amino acids. Versus if you buy a whey protein, it’s going to have those amino acids, but it’s also going to have all of the other essential amino acids.
Um, so the ones that we need to get through our diet because our body can’t produce them. Um, and interestingly, if you compare most BCAA supplements with most protein powders, the amount of BCAAs that are actually included is pretty comparable. Um, so ultimately you are better off. Um, you’re better off eating something or consuming something that has that full amino acid profile, because yes, BCAAs for muscle building muscle protein synthesis, but our bodies also need all of that other protein for other things.
So in my opinion, you’re better off choosing that protein powder versus that BCAA supplement. Um, it’s going to be more economical for you to do that and research really doesn’t show any benefits of supplementing BCAAs in particular.
Steve: So one of the, um, One of the most popular ones, and something that I remember hearing climbers talk about back in the early 90s, is something we’ve talked about, creatine. Where, let’s talk about creatine, and as an athlete now that’s over 50, uh, this is coming back on my, my radar as a way to help me.
Um, try to maintain muscle mass and, and improve my quality of my strength training workouts. Am I on the right track? What, what, what, what should we know about creatine and how do we, how do we supplement with it?
Alyssa: Yeah, so creatine is another really cool supplement and I did not realize that it has been a thing, you know, in the mountaineering world for quite that long, uh, which is, I apologize, Steve, I’m aging you as well as myself.
Steve: That’s okay. It’s okay. I’ve, I’ve been around. I specifically remember Alex Lowe talking about it. He was the first one that, I heard talk about it. He was really into training and and stuff and he was trying it. And of course, even then it was known that the side effect of sort of bloating and, you know, climbers are always worried about their weight because it’s a strength of weight sport in a lot of ways.
And so, um, we, you know, I, I was just like a kid. I didn’t, I was like looking up to this hero of mine talking about it. I didn’t really have an opinion at the time, but those were the things being discussed around the campfire basically back then.
Alyssa: so interesting.
Steve: Yeah, have the same discussions now, 27 years later or whatever.
Alyssa: Not much has changed. Um, although it does, I mean, it does seem like there has been a little bit better acceptance of creatine. I definitely, you know, work with and know a lot of climbers who take it despite that added weight gain, um, which I can explain because, uh, so when you eat creatine, uh, so creatine essentially gets stored in our muscles, um, with a phosphate molecule strapped onto it.
And without getting into the science too much. basically when we do muscular work. So when we go for a run or climb or whatever it is that we’re doing, our muscles are working, they are using up ATP. Um, and when that process happens, uh, ATP has three phosphates on it. Um, so that’s, that’s the TP part triphosphate.
And basically when that ATP molecule is used up, a phosphate group is removed from it. And in order to recycle that ATP to get, to get continued energy, um, basically our body has to add another phosphate onto ADP, which is what remains, to basically recycle that ATP molecule to give us more energy to continue.
So creatine is really helpful because if you already have it there hanging out in your muscles, basically creatine can donate its phosphate group to ADP, regenerate ATP, and now you have another molecule that you can now break down for energy. Um, something to note about that. Most of us already have, all of us really, we already have creatine in our muscles, um, it is something that we consume in food, uh, and so it already gets there, um, but having a supplement really just makes sure that our muscles are kind of storing the maximal amount of creatine.
So that we can really just have that process be as efficient as possible. Um, which is pretty cool.
Steve: Mm hmm.
Alyssa: Um, and yeah, creatine. So essentially by doing that, you are, um, increasing your body’s ability to do work. Um, and it’s especially effective for anything that involves a little bit more power or sort of explosive movement.
Um, so this is a conversation I have really frequently, especially with endurance athletes, um, who, you know, are asking, well, is. Is this really useful for me? Because I’m not bodybuilding, you know, I’m not trying to do these really heavy, intense movements, uh, you know, trying to lift 500 pounds off the ground.
Like, I’m just trying to move myself. And while that is true, I would also make the argument that, you know, most of us who are hanging out in the mountains, we are doing things that require that kind of muscular power, right? We are going up a mountain that requires a huge amount of muscle. Um, We are, you know, pulling ourselves out of a post hole, that takes a lot of effort, that’s kind of explosive.
If you’re climbing and you have any kind of dynamic movement, that’s going to be explosive, that’s going to require power. Um, and, and maybe Steve, this is something that you can speak to, but most of us should be strength training too. Um, and so creatine is going to improve our ability to get stronger, uh, in the gym.
Steve: Yeah, yeah, absolutely. What, um, how much do we supplement with creatine? Is it, what are your guidelines by weight or by age, gender?
Alyssa: So the general recommendation is three to five grams daily. There’s kind of a few approaches to this. If you look online, you’ll see a lot about creatine loading, which basically just means taking a larger dose of creatine for a shorter amount of time, with the goal being to saturate your muscles with creatine as quickly as possible, and then you drop back to that maintenance dose of three to five grams.
It’s generally based on weight. Truthfully. I usually just recommend start with the scoop size that it comes with, um, and see how you feel and then we can really make that adjustment based on if you have any symptoms. Um, so I know Steve, you mentioned earlier this sort of downside of bloating and being a little bit heavier.
That happens because when creatine is stored in our muscles, it’s stored there with, I want to say, two water molecules. Um, and so that. adds weight. Um, you know, the, the reality is when we add water into our muscles, it makes us heavier. Um, it can make us feel a little bit bloated if our bodies are retaining a little bit extra water that way.
So it’s not uncommon to see your weight go up by three to five pounds, which I think is like one to two kilos. Um, but once you start taking creatine, um, so over those first kind of four weeks of starting.
Steve: Yeah, and I didn’t ask it before, but I want to. What is your dosage guidelines on protein?
Alyssa: Yeah, that’s a good question. Um, very individual. My recommendation is that if you find that you are regularly having to take more than about 30 grams per day of supplemental protein, and this is in the context of sort of day to day life. You’re at home, you’re training, not in the context of an expedition where things are a little bit different, um, but if you’re regularly having to take more than about 30 grams a day, um, in order to meet your protein needs, that’s where we really want to, uh, reassess and see if there’s a way that we can increase your protein intake through food.
Steve: And the protein guidelines, they’ve always felt like they’re a little bit fluid. What is the current guideline per, by, by body weight
Alyssa: \ It depends a little bit on what your specific goals are. So there’s different recommendations for endurance versus ultra endurance. There’s different recommendations if you are doing a little bit more of a strength and power sport where you’re, you know, totally focused on rock climbing, for example.
Um, Very, very broad recommendation. Uh, I am normally recommending anywhere from 1. 4 to 2. 2 grams per kilogram of body weight. Um, generally the folks who are on the higher end of that, uh, scale are going to be, uh, postmenopausal women. Who really are having, you know, more challenges with muscle building. Um, men, I will also kind of tend to put it on the higher end of the scale just because, uh, aging men, um, just because as we age for everybody, it becomes more difficult to build muscle.
Um, and then our ultra endurance athletes are going to be towards the higher end of that scale too. Um, yeah, but it is very, very individualized. Um, another thing I’ll mention there too, is. If you are somebody who struggles to get in protein, um, and maybe you quote unquote should be consuming more like 1.
8, 1. 9 grams per kilogram, but you’re currently struggling to hit 1. 2, uh, seeing that number might feel really, really scary. Um, so I, I always just encourage you, meet yourself where you’re at, gradually increase. And try not to get too bogged down in the weeds of all of the numbers because any amount that you can increase is going to be an improvement.
Steve: So there’s a couple of other, uh, things that are getting a lot of press and sounding like blanket recommendations. Specifically, bicarbonate is a big one, uh, these days. And partially because there’s some companies, Making gels specifically that have a lot of bicarbonate in them. Bicarbonate has long been thought to be a potential good supplement because it obviously just from a biochemistry point of view will buffer the lactic acid that we form as a byproduct.
I mean that there’s a whole physiology discussion and we need to have another. talk about some of these new, um, studies that have, this most recent study that has come out about that kind of as given us a better understanding of how lactate itself is actually reused more than we previously thought in the, in the, um, Krebs cycle.
So. Setting that aside for a second, bicarbonate it. Thumbs up, thumbs down. What are your thoughts?
Alyssa: I’m going to give it a solid thumbs to the side at this point. Um, You know, we do have the research behind it as a buffer is pretty, it’s pretty good. Um, so we definitely see that. It does buffer lactic acid. Um, research, uh, that looks at things like time to failure. So basically, how long can you keep going at maximal effort, um, does show that bicarbonate can increase that time.
So it shows that for higher intensity exercises, it can be really beneficial. Um, However, the major caveat, and this is one that is, I mean, truly major, is the potential to cause really catastrophic gastrointestinal issues, um, really, really catastrophic, uh, so if you think of, yeah, the worst thing that could happen, um, that is something that bicarbonate can, can cause, uh, and that’s really, I think, why it hasn’t been, you know, as popular in the past, um, just because it, it has, you know, the, the rates of GI issues are quite high too.
So it’s not like, oh, you know, 1 percent of people experience this. It’s a much higher percentage. Um, and that’s where we do see certain brands, uh, right now who are working to solve this problem of GI problems. Um, and you know, really trying to harness the potential benefits of bicarbonate, but in a way that doesn’t send you running to the bathroom all the time.
Um, and. Frankly from reviewing the existing research on some of these new products that are out there. I’m not Convinced that this is it. Um, I think that it is something that is very individual So if it’s something that you are curious about and want to try Do it on a treadmill first where you’ve got easy access to the bathroom Start with a low dose and then gradually work your way up as you see how your body responds to it But it’s definitely something that I would approach with.
Um, caution We’ll
Steve: Yeah. Yeah. I think that’s key to so much of this, um, work with. is a real thing as we found out in these last few years, right? Like getting used to things is a real, real thing. And I did listen to a podcast recently from a Norwegian coach of two of the top triathletes in the world, and, uh, it’s, you know, he wasn’t very forthcoming because it’s a trade secret, if you will, but that’s something that they seem to have figured out, um, through train, through gut training and through, you know, implementing the bicarbonate through food that they’re, uh, that that’s it.
He thinks that there’s a really a benefit there. Of course, these are like, you know, two of the top 10 triathletes in the world. We’re talking about the elite of the elite of endurance athletes. But, uh, you know, it was really interesting to hear him say, like, so I do think that there is progress being made, uh, on the on the edges of our sports, uh, that that Ultimately, and we’ll trickle down to the, to the rest of us too, once it, once it becomes more common practice up there at the, in the, in the, in the upper echelons.
Yeah,
Alyssa: we, you know, especially in the world of social media, you know, we live in this space where elite athletes are, you know, sponsored by all of these different supplement brands and it’s very easy to kind of see Oh, well, you know, this person won a major race and I see, you know, them posting all the time about all the different supplements that they’re taking.
So, obviously, that means I should take it too. And I think there is some context to that where maybe it will benefit you, but for the majority of sort of everyday athletes, there’s normally more low hanging fruit, um, that is going to offer you. greater improvements than taking this supplement.
Steve: yeah, yeah. So one supplement that sort of pretends to replace some of our food intake, if you will, is the, the ubiquitous green powders. There’s, there’s a lot of different types of these now. Um, what do you recommend in this area at this point?
Alyssa: This is an interesting one because I, I will be honest, there was a time when I was pretty opposed to them, um, and I just said, you know, it’s an expensive multivitamin, I never recommend multivitamins, you should just not, uh, waste of money. But the reality is, I think that there is more of a gray area here, I think there are situations where taking greens powder is okay, um, I never think that it’s an adequate substitute for food.
There’s so many things from actual food that, you know, we just can’t get by having it in a dried powdered form. Um, but you know, I have worked with athletes who have said, I’m terrible at hydration and you know, having my greens powders really helps keep me hydrated because I know that I’m going to drink a glass of water first thing in the morning.
So if, if that’s you, you know, maybe that’s, uh, A reason to be taking these. Another thing that I think is also just an interesting use case for greens powders is the idea of being on an expedition. Where, as you mentioned earlier, you know, you don’t have access to fresh fruits and vegetables.
Um, and so in that case. There are nutrient needs that you do need to worry about. Um, you know, especially if you’re going to be gone for a couple of months at a time, um, or even even on shorter expeditions, right? If we think about our water soluble vitamins, you know, it takes a very short period of time to start to notice, you know, negative side effects of not having enough vitamin C, for example.
Um, and so something like greens powders can be a really good way to just make sure that you are kind of covering those baseline nutritional needs when you’re in a situation where you just don’t have the real food alternative.
Steve: Do you have any particular product in this genre that you are a fan of or not a fan of? And is it a follow the label kind of instructions for someone who’s looking at? Uh, investing in, in one of these green powders.
Alyssa: Yeah, I think my biggest recommendation here is very similar to with protein powder. You really want to make sure that you choose a greens powder that has been third party tested because just like protein powders, there have been, um, there was a very prominent greens powder that kind of came under scrutiny fairly recently because they did find that it had very high levels of heavy metals.
Um, and that company has since gone through some reformulation and they are now NSF certified. Which is great, uh, but that’s definitely something to be wary of, is just making sure that, you know, you are choosing something where you know what’s in it. Um, you know, definitely stay away from anything, and this is true for any supplement, stay away from anything that says it contains a proprietary blend because that is, you know, basically supplement jargon for we put random stuff in here and we’re not going to tell you what it is and good luck.
Steve: Wow. Yeah. Okay. Well, you know, what I’ve taken away from this is, you know, as I’ve often heard from you, food first, and of course, if we need to, uh, get to our protein needs, supplement with a protein powder, as you discussed, then, then creatine, I’m going to start. dipping back into the creatine after this conversation.
I haven’t used that in a very long time, but I think it could help me. I’m trying to go to the weight gym more. One thing that we didn’t talk about is I think everyone’s favorite supplement caffeine. This is, uh, uh, something that I know that, you know, is part of daily life, and it’s also an ergogenic aid on some level. So, what can you tell us about caffeine? What is, what is healthy? What is not?
Alyssa: Yeah, yeah. Caffeine’s an interesting one because I think, you know, a lot of us don’t really think of it as a supplement, although it did used to be a, I believe, a banned substance. Um, I don’t know if it was by WADA or USADA, but at one point it was a banned substance, um, because it is an ergogenic aid, uh, which is interesting because, yeah, I think most of us just sort of think of it as, yeah, I’m going to have my morning cup of coffee and that’s it.
Um, but it can be really beneficial. Um, as far as, you know, things to be aware of, uh, caffeine has a diuretic effect after you exceed about 400 milligrams in a 24 hour period. So to give an idea of what that looks like, many gels have either 50 or 100 milligrams of caffeine, um, And a standard cup of coffee is really anywhere between about 80 and 150 milligrams.
There’s unfortunately no way to know really what your specific coffee has, just because there are so many differences in all of the beans. But what that means is you really have a strict caffeine budget that you need to be strategic within if you are planning to use it for a performance perspective.
So, There are a lot of different ways that you can use it. Um, I know a common conversation I have is with runners who are doing long races, hundred milers, anything where they’re going overnight. Um, that caffeine can be really helpful in, you know, the darkest part of the night, uh, to just kind of keep them moving forward, moving ahead, and kind of bridge that gap between The midnight 1 a.m. time period and sunrise, um, where, you know, your morale is renewed and things feel better. Um, so just really being strategic there. Maybe you’re taking 100 milligrams per hour for 4 hours through the night, just to get you through to that. Summarize. Um, there’s obviously, uh. Um, you know, similar use cases there in the context of mountaineering as well, where you’re, you know, having a really big summit push where it is dark, you are, you know, needing to keep going, you’re needing to stay alert, um, you know, especially just in the context of mountaineering, right?
Steve: We used to, when I used to be doing these single push long duration events, like trying to climb in Alaska, chocolate covered espresso beans were in the pocket. The downside of that is I don’t know, or at least I didn’t know, I still don’t know exactly how much caffeine I was getting at any point.
And you eat too many of those, your stomach does get upset. Uh, but it definitely was a way to have something portable that you didn’t have to stop and brew up, um, tasted good, um, and was pretty light. So that was, that definitely got me to a few sunrises and I’m sure I’m not alone in that.
Alyssa: yeah, yeah, well, having, having something that you’re looking forward to eating, I think is another really big benefit when you’re trying to get through the night.
Steve: Yeah, yeah, yeah. And you had 25 gels in the last 25 hours, so. Yeah. Yes.
Alyssa: ways to get your caffeine in than just gels.
Steve: indeed. So, this has been great. I’ve learned a lot about green powder, protein powders, um, bicarbonate, caffeine. Any final recommendations or points about these supplements that we generally, most uphill athletes will be, most of the time, wise to look into?
Alyssa: Um, know, I think I would just encourage everybody to approach pretty much every supplement and every claim about a supplement with extreme skepticism. Um, because the reality is you can find something out there that claims to do a little bit of everything and fix pretty much any kind of problem.
That is not generally the case, um, you know, there’s, there are more supplements out there than what we talked about today that, you know, there is good research behind, um, but the, the percentage of actually effective supplements is still pretty low in the grand scheme of the whole world of, of supplements.
Um, so I think that would kind of be my biggest takeaway is just proceed with caution.
Steve: Yes. If, if we have the same conversation five years from now, do you think we will have a different list?
Alyssa: Ooh, that’s a great question. You know, I, we, I know we didn’t talk about ketones at all, but I would not be surprised to see ketones on that list in five years. Um, I think the current research on ketones is still trying to figure out what, what we can actually use ketones for. Um, there, there is some, you know, promising research looking at the recovery side of things.
Um. So, yeah, that’s definitely an area that I’m excited to keep an eye on and hopefully they’ll have figured out the bicarbonate GI situation by then.
Steve: Yeah, great. Good. Well, thanks so much for this this talk and thanks for listening to the uphill athlete podcast. We’re not just one but a community I’ve been your host Steve House and we’ll talk to you soon.
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