From the ArcaMax Publishing, Health & Fitness Newsletter:
http://www.arcamax.com/news/healthtips/s-346740-589607
BALTIMORE (UPI) -- Athletes need to be nutrition-conscious, but a U.S.
expert advises young athletes typically don't need supplements.
Pediatrician Amanda Leonard, a pediatric sports nutritionist at The
Johns Hopkins Children's Center in Baltimore, says doctors should
always ask young athletes whether they take dietary supplements.
Creatine, for example, can aggravate pre-existing kidney problems.
"I always remind parents -- children and teens the focus should be
optimal health, not optimal performance," Leonard says in a statement.
"With optimal health, comes optimal performance. It really is that
simple."
A healthy diet rich in fruits and vegetables plus a daily multivitamin
should provide all the nutrition an active growing body needs.
However, endurance training -- such as long-distance running --
requires more calories from both carbohydrates and protein and
strength training increases the body's need for protein but beware of
overdoing. For instance, too much protein can cause dehydration as
well overload kidneys.
Dehydration is a concern for children playing sports -- especially in
hot weather -- and can by guarded against by drinking 4 to 8 ounces of
water before exercise, 4 ounces every 15 minutes during exercise and
15 to 24 ounces for every pound lost after exercise.