Which Dietary Supplements Can Improve Swimming Performance?
- Julian Simpson
- 12 minutes ago
- 4 min read
Which Dietary Supplements Can Improve Swimming Performance?
Swimming represents an intensely competitive sport in which even minimal variations in time can significantly influence race results, particularly in short-distance competitions. The precision and speed required in swimming mean that athletes are often separated by mere hundredths of a second, making every aspect of their training, technique, and preparation critically important. This competitive nature drives swimmers to continuously seek improvements in their performance through various means, including technique refinement, physical conditioning, and mental preparation.
Consequently, athletes, coaches, and researchers are persistently exploring effective strategies to enhance swimming performance. Nutritional interventions have shown considerable promise in this pursuit, as they can provide the necessary fuel and recovery support that athletes need to perform at their peak. The role of nutrition in sports performance is increasingly recognized, with a focus on how specific dietary components and supplements can influence energy levels, recovery times, and overall athletic output.
What supplements worked the best for swimmers?
L-arginine outperformed the placebo and other interventions, potentially being the most effective in reducing the 100 m time,
( followed by L-citrulline). These amino acids have garnered attention for their potential to enhance athletic performance through various physiological mechanisms that are particularly beneficial for swimmers.
how- These amino acids enhance athletic performance by increasing power output and prolonging endurance, largely due to the increased production of nitric oxide (NO). The elevation of NO levels in the body leads to improved blood flow, which is crucial for delivering oxygen and nutrients to muscles during intense physical activity.
NO is a critical physiological signalling molecule that enhances blood flow to skeletal muscle, optimizes metabolic processes, boosts contractile function, and mitigates fatigue. It enhances exercise performance by promoting exercise-induced vasodilation, which allows for greater muscle oxygenation and improved VO2 kinetics, enabling athletes to sustain higher levels of exertion for longer periods.
How Much Should You Take?
For L-arginine, evidence suggests that a multi-dose regimen of 7 g/day, divided into three doses (morning, afternoon, and evening) for 7 days, provides the most potential benefits, particularly in improving hormone balance and enhancing overall performance metrics. This structured approach to supplementation ensures that athletes maintain elevated levels of the amino acid in their system throughout the day.
Beta-alanine (BA) was the most effective in reducing blood lactate; this is significant for swimmers who often experience fatigue during high-intensity efforts.
how- Long-term BA supplementation can significantly increase muscle carnosine levels, which are essential for enhancing buffering capacity, circulatory efficiency, and ventilatory thresholds. This increase allows athletes to delay the onset of fatigue during intense exercise, thereby improving overall performance in competitive settings.
During high-intensity anaerobic exercise, lactate is produced via anaerobic metabolic pathways. The dissociation of lactate into lactate salts and hydrogen ions (H+) in the cellular environment leads to acidosis and fatigue. By buffering the accumulation of these ions, beta-alanine can help maintain optimal performance levels.
How Much Should You Take?
Building upon these physiological insights, current evidence regarding the optimal dosing and timing of BA supplementation highlights a protocol of 4–6 g/day over 2–5 weeks as the most effective for improving short-duration, high-intensity exercise performance. This regimen allows swimmers to maximize the benefits of beta-alanine, particularly in the lead-up to important competitions.
BA_NaHCO3, Creatine_NaHCO3, and NaHCO3 significantly increased blood pH, with Creatine_NaHCO3 being possibly the best intervention for increasing blood pH. This is crucial because maintaining an optimal pH level can help mitigate the effects of acidosis during strenuous swimming events.
High-intensity exercise results in significant lactate accumulation, leading to the dissociation of lactate into lactate ions and hydrogen ions (H+), which decreases intracellular and extracellular pH. This drop in pH causes metabolic acidosis, impairing muscle contractility and energy production, and ultimately inducing fatigue. Our NMA results demonstrated that BA_NaHCO3, Creatine_NaHCO3, and NaHCO3 effectively increased blood pH compared to the placebo, thus potentially enhancing performance outcomes for swimmers.
How much should you take?
The study reported that 20 g/day of creatine (divided into four doses) over six consecutive days, combined with 0.3 g/kg body weight of sodium bicarbonate ingested two hours prior to testing, significantly improved the second 100 m sprint performance by approximately 0.9 s. This notable enhancement underscores the importance of strategic supplementation in the competitive swimming arena, where every fraction of a second can make a difference in race outcomes.
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Huang D, Wang X, Takagi H, Mo S, Wang Z, Chow DH, Huang B. Effects of Different Dietary Supplements on Swimming Performance: A Systematic Review and Network Meta-Analysis. Nutrients. 2024 Dec 26;17(1):33. doi: 10.3390/nu17010033. PMID: 39796467; PMCID: PMC11722695.
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