A qualified trainer will not recommend drugs simply because they are “good” and have helped someone. The same goes for the omega-3 bioactive supplement.
Why is it important to pay attention to analyzes? How does a competent sports coach work with dietary supplements?
Our questions are answered by Bogdan Romanenko, a fitness trainer (as well as an osteopath, a rehabilitation therapist, entered the top 10 in Russia in the Men`s physique-2019 category, CCM in bench press without equipment, MSMK in lifting the bar for biceps).
– In what cases is omega-3 recommended as a sports food – and is it possible to figure it out without a doctor?
– I belong to that “camp” of trainers who do not welcome the immense use of dietary supplements without proper appointment.
When people prescribe bioactive supplements to themselves, they often neglect analyzes, and any drug should be used only on their basis.
The same applies to omega-3 PUFAs – before use, you need to pass an analysis, called a lipid profile. There are three indicators: high density lipoproteins, low density lipoproteins and the atherogenic index. To put it quite simply – “good” fats, “bad” fats and the degree of contamination of blood vessels.
What does it give us? Let’s say a person needs to lose weight (or gain weight – it doesn’t matter). I must have a number of tests that I pay attention to: lipid profile, total testosterone, estradiol, and so on. Because if the hormonal system or the metabolic system is disturbed, then there will be no talk of any positive result.
Now back to omega-3s – these are, so to speak, “good” fats. They should always be normal or slightly higher than normal, which is also acceptable (if we talk about analyzes, these are high-density lipoproteins). Omega-3s are prescribed when healthy fats are not enough; the atherogenic index (that is, the indicator of vascular pollution) in this case is high. And then the risk of a stroke, for example, is very high.
There is such a nuance: people drink this dietary supplement immeasurably. “Omega-3? OK! No problem”. But they do not take into account, for example, the total calorie intake: the body needs a certain amount of grams of fat per kilogram of weight per day. And if there is an excess of fat, other organs begin to suffer in a person.
Imagine a person who eats enough fatty foods, and even drinks omega-3. He unconsciously kills his liver and the rest of the digestive tract. Therefore, I never prescribe any drugs without tests.
You see, there are a number of, shall we say, “harmless” drugs that, by and large, will not lead to side effects. And omega-3 is on the plus or minus list of “harmless” drugs.
– Do people often follow the coach’s recommendation to drink omega-3s, neglecting the visit to the doctor?
– If the coach is qualified (that is, having a sports or medical education), then the training program always includes pharmacology, physiology, biochemistry, and so on. This knowledge helps to find the causes and solutions to problems in time.
For example, a person with obesity comes to you, and you send him to take a lipid profile. It turns out that low-density lipoproteins are high, and high-density lipoproteins are low. The atherogenic index is correspondingly high. Based on this, you prescribe a diet for him and watch the dynamics.
A month passes. Tests are being taken and changes are observed. If the indicators begin to be corrected, then no drugs will be needed. And with weak changes, it is worth resorting to the use of drugs.
Omega-3 is more of a marketing ploy, because, as a rule, it does not give any profit. In fact, out of all that were used, I can recommend only one, which has been tested on many clients (and there were more than a dozen companies). Omega-3 from other manufacturers in the same dosage did not give any results. Just zero.
Speaking of doctors, as a coach, I always try to refer specifically to sports doctors.
It is also worth going to the doctor for complacency: who knows what kind of coach you have. There are a lot of people in this industry who have studied for about a week – and now he can do everything, can do anything. But you need experience, knowledge, practice – after all, what suits one client may not suit another. And the coach must understand the reasons, draw conclusions, change the methodology.
There are many opinions. But I am based on a scientific approach. Risking the health of the wards is the prerogative of the coaches who have been studying for a week.
The material was prepared by Alexandra Goryunova