The Science of Supplementation & Natural Food For Faster Recovery

Recovery from an injury can be a particularly frustrating time for any athlete, compounded when insufficient advice had been offered to expedite the process. Too often, a “basic” approach is employed, entailing the use of ice, lots of rest and a prescription NSAID (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug). While this will fix an injury, it is far from ideal, as structural defects may have occurred in the recovery process.

Many of these injuries could be prevented with a smart approach to building muscle; sadly many people forget to check their ego at the gym door. However, before getting into the most interesting therapies for accelerated healing, you need to understand what’s going on behind the scenes. Following an acute injury, or damage to tissue this is the progression of an injury:

1. The Inflammatory Phase: this phase sets in immediately following the trauma, and can last for about 5 days in cases of soft tissue damage (such as muscles, tendons) or up to 3 weeks for bone injuries. The inflammatory phase is important since it initiates removal of injured or dead tissue from the site if impact, improves blood flow locally to the target and prioritizes transfer of proteins and fluid to affected area.
2. Proliferative Phase: this phase ensues immediately following the inflammatory phase, and sets into motion rebuilding of the damaged tissue, albeit with a ‘temporary” substitute. Think of it as setting up supports when building concrete pillars for your home. This substitute is in no way equivalent to original tissue, but offers slight structural support at this time. This phase lasts about 3 weeks for soft tissue damage, and up to 12 weeks for bone injuries.
3. The Remodeling Phase: this is the final phase of an injury, and the lengthiest. During this phase original quality tissue is rebuilt, slowly to ensure it is up to the task of support. This phase lasts 1 year or more, depending on the exact site of injury.

With the phases now understood, you are better able to address nutrition and supplementation specific strategies to promote healing at each phase.

Optimizing The Inflammatory Cascade

We need inflammation for proper recovery to occur, however, striking a balance between excessive inflammatory processes and just enough can be tough. Luckily, it can be much easier if you incorporate these foods or supplements into your diet:

More Omega-3 Fatty Acids

If you go to a general physician following an injury, you will get run of the mill treatment. Hardly ever will you receive specialized diet and supplementation guidelines to hasten injury recovery, unless you go to a specialist.

Omega-3s are anti-inflammatory when taken at high doses, and may be counterproductive to the inflammatory process. But that’s where it gets interesting. You need to consume a moderate dose (3-9g daily) to elicit optimized inflammatory processes, since more importantly it helps to normalize your ratio of omega 3:6 fats. Omega-6 fats are everywhere, in vegetable seed oils, many animal products and even fortified snacks. Aim to reduce intake of these omega-6 fats awhile increasing your omega-3 intake and you will have optimized inflammatory processes.

Garlic

Inhibits actions of pro-inflammatory enzymes and macrophage recruitment. You can attempt to get more garlic in your diet, or supplement with 600-1200mg extract per day if you dislike the smell or taste of raw garlic.

Bromelain

An enzyme extracted from pineapple, it is a superb digestive aid but also possessed anti-inflammatory properties. It also provides mild pain relief when supplemented at doses of 500-1000mg per day.

Foods That Boost IGF-1

In case you’ve never heard of, or underestimate the ability of IGF-1, it’s time to take a serious look at this hormone. IGF-1 is made in the liver, under the direction of growth hormone, and is involved in regeneration and reproduction of many cells including soft tissue or even bone, promoting healthy bone density, following injury from strenuous exercise.

In fact, a study showed that persons with chronic inflammation had the lowest levels of IGF-1, adding to the argument that IGF-1 is also anti-inflammatory, in addition to its healing properties.

Consider these foods/supplements to help boost your IGF-1 levels:

• Protein Rich Foods
• Zinc
• Soy Isoflavones & Capsaicin: produce a synergistic effect to boost IGF-1 production in the liver.
• Velvet Antler: a supplement which was used in ancient Chinese culture for its healing and regenerative abilities, but which show mixed results in modern day studies for its IGF-1 boosting effects. However, it is worth consideration since it is claimed to have numerous other growth factors and has shown to accelerate wound healing in rodent studies. We can’t in good faith give you a 100% recommendation for this one, but it may merit a try judging on its thousands of years of effective use in Chinese Medicine.
• Red Meat (especially for its fat content)

Intermittent Hyperthermia And Ice Baths

We all know your doctor will tell you to ice the injury, as is standard practice. Icing is used for acute relief of pain and inflammation, but is not to be used long periods of time, as it can actually delay healing.