What Are They?
THE gainer they are food supplements aimed at improving performance in sports or bodybuilding.
Generally, gainers are composed of carbohydrates (high and low glycemic index), proteins (casein and whey), vitamins, minerals, creatine, L-arginine, long chain amino acids, enzymes (to aid digestion) and plant extracts. (for the adaptogen effect).
What are they for?
Gainers (also taken after pre- and intra-workout supplements) are used by body builders and strength athletes, amateurs and professionals, as a supplement aimed at optimizing recovery and / or increase in muscle mass.
Gainers are specific products for post-workout use and should not be confused with maltodextrin and / or branched-chain amino acid supplements (to be taken before-during performance), with tonics / stimulants (to be ingested first), or with plastic models (to be consumed after the session).
With the practice of intensive exercise and the consumption of energy reserves (especially carbohydrates and amino acids), the release of catabolic hormones such as glucagon, catecholamines and, in some cases, cortisol occurs. These mediators are aimed at increasing the levels of energy substrates, therefore glycaemia (from glycogen and for neoglucogenesis) and the levels of fatty acids (free and in triglycerides in lipoproteins).
On the other hand, if these hormones are considered very valuable for endurance athletes, since they guarantee the availability of energy, for bodybuilders and strength athletes they represent an obstacle to building muscle mass (catabolic effect on muscle tissue).
Mechanism
Ultimately, the gainers have the function of buffering as quickly as possible the catabolic effect induced by intense physical exercise.
To do this, it is necessary to stop the catabolic flow and trigger the anabolic one. The effect is mainly induced by carbohydrates with a high glycemic index which, entering rapidly into the circulation, cause the increase of insulin to be stored in the form of reserve (glycogen) in the muscles and liver.
Insulin is considered the anabolic hormone par excellence (it favors proteosynthesis, liposynthesis, glycogen storage, adipose storage, etc.) and its levels are inversely proportional to those of glucagon. In practice, if one increases, the other decreases, a mechanism that is supported by an intricate system of positive and negative feedbacks that involve: the regulation of the central nervous system, glycemic levels, the release of other hormones, and so on.
*Reference Intake of an average adult (Reference consumption of an average adult)
Catecholamines are progressively reduced at the end of exercise, while cortisol may remain in the blood at significant levels even for a long time after exercise. Fortunately, cortisol is also significantly reduced with the nutritional intake of energy molecules.
Once the metabolic trend has been reversed, it is also necessary to provide the body with the nutrients necessary for muscle recovery. This is why some proteins are present in the gainers, which have the function of replacing the converted or oxidized amino acids during performance, mineral salts, which are lost with sweating, and creatine, a particular element of energy reserve.
The other nutrients play a less important role.
Nutritional Composition
Gainers have a fairly high calorie intake.
Energy is mainly supplied by the carbohydrate component with respect to the protein component and even more with respect to the lipid fraction.
Carbohydrates are mainly complex or semi-complex, while simple ones play a marginal role.
Fiber is deficient and cholesterol is not mentioned; it is probably absent.
From a vitamin point of view, the gainers contain a fair variability of molecules and provide good levels of fat-soluble and water-soluble elements. Even with regard to mineral salts, this product offers a "wide range of macro and micro nutrients.
Gainers are not all the same, even if the energy distribution of the various products does not change substantially. The manufacturers suggest a consumption dose of about 20g, which provides 1/5 of the nutrients mentioned (72.2kcal).
With this portion, the gainers do not present any kind of contraindication; however, if the dose is significantly exceeded, it could contribute to an excess of energy by favoring adipose storage. Furthermore, having a rather high glycemic load and index, the use of mass gainers is not recommended for those suffering from hyperglycemia (or type 2 diabetes mellitus) and hypertriglyceridemia.
For normal subjects who carry out longer and more intense training sessions it is possible to increase the dose up to 40g.
