Vitamins for Healthy Muscles

Many of the vitamins needed for healthy muscles can be found in a diet rich with fruits and vegetables.

Lifting weights is one way to build healthy muscles, but just as crucial is the presence of muscle-building vitamins. You can train incessantly at a gym, but if you're not feeding your muscles the right food, you only gain minimal strength and mass. You can add many of the vitamins you need for muscle strength through a healthy diet rich in fruits and vegetables, but you may also need to include supplementation of some vitamins to get your daily requirements.

Vitamin A

Vitamin A helps with protein synthesis or muscle growth. It also helps produce glycogen, which is the energy used by the body during intense exercise. The recommended daily value -- based on a 2,000-calorie diet for anyone older than 4 years -- of vitamin A is 5,000 IU, or international units.

You can find this vitamin in milk, eggs and dark-colored vegetables, although body builders may need to add more vitamin A through supplementation because low-fat diets limit the amounts of vitamins found in their meals.

Vitamin B1 - Thiamine

Thiamine helps metabolize protein, the key ingredient for building muscle. This vitamin also helps form hemoglobin. This is a protein found in red blood cells that carries oxygen to your muscles. The more intensely you train, the more thiamine your body needs to facilitate your workout. The recommended DV for B1 is 1.5 mg; sources include fortified breads, meat, fish, soy and legumes.

Vitamin B2 - Riboflavin

Riboflavin, another name for vitamin B2, helps metabolize glucose, shuffling food to working muscles. It also oxidizes fatty acids and helps protein metabolism, which helps build muscle. The DV for riboflavin is 1.7 mg; the vitamin is present in meat, eggs, green vegetables and legumes.

Vitamin B3 - Niacin

Niacin, or vitamin B3, is involved in nearly 60 metabolic processes and is vital in providing the energy needed for a heavy workout. The DV for niacin is 20 mg. You can find this vitamin in turkey meat, red meat, fortified cereals and peanuts.

Vitamin B6 - Pyridoxine

Like thiamine, pyridoxine helps metabolize protein. The more protein you eat, the more of this vitamin you need. The DV for B6 is 2 mg; the vitamin's sources include potatoes, bananas, beans, seeds, meat, poultry, fish, eggs and spinach.

Vitamin B12 - Cobalamin

Like riboflavin, cobalamin also helps to metabolize glucose. It also helps maintain the nervous system, including the spinal cord. The DV for cobalamin, or B12, is 6 mcg. Sources include fish, beef, poultry, dairy and eggs.

Biotin

Biotin helps metabolize amino acids and produce energy from various sources. The DV for biotin is 300 mcg. It is best to add this vitamin through supplementation, because very few natural sources have sufficient amounts of biotin.

Vitamin C - Ascorbic Acid

Vitamin C is an antioxidant that protects the body from the effects of stress. As muscle building is very stressful on the body, vitamin C is particularly important to negate any damage the stress causes cells. It also helps with the absorption of iron and metabolizing of amino acids, particularly collagen. Collagen is vital for stronger connective tissues. Consume citrus fruit, red berries, bell peppers, tomatoes, broccoli and spinach, to get vitamin C. The recommended DV for it is 60 mg.

Vitamin D

Vitamin D is crucial for absorbing calcium and phosphorus, which are both necessary to contract the muscles during resistance training. Weak contractions slow down muscle building. You obtain vitamin D through sunlight exposure or from fish oil, fortified eggs and milk. The suggested DV is 400 IU.

Vitamin E

Like vitamin C, powerful antioxidant protects cells from the stresses of intense workouts. You can find vitamin E in vegetable oils, avocados, nuts, green leafy vegetables and wheat germ. The DV is 30 IU.

References

• Colorado State University: Nutrition for the Athlete
• Get Big: Top 10 Minerals for Bodybuilders
• Health Guidance: Building Muscle Power through Vitamins and Minerals
• University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences: Facts About Vitamins
• American Dietetic Association: Vitamin Needs of Athletes

Resources

• American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons: Beginning a Weight Training Program