What are they?
Gainers are food supplements aimed at improving performance in sports or bodybuilding.
Generally, gainers are composed of carbohydrates (high and low glycemic index), proteins (caseins and whey), vitamins, minerals, creatine, L-arginine, long chain amino acids, enzymes (to aid digestion) and plant extracts (due to 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 the 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 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), catabolic hormones such as glucagon, catecholamines and, in some cases, cortisol are released. These mediators are aimed at increasing the levels of energy substrates, then the 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, because they guarantee the availability of energy, for bodybuilders and athletes of strength they represent an obstacle to the construction of muscle mass (catabolic effect on muscle tissue).
Mechanism
Ultimately, gainers have the function to buffer the catabolic effect induced by intense physical exercise as quickly as possible.
To do this, it is necessary to interrupt the catabolic flow and trigger the anabolic one. The effect is mainly induced by carbohydrates with a high glycemic index which, rapidly entering into circulation, determine the increase of insulin to be stored in the form of a reserve (glycogen) in the muscles and the liver.
Insulin is considered the anabolic hormone par excellence (it promotes proteosynthesis, liposynthesis, glycogen storage, adipose deposit, etc.) and its levels are inversely proportional to those of glucagon. In practice, if one increases, the other decreases, a mechanism that is based thanks to an intricate system of positive and negative feedbacks that involve: regulation of the central nervous system, glycemic levels, the release of other hormones, etc.
| Nutritional Values per 100g | |||
 | |||
| Nutritious | Quantity | % RI * | |
| Power | 362kcal | 19.0% | |
| Grassi | 1.6g | 2.4% | |
| Saturated | 0, 94g | 4.5% | |
| Carbohydrates | 76, 4g | 29.4% | |
| Simple sugars | 7, 87g | 8.8% | |
| fibers | 0.7g | 2.3% | |
| Protein | 15, 2g | 30.3% | |
| salt | 0.6g | 9.7% | |
| Vitamin A | 91, 8Ug | 11.5% | |
| Vitamin D | 0, 6Ug | 11.5% | |
| Vitamin E | 1, 1mg | 9.4% | |
| C vitamin | 6, 7mg | 8.5% | |
| Thiamine (B1) | 0, 16mg | 14.2% | |
| Riboflavin (B2) | 0, 18mg | 13.3% | |
| Niacin (PP) | 2, 10mg | 13.0% | |
| Pyridoxine (B6) | 0, 22mg | 16.0% | |
| Folic acid | 21, 70Ug | 10.9% | |
| Cobalamin (B12) | 0, 14Ug | 5.5% | |
| Biotin (H) | 16, 66Ug | 33.3% | |
| Pantothenic acid (B5) | 0, 66mg | 11.2% | |
| Potassium | 412, 1mg | 20.6% | |
| Chloride | 336, 4mg | 41.8% | |
| Football | 123, 3mg | 15.5% | |
| Phosphorus | 180, 6mg | 25.8% | |
| Magnesium | 20, 2mg | 5.5% | |
| Iron | 2, 8mg | 19.7% | |
| Zinc | 1.2mg | 12.4% | |
| Copper | 0.3mg | 25.8% | |
| Manganese | 0.2mg | 8.8% | |
| Selenium | 3, 33Ug | 6.1% | |
| Chrome | 42, 4Ug | 107.6% | |
| Iodine | 15, 5Ug | 10.3% | |
| Sodium | 231, 2mg | ||
* Reference Intake of an average adult ( Average adult reference consumption) | |||
Catecholamines gradually reduce at the end of the 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 is reversed, it is also necessary to provide the body with the nutrients necessary for muscle recovery. This is why in the gainer there are some proteins, which have the function of replacing the converted or oxidized amino acids during performance, mineral salts, which are lost through sweating, and creatine, a particular element of energy reserve.
The other nutrients have a less important role.
Nutritional Composition
Gainers have a fairly high caloric intake.
Energy is provided mainly by the carbohydrate component compared to the protein component and even more than the lipid fraction.
The glucides are mainly complex or semi-complex, while the simple ones play a marginal role.
The fibers are deficient and cholesterol is not mentioned; it is probably absent.
From a vitamin point of view, gainers contain a fair amount of molecules and provide good levels of fat-soluble and water-soluble elements. Also with regard to mineral salts, this product offers a wide range of macro and micro nutrients.
The 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 around 20g, which provides 1/5 of the mentioned nutrients (72.2kcal).
With this portion, gainers do not present any type of contraindication; however, if the dose is exceeded significantly, it could contribute to an excess of energy favoring the adipose deposit. Moreover, having a rather high load and a glycemic 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 have longer and more intense training sessions it is possible to increase the dose up to 40g.
