IV Therapy and Its Benefits for Athletes

Although IV therapy is being portrayed by the media as the latest health trend, it, in fact, has been around for centuries. Hollywood celebrities and urban professionals have been using IV therapies for a long time, and it has proven very beneficial.

But one particular group enjoys this phenomenon the most, and this is in the sports industry. According to research by the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, a tailored hydration plan, built around an athlete’s sodium and fluid loss can boost anaerobic power, awareness, heart rate recovery time, and attention spans.

Intravenous Therapy or IV Therapy is the administration and direct delivery of nutrients and hydration into the bloodstream. This process ensures instant absorption and utilization of the nutrients by the body.

IV therapy skips the digestive process and goes straight to the organs. This makes it a much faster way of delivering nutrients throughout the body. It is also much more efficient, as up to 90-100% of the nutrients are absorbed and utilized.

Athletes stand to gain the most from IV therapy, as most of their routines involve high-intensity physical activities. Thus, they need constant rehydration and refueling by nutrients.

Benefits of IV Therapy for Athletes

1. Hydration

Athletes need to stay hydrated before, during, and after workouts or any of their athletic competitions. Although IV Hydration and Oral Hydration may share similar effects, IV Hydration may provide an added edge to your training and competitions by enhancing your recovery process.

A study conducted on the effects of water loss during physical activity highlights that individuals participating in a vigorous physical activity can lose up to 3,000 ml/h of fluid through sweat, which can significantly impair performance and even make it harder to drink fluids orally.

Hydration plays a vital role in an athlete’s recovery. It quickly replenishes the body’s fluids lost primarily through sweating. It also enhances muscle recovery for faster results and turnarounds for athletes.

2. Reduces Muscle Recovery Time

Athletes need to rehydrate as quickly as possible. Dehydration may hinder muscle recovery, leading to weakness, severe cramping, or heightened heartbeats, all of which negatively affect athletic performance. If an athlete stays dangerously dehydrated for long, it could lead to more concerning issues, such as muscle damage and kidney problems.

IV therapy benefits both dehydration and the Supplements that may be included with an infusion. Here are a few additives that can speed up muscle recovery:

Amino acids: They are the building blocks for muscle strengthening

Dextrose: They replace glycogen stores needed by muscles for fuel. They also help rebuild proteins.

Magnesium: Reduces muscle cramps.

3. Absorbs Nutrients

Of course, the most beneficial use of IV therapy is the amount of nutrients you absorb. You only absorb about 40-59% of nutrients from oral supplements. But when taken intravenously, your body absorbs 100% of the nutrients.

You need to constantly replenish your body’s nutrients and fluids, as these are required to keep blood flowing to the stomach when engaging in intense exercises or competition. Any delay in blood flow may hinder the absorption of essential nutrients, causing difficulties to the body’s recovery.

4. Prevents Intestinal hyper-permeability

“Leaky gut” is an unofficial term for a case of Intestinal hyper-permeability. And this is a prevalent issue amongst athletes, whether or not they are aware of it.

It is usually caused by ingestion of toxic foods, intestinal bacterial imbalance, over-training, or chronic stress. It occurs when the thin lining of the intestines is disrupted, allowing the leak of undigested food substances, mixing up with the immune system. The immune system recognizes these food substances and foreign particles, which it is programmed to remove from the body.

This process shares similarities to allergic reactions and may cause malabsorption, bloating, and body inflammation.

To ease the aches and pains this reaction causes, many athletes make the mistake of using ibuprofen or any similar anti-inflammatories. This only further disrupts the lining, thus worsening the situation.

Know that when one’s gut is inflamed, it becomes unable to absorb the needed nutrients like iron and B-12, and thus the athlete becomes more fatigued and worn out.

5. Energy Boost

IV therapy is a great way to boost energy. This is a tremendous advantage to long-distance runners or to those who enjoy a good morning exercise.

You can infuse it whenever it is required or take it in doses for quicker absorption. Take, for example, a 15 Minutes infusion that replenishes vitamins, restores hydration, and provides energy Boost, all under 15 minutes.

Of course, these benefits could make all the difference between a win or loss in sports competitions. An athlete on IV therapy should have a lot more energy available to use than an athlete on just oral supplements. This will produce a drastic difference in physical performance.

However, it should be noted that there are specific types of IV therapy that are specially formulated to boost athletic recovery. Therefore, Athletes should use the right kind of IV therapy.

Top IV Options for Improved Athletic Performance

Athletic Boost IV Hydration Therapy

The Athletic Boost IV Hydration Therapy helps to bring out the best of your physical and athletic performance by complementing your training and workout routines. The Athletic Boost IV Drip enhances muscle endurance, improves metabolism and hydration, and improves stamina.

Listed below is the breakdown of each component of the Athletic Boost IV Hydration Therapy:

IV Fluids

Lactated Ringers is an IV fluid solution that helps replenish fluids and electrolytes. It’s a specialized formula to match the characteristics in the blood system to help irrigate the body. It is different than saline solution.

B-complex vitamins

This is a family of vitamins that take on various roles in the body, such as metabolic supports, energy production, cardiovascular support, etc.

Vitamin B12

Vitamin B12 plays a crucial part in the synthesis of new cells, such as red blood cells, and is also hugely involved in the repair and replacement of damaged cells as the body rebuilds tissues.

Athletic Recovery IV Hydration Therapy

The Athletic Recovery IV Hydration Therapy helps to replenish, rehydrate, and refresh the body after intense physical activity. The Athletic Recovery IV Drip drastically improves post-workout recovery, restores the body’s electrolyte and hydration levels, and quickens muscle recovery.

Listed below is the breakdown of each component of the Athletic Recovery IV Hydration Therapy:

IV Fluids

This is a sterile saline solution. It helps hydrate your body and provides nutrients and vitamins directly into the bloodstream, allowing for 100% absorption.

Vitamin C

This is an antioxidant vitamin that promotes muscle growth, circulatory function encourages wound healing, cell repair, expels free radicals, and increases bone strength and health.

Magnesium

A mineral vital for the support of nerve and muscle function promotes protein production and enhances cardiovascular health.

Glutathione push

This is a hyper dose of strong antioxidants that rids the body of naturally produced free radicals during exercise. This reduces oxidative stress for a quicker recovery after strenuous physical activity.

Energy Boost IV Therapy

The Energy Boost IV Therapy helps the body to fight chronic fatigue, lethargy, low energy levels, and exhaustion. The Energy Boost IV drip helps to boost energy levels, replenish lost fluids, improve muscle health, and enhance physical performance.

Listed below is the breakdown of each component of the Energy Boost IV Therapy:

IV Fluids

This is a sterile saline solution. It helps hydrate your body and provides nutrients and vitamins directly into the bloodstream, allowing for 100% absorption.

Vitamin B12

Vitamin B12 plays a crucial part in the synthesis of new cells, such as red blood cells, and is also hugely involved in the repair and replacement of damaged cells as the body rebuilds tissues.

Taurine

Taurine is an amino acid that plays an important role in muscle health and enhances exercise performance by increasing fat burning, reducing fatigue, and preventing muscle damage.

L-Carnitine

L-Carnitine plays a decisive role in preventing cellular damage and aids the body’s recovery from exercise by helping to transport fatty acid to the mitochondria and improve oxygen supply to the muscles.

Vitamin C

This is an antioxidant vitamin that promotes muscle growth, circulatory function encourages wound healing, cell repair, expels free radicals, and increases bone strength and health.

MIC

MIC is required for ATP (Adenine Triphosphate) – the source of energy storage and use in the body at a cellular level – which can speed up your metabolism, increase vitality, boost energy, and aid in the elimination and detoxification of toxins in the body.

Conclusion

IV therapy is undoubtedly a game-changer in the athletic world. With its recent rise in popularity, it is only a matter of time before it becomes standard practice. Already, the drastic performance hike between an athlete who uses IV and one who doesn’t is noteworthy.

Successful athletes always have to find innovative ways to remain at the peak of their physical performance. And as they say, may the best man win, or in this case, may the most energized man win. IV therapy can give athletes an extra edge over their competitors.

To reiterate, the benefits of IV Therapy isn’t limited to only Athletes. It can be administered to just about anybody, although circumstances may dictate differently among the elderly and children.