Ice baths should be put in deep freeze - transdermal magnesium holds the key to recovery

A health supplement pioneer which has won awards for its range of sports recovery products supports new claims that ice baths have little recovery benefit for the body.

Scientists at the University of Portsmouth found that plunging into icy water after exercise is a waste of time – and warn that it may do more harm than good.

Following the research, stronger evidence supports the use of magnesium soaking to help restore lost minerals, normalise muscle function and aid repair.

Many famous elite athletes, including Paula Radcliffe and the England rugby team, frequently use ice baths to help them recover from exercise.

But the new research, which tested 40 male athletes, found no differences between those who used cold water therapy and other cool-down methods in terms of athletes' perception of pain or more importantly in their biochemical markers of muscle cell damage.

A growing number of doctors and professional coaches believe that magnesium is the single most important mineral to sports nutrition. Not only is it needed for optimal muscle contraction, skeletal strength and to help sustain the high oxygen consumption necessary for athletic performance, magnesium also speeds up recovery from fatigue and injuries.

Andrew Thomas, founder and managing director at BetterYou, said: “We often forget how important recovery is. Enhancing performance is important, but without quick and full recovery, training programmes can often be delayed.

“An ice bath is often favoured, but as this research shows it doesn’t repair the damage or replace minerals lost through the exacerbated metabolism process. A concentrated magnesium bath- foot, or full body, will help relax cramping muscles as well as replace the lost magnesium.

“Transdermal magnesium chloride treatments should be used as a staple part of any sports nutrition programme. This application is particularly suitable for sports professionals who need high levels of magnesium replenishment. “Trials have shown transdermal application to be up to five times more effective in increasing cellular magnesium levels. Oral supplementation is much less effective in the treatment of injuries and tired muscles. BetterYou has seen many positive examples of this through supplying our magnesium range to various sports personalities and 2012 Olympians.”

Dr Popescu, Physician of the Romanian National Football Team, tested BetterYou Magnesium Oil spray during Euro 2008 on his team both on and off the pitch. As a result, he now strongly recommends the product for further usage in other sports and teams, after it was found to be beneficial in 90 per cent of cases.

A clinical trial by Cardiff University showed how well magnesium is absorbed through the skin, feeding every cell.

Watkins & Josling tested whether transdermal application of magnesium chloride could alter serum magnesium levels and whole body calcium/magnesium ratios. After 12 weeks 89 per cent of subjects saw a rise in cellular magnesium levels with the mean cellular rise of 59.7 per cent. This represents an estimated five times quicker result than comparable oral supplementation.

Using the most pure natural source of magnesium chloride known and fingerprint batch testing, BetterYou’s transdermal magnesium products are becoming the benchmark for sports mineral therapy.

For more information about the range of magnesium body sprays and soaks, visit http://www.betteryou.uk.com/Magnesium-113 or call 0114 220 2229.

ENDS

Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2012/nov/08/ice-bath-exercise-new-research