Supplement Godfather

Top 5 Most Important Vitamins for Muscle Growth and Repair

Vitamin A

Vitamin A seems to be one of those forgotten vitamins, but it’s well known for its positive effects on eye health. For athletes, it supports protein synthesis, which is essential for muscle growth. This is related to the fact that vitamin A is needed for the breakdown of protein during the muscle repair process. Vitamin A also has a direct effect on testosterone, the body’s most powerful muscle-building hormone. In a study of 102 teenage boys with delayed puberty, supplementation of vitamin A and iron produced similar maturity to that of the group receiving exogenous testosterone! It also plays an important role in providing more structural strength to muscles by promoting bone development and stimulating young cells to mature quickly.


Vitamin E


Many readers will know that vitamin E is a remedy for stretch marks and skin problems, but don’t know much about it beyond this. But vitamin E is also a very powerful antioxidant that works to protect the integrity of cells in the body. Exercise and intense training produces free radicals, which are toxic by-products of cellular respiration. As these free radicals accumulate, the body becomes more toxic, leading the way to impaired performance, muscle growth, recovery, and immune health! Vitamin E works to attack these free radicals and flush them out of the body and help decrease muscle damage. In addition to the aforementioned benefits, vitamin E has been studied for its abilities to prevent and treat carotid atherosclerosis, which is a narrowing of the carotid artery due to oxidative stress.



Vitamin D

This is arguably the most important vitamin when it comes to growth and recovery. Vitamin D is unique in that the body needs exposure to sunlight in order to stimulate its production. We all know that vitamin D is important to keep disease away, but it’s the most important of all vitamins when it comes to testosterone production! Some research shows that supplementation can significantly increase explosive power in adults, alongside a strength-training program, in comparison to placebo subjects. It also plays a key role in protein synthesis, which is partly due to its impact on testosterone production. In fact, a study conducted on men with low testosterone found that vitamin D supplementation led to a 20 percent increase in free testosterone. It can also work synergistically with calcium and magnesium to support bone development.



Vitamin C

This is one of the most talked-about vitamins on the planet! We’ve all had a common cold and been given advice such as “Make sure you increase your vitamin C intake,” but what about benefits for muscle growth? Well, vitamin C is a potent antioxidant that works to protect muscle cells from damaging free radicals. It also aids in the formation of testosterone and collagen formation. Because collagen is the primary constituent of connective tissue, vitamin C becomes an essential component in keeping bones and muscles injury-free. By strengthening collagen, joints are more capable of handling heavier weight resistance, with less chance of injury. In one study at the University of North Carolina, researchers found that supplementation with vitamin C before and after training reduced muscle soreness and prevented the oxidation of glutathione, a very potent antioxidant.

B Vitamins (B6, Folate & B12) 

Vitamin B6, folate, and B12 are arguably the most important B vitamins when it comes to muscle growth and recovery. Both vitamin B6 and B12 have a direct role in protein metabolism. In fact, studies have demonstrated that the higher the protein consumption, the more vitamin B6 that’s needed to support the metabolism of the increased protein intake. Another interesting fact is that vitamin B6 is needed to support the absorption of vitamin B12. Together, these B vitamins are essential in the production of red blood cells and immune system cells, both of which are invaluable to muscle growth and repair. Taking folic acid (vitamin B9), in combination with vitamin B6 and B12 can reduce homocysteine levels and improve nitric oxide production and endothelial function. The result is improved blood flow and nutrient delivery to working muscles!