Leg cramps are natural health issue and is a prevalent type of muscle cramps that can be experienced by anyone.
However, people who are taking dietary supplements have higher risks of getting leg cramps. Why is this painful cramps more prone in supplement users?
In this short but details article, I will give you facts about leg cramps, why supplements increase your risk and how you can lessen your risk of cramps without giving up taking supplements.
Read on and lets find out more.
What is a Leg Cramp?
Leg cramps are common but totally harmless condition where muscles in your leg suddenly becomes painful and tight. People also call it as night cramps.
Cramps mostly occurs in the calf muscles and triggers a person awake in the middle of the night though it can also happen at daytime. Muscle cramps may also occur during exercise, depending upon the exact cause.
It can happen to anyone but they are common in athletes, people with certain health conditions and women during pregnancy.
Most cases of leg cramps lasts a few seconds but there are instances that lasts up to 5 to 10 minutes. People with sedentary lifestyle are not exempted for this condition.
After a cramping has passed, you may still feel pain and tenderness in your leg for several hours, some even lasts up to two days.
Causes of Muscle Cramps
There are several causes of muscle cramps and most cases are completely harmless and natural.
First off, athletes and workout enthusiasts are the most prone to leg cramps or any types of muscle cramps. This is due to persistent muscle spasm that the body endures to prevent an injury (such as bone crack) – (1).
The spasm helps minimize movement and stabilize the area of injury. Muscle injury alone may cause the muscle to spasm leading to cramping. This is the reason why you see most athletes suffer from leg cramps.
Another cause of leg cramp is by making a movement of your leg muscles during night sleep. An example of this is pointing the toe down while on your bed. This is called by experts as Rest Cramps.
Next and one of the common reason why people suffer from leg cramps is dehydration.
Losing a lot of fluid from excessive perspiration increases your chances of cramps. Again, athletes and fitness geeks are the most common victims.
Aside from dehydration, people with low blood calcium and low magnesium levels are most likely going to have leg cramps.
When your blood calcium and magnesium levels are low, it leads to an increase of both nerve endings and muscles excitability which they stimulate.
Pregnancy, vitamin D deficiency, malfunctioning of thyroid glands, overbreathing, excessive vomiting, dehydration and certain body fluid changes (during dialysis for kidney failure), are all factors for having low blood calcium and magnesium.
Low potassium level is another major culprit why you suffer from leg cramps. Having low potassium levels causes your muscles to weaken, which leads to cramping.
Other possible causes include birth control medications, liver issues, muscle diseases and steroids.
How does Diet Supplements Cause Leg Cramps?
So aside from the aforementioned causes of leg cramps above, one odd but a common cause of cramps in most people is taking dietary supplements.
Just check some of the supplement reviews in Amazon and you’ll learn that leg cramps is one of the most reported side effects.
So how does supplements cause this painful condition? Let me give you some facts.
Diuretics
Diuretic means to cause your body to lose water by promoting urination by the kidney. And diuretics may come in a form of a drug or in our topic, a supplement (herbs or other substances).
Sometimes called a water pill, diuretics are designed to help get rid of salt (sodium) and water from your body – (2).
And the more you lose water, the better especially if you want to lose a lot of weight. Some people even take drugs or supplements that deals with water retention issues so that they even lose more weight in a much faster pace.
This is the reason why most diet supplement brands have diuretic agents in their formula, to help fasten weight loss. And of course, the more you lose water, the more dehydrated you body becomes which increases your risk of leg cramps.
Some of the ingredients in dietary supplements that are known to have diuretic properties include:
- Theobromine (cocoa plant extract)
- Cactinea powder (from prickly pear extract)
- Dandelion extract
- Horsetail
- Parsley
- Hibiscus
- Black cumin
Caffeine is also known as a diuretic but it is not as potent compared with the ingredients above. So with that said, all other herbs that contain caffeine may be considered as diuretic as well including black and green tea, bitter orange, guarana and green coffee bean extracts.
Excessive Exercise
Some people tends to be so aggressive with their weight loss program and o commits full time on both their diet and workouts.
While supplements alone can already deplete fluid on your body, too much exercise such as doing cardio, high intensity interval training or bodybuilding, can cause you to lose significant body fluid daily.
And if you are not guided by a professional, you can harm your body more instead of getting health benefits.
Being dehydrated increases your risk of dozens of health conditions, leg cramps included – (3).
Incorrect Diet Regimen
Okay you want to lose weight and not just a mere two or four pounds, but significant weight loss.
So you begin your so called diet program that you got from the Internet and start following a regimen that you have limited knowledge of.
Following a diet plan is good for weight loss, but only if you know what you are doing. Diets such as intermittent fasting, Paleo or Mediterranean are all proven to promote weight loss, but it can also trigger adverse effects as well.
Undergoing an unbalanced diet have detrimental consequences on your health as you are deprived of essential nutrients, minerals and vitamins, leading to unwanted malnutrition.
Such scenarios is this, some diets require you to eat low potassium foods while neglecting high-potassium foods. The same goes to other minerals and nutrients such as calcium and magnesium.
And as discussed above, having low magnesium, potassium and blood calcium levels are the main causes of leg cramps – (4).
So better talk to a professional dietitian if you want a safe and effective diet program.
How to Prevent Leg Cramps?
To prevent leg cramps, you have to regularly stretch your muscles in your lower legs. This will help prevent and reduce the frequency of cramping.
If the cramps set in, experts suggest that you relieve them by doing simple leg movements such as walking, jiggling or shaking.
Cool compress can bring instant relief to your legs, easing numbness, pain and reduces soreness.
There are also some products that are designed to help prevent leg cramps, such as leg creams or a supplement that is packed with both magnesium and potassium.
Simple change in your lifestyle can also help prevent muscle cramps. This include drinking a lot of water, preventing dehydration, eating fruits that are high in electrolytes and potassium, not smoking and many others.
Bottom Line
There are dozens of side effects from taking diet supplements and leg cramps is just one of them. If you are bothered by leg cramps from your supplement, then it is time to change your brand.
First, try to keep yourself hydrated by drinking a lot of water after workouts. Plus, if you are under a certain diet plan, make sure that you are under the guidance of a professional dietitian.
And lastly, avoid supplements that are packed with diuretics as it will just make you more prone to leg cramps.
And there is one particular diet supplement that can give you results without leg cramps or any other side effects – PhenGold.
PhenGold has magnesium and calcium in its formula, which doesn’t just help you with weight loss, but also significantly reduces your risk of leg cramps.
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