Best Dietary Supplements for Running You Should Use in 2024

If running is your passion, you should definitely consider using dietary supplements to fuel your exercise, boost your immune system, and increase your VO2 max.

In short, dietary supplements allow you to preserve and improve your athletic performance.

In this blog, you'll discover the best dietary supplements for running in 2024.

Running nutrition overview

There are several aspects of running nutrition that affect your health and athletic performance.

Let's break it down into digestible chunks (pun intended).

Carbohydrates and electrolytes

The main two aspects of running nutrition are the intake of carbohydrates before, during, and after running and the intake of minerals during and after running.

These two aspects aim to provide your body with energy and sustain proper hydration. Both elements are vital for your athletic performance.

The intake of carbohydrates revolves around managing your glycogen stores. This involves three important nutritional strategies:

• Carb-loading
• Fueling
• Muscle recovery

The intake of minerals is closely related to your carbohydrate intake in terms of the supplements you use. Minerals become electrolytes once they enter your bloodstream and allow you to sustain proper hydration, which allows your body to function at its best.

The best dietary supplements to sustain your carbohydrate and mineral intake during and after exercise are:

• Energy gels
• Isotonic sports drinks
• Recovery drinks

Support supplements

In addition to providing your body with the energy and hydration it needs to perform during intense running exercise, there are other factors that affect your long-term running performance.

Above all, your greatest asset is a strong immune system. Without a strong immune system, you greatly increase chance of illness and injury, which has major negative impacts on you athletic journey.

Directly correlated to your immune system is stress. Long sessions of intense running increase stress levels in your body, which is why it is crucial that you learn how to manage and reduce stress.

Since running puts a lot of strain on your joints and ligaments, it makes sense to support them with collagen.

And if you aim for top performance, VO2 max is a crucial factor you should keep in mind. To increase VO2 max, you need a structured training plan and proper supplement support.

Running nutrition is about providing your body with carbohydrates and minerals before, during, and after running and supporting your long-term performance with supplements, such as vitamins, collagen, and adaptogens.

Now let's look at the specific supplements we recommend for running in 2024.

The best dietary supplements for running

In terms of supplements, there is a lot to choose from. Sometimes the choice may be overwhelming. To help you out, we have selected the best supplements we recommend for the upcoming running season.

1. 4Energy Gel

If you don't know what an energy gel is, it is one of the most useful supplements for runners. If you engage in an intense running session that lasts more than 60 minutes, you should definitely keep a few energy gels in your pockets.

4Energy Gel is designed for runners and has several great benefits.

• High levels of energy without digestive issues.
• No artificial stuff, only 100% natural ingredients.
• So refreshing it doesn't need any water.

If you'd like to discover more energy gels, check out our top 3 recommendations in 2024.

2. Nrgy Unit Drink

An isotonic sports drink is another very useful source of carbohydrates and minerals for runners. Whenever you run, it's a good idea to consume one serving per hour.

If you aim for top performance, we definitely recommend Nduranz's Nrgy Unit Drink, which is designed to provide optimal fuel during intense exercise.

• Optimal 1:0.8 ratio of maltodextrin and fructose.
• Advanced electrolyte mix for optimal hydration.
• Easy fueling with the Nrgy Unit System.

Nduranz also provides alternate versions of their isotonic sports drink. Nrgy Unit Drink 90 is designed for the highest intake of carbohydrates (90 grams per portion), and Nrgy Unit Drink Buffer contains sodium bicarbonate, an increasingly popular ingredient among professional athletes.

3. Recovery Whey Formula

Proper muscle recovery after running is crucial to sustain your long-term health and athletic performance.

Recovery Whey Formula is created especially for runners who need a high carbohydrate to protein ratio, in this case 4:1. This recovery drink has several crucial benefits.

• Optimal ratio of carbohydrates and protein.
• Electrolyte mix to trigger efficient rehydration.
• High-quality ingredients to prevent digestive issues.

While Recovery Whey Formula contains the protein required for efficient muscle recovery, depending on your daily protein intake, you might want to increase the intake of protein with a high-quality whey protein isolate or a 100% pure form of glutamine.

4. Immuno

To boost your immune system, you need to intake vitamins and minerals.

While you could achieve this by taking individual essential vitamins, such as vitamin C and vitamin D, and essential minerals, such as zinc, there is a supplement created specifically for athletes that contains all you need to boost your immune system.

Meet Immuno 4Endurance Pro. This incredible formula contains all the vital micronutrients you need.

• Vitamin C
• Vitamin D
• Zinc
• Black elderberry extract
• Quercetin
• Spirulina

 5. Omega 3

Omega 3 fatty acids are a vital source of EPA and DHA. Regular intake of omega 3 fatty acids allows you to prevent inflammations, improve recovery, and generally boost your health.

Omega 3 is a great source of omega 3 fatty acids.

• 360 + 240 mg EPA/DHA per serving.
• With vitamin E as a powerful antioxidant.
• Supports your cardiovascular system.

6. Pro Flex

Pro Flex is a premium joint support formula based on hydrolyzed collagen, glucosamine, and MSM. The former is especially vital for the health, strength, and flexibility of your joints, ligaments, and bones, helping you prevent running injuries.

Pro Flex 4Endurance Pro is designed specifically for athletes.

• Boost health, strength, and flexibility of your joints
• Reduce joint pain and inflammations
• Boost natural collagen production

7. Absolute

Once you're ready to take your running to the next level, VO2 max becomes increasingly important.

While there are several ways to help you improve VO2 max, such as ashwagandha or iron supplements, there is a supplement designed specifically to help you increase your VO2 max.

Absolute 4Endurance Pro is a powerful adaptogen formula that contains:

• rhodiola,
• ashwagandha,
• actigin,
• cordyceps,
• beta-alanin.

If you are not familiar with them yet, you should definitely learn more about adaptogens, which have several crucial benefits for your health and athletic performance.

• Decrease stress levels.
• Increase oxygen flow.
• Improve sleep.

Conclusion

As a runner, you should definitely consider using dietary supplements.

Dietary supplements allow you to fuel your athletic performance, hydrate during exercise, trigger optimal recovery, boost your immune system, preserve health of joints and ligaments, and increase your VO2 max.

When you decide to use dietary supplements, you should choose the best supplements available to maximize their effect and minimize negative side effects, such as digestive issues.