Nutrients Involved in Athletic performance
Last updated: August 9, 2026
4 nutrients Tavita's library ties to athletic performance, framed as support — never as a promise that any one of them will get you there.
This grouping is Tavita's own editorial reading of NIH Office of Dietary Supplements fact sheets — it isn't a transcription of a single published table. The established or emerging label next to each nutrient reflects the strength of the evidence behind it, not a guarantee of an effect for you. See the methodology page for how the library is built and verified.
This is educational information, not medical advice. Talk to your clinician before changing your supplement routine, especially if you take medication or manage a condition.
How to read the evidence tier
Human trials support this nutrient moving this system for a typical person, not just a lab or animal mechanism.
A plausible mechanism with mixed, preliminary, or limited-population evidence — often shown mainly in people who were already deficient.
Nutrients involved in athletic performance
Creatine Established
Helps muscles produce quick bursts of energy for strength and high-intensity effort; also studied for cognitive support. The body makes some and stores more from food.
Caution: Creatine has no daily reference intake and no established upper limit, so there is no target or ceiling on this screen — the amount shown is simply what you took. It also raises blood creatinine, which is what kidney function is usually estimated from, so an eGFR result can look worse than it is. Mention creatine to your clinician before kidney bloodwork.
Iron Established
Carries oxygen in the blood and supports energy production. Iron from animal foods (heme) absorbs more easily than plant iron.
Caution: More iron isn't always better. Men and post-menopausal women rarely need extra, and people with hemochromatosis (iron overload) should avoid iron supplements. Take an iron supplement only for a known need, ideally guided by bloodwork.
Magnesium Emerging
Involved in hundreds of reactions including energy production, muscle and nerve function, blood sugar control, and bone structure.
Vitamin D Emerging
Helps your body absorb calcium for strong bones, and supports muscle and immune function. Your skin also makes it from sunlight.
Sources
Figures for each nutrient come from the same NIH and NASEM-derived library used throughout this site — see each nutrient's own page (linked above) for its RDA, upper limit, and food sources. See the methodology page for how this library, and this grouping specifically, are built and verified.