A well-designed sports diet, as a rule, includes various supplements that serve to gain mass and increase endurance. The substances they contain nourish the body with useful elements, restoring the spent energy. One of the most famous supplements is a gainer, which is indispensable for those who have insufficient body weight. But, taking mass gainers, the harm and benefits of which are unknown, the athlete is at great risk.

Gainer selection

In order to eliminate the harm of a gainer, it is important to choose it correctly. Having started taking a new product, you can find out whether it is suitable or not only after 2-3 weeks. If there are unpleasant sensations in the stomach, then the gainer most likely did not fit.

You should pay attention to the following points:

Weight is growing, but not due to the muscles, but due to the fat layer – the supplement did not fit. You should choose a supplement with fewer carbohydrates.
If the mass gain occurs evenly, then the body perfectly perceives the components of the drug. You can take such a gainer.
No weight gain is observed. However, even after a few weeks there is no change. You need to choose a supplement with a lot of carbohydrates.
Beneficial features

The benefits of a gainer for an athlete are due to the following qualities:

It supplies the body not only with carbohydrates and proteins, but also with other useful substances that are part of it.
Gainer restores energy balance after training, increasing its effectiveness and reducing fatigue.
Allows you to achieve mass gain faster even for those people who have problems with weight gain.
Restores muscles, which allows the beginner to train more often and achieve results faster.
Literally in the first month of taking it allows you to get a noticeable weight gain of 4-7 kg.
The body of each person has its own characteristics, so the product should be selected based on them.

Bad influence

Any product has side effects, be it sports nutrition or regular food. When taking a gainer, many athletes may not experience side effects, but it cannot be said that they do not exist at all.

So, what are the side effects you can feel when taking a gainer:

Problems with the gastrointestinal tract. They rarely occur and are most often associated with the intake of low-quality or expired product, as well as with individual intolerance to the components.
Intoxication. This is due to the penetration of pathogenic bacteria into the drug in violation of the integrity of the package. Therefore, before buying it should be carefully examined.
Fat deposits. If the percentage of fat increases, and not muscle mass, you should pay attention to the calorie content of the supplement and the content of fat, carbohydrates and sugar in it. Excess carbohydrates should be worked out in the gym.
Skin problems. If a rash appears on the body, then this most likely indicates an allergic reaction of the athlete’s body to the components of this supplement. You should stop taking the supplement and pick up another one.

Is the gainer harmful, the following conclusions will help determine:

Harm may be due to the poor quality of the product. Do not buy it in dubious places;
It is necessary to properly store the gainer, adhering to the recommendations on the package.
Before buying a product, you should check the packaging for integrity.
The body may react negatively to some components, so you need to study the composition before buying.
The benefit of the supplement will only be if it is taken correctly.
So, is gainer harmful to health? Unfortunately, even the best supplements can cause side effects, so they need to be chosen very carefully.

Many male athletes are interested in whether the gainer affects potency? A quality supplement in this regard is absolutely safe.

Can you drink alcohol?

Alcohol is harmful not only for athletes, but also for ordinary people. In order for alcohol in the amount of only 30 gr. completely removed from the body, it takes 48 hours. In addition, alcohol causes mild dehydration.

Recent studies have confirmed the fact that alcohol can have negative effects on those who want to gain muscle mass. Even a small dose of it reduces the level of protein production in the muscles by 20%. Alcohol interferes with the most powerful anabolic hormone, IGF-1, insulin-like growth factor-1.
There is no absolutely harmless alcohol. Any alcohol acts like a toxin on fast-twitch muscle fibers, namely, they are responsible for gaining mass.

Who should not drink a gainer?

Like any other type of sports nutrition, the gainer has its contraindications. This supplement is for Muscle Gain contains proteins that some people should not take. You should limit or completely abandon the use of a gainer if there are the following contraindications:

Individual intolerance to the components,
Existing kidney disease or hereditary predisposition to them,
Tendency to obesity.
Thus, the negative consequences of taking a gainer can only be associated with an incorrectly selected drug, individual contraindications, or the use of a low-quality product.