nuBound in a paleo diet

A number of nuBound users, endurance athletes and folks who do CrossFit have discovered the benefits of a paleo diet, which has prompted the question, ‘Does nuBound fit with a paleo diet?’. ‘Surely nucleotide supplements weren’t available in the distant past’, people complain.

[caption id="attachment_465" align="alignleft" width="270" caption="The Paleo Diet for Athletes by Loren Cordain & Joe Friel"][/caption]
True enough, but then fish oil capsules as a dietary supplement weren’t available then either. nuBound occupies a similar niche to fish oil supplements in a paleo diet.

nuBound supplies nucleotides, which are the building blocks of DNA and RNA. Dietary sources of nucleotides have been shown over the last twenty years, in many dozens of peer reviewed studies, to play a role in the modulation and health of the immune system and in recovery.

Many companies market nutritional products enhanced with nucleotides, including Ross and Nestle who add nucleotides to their infant formulas. Both Novartis and Nestle produce nucleotide-enhanced recovery products for use in surgical and critical care situations. nuBound is the first product designed for athletes, providing dietary nucleotides to aid post workout recovery.

While you body produces the bulk of the nucleotides it requires, dietary sources become increasingly important when your body is under stress. (Although only a modest proportion of dietary nucleotides are directly absorbed, the balance are broken down and available for incorporation through various salvage pathways).

The best natural sources of dietary nucleotides are all paleo foods. They include: mother's milk, fish, meat and specifically organ meats. Nucleotides are most highly concentrated in cell nucleii and mitochondria, which are abundant in these foods. (Not surprisingly, grains contain very low concentrations of nucleotides).

Supplementing a paleo diet with nucleotides is analogous to supplementing a paleo diet with fish oil. Both supplements provide nutritional components that are abundant in a paleo diet. However, even if you ate a strict paleo diet with ample amounts of fish and organ meats on a daily basis, you would still benefit from supplementation.

Why? Because modern athletes subject their bodies to elevated levels of stress from training. The average CrossFitter, triathlete or runner does substantially more work than the average hunter/gatherer.

Supplementing with fish oil provides anti-inflammatory (among other) benefits. Supplementing with nucleotides provides immune boosting and tissue repair benefits. Supplementation ensures that athletes always have an ample supply of these nutrients to ameliorate the stresses imposed by training. In conclusion, nuBound can play a useful role and is not inconsistent with a paleo diet.