Consorcio Serrano Ham and Sport  

Properties of High Quality Serrano Ham

One of the keys to boosting athletic performance is nutrition, since physical activity depends on the nutrients we ingest in order to develop.

Indeed, athletic performance depends on physical condition, on training, and to a large extent on our diet, which is what provides our muscles with the nutrients they need to work properly.

Not only is quality Serrano ham (such as Consorcio Serrano Ham) high in protein, but a study conducted a few years ago revealed that it is particularly good for athletes thanks to the Spanish ham’s high zinc content.

This increases the appeal of Serrano ham as a healthy food.

Serrano Ham and Sport

One of the reasons for this is that muscle tissue, especially in athletes, contains around 65% of the zinc present in the human body.

Because zinc plays an important role in athletic performance, Serrano ham is a good choice for athletes. This is because the distribution of zinc in the tissues depends mainly on nutritional factors, i.e. what we eat.

This is where the suitability of our most famous Spanish ham, Serrano ham, comes into play, because every 100 g of quality Serrano ham, such as Consorcio Serrano Ham, provides 2.3 mg of zinc. This is approximately 15% of the recommended daily intake of zinc, making it a good component of the athlete’s diet.

A study conducted at the Grand Forks Center

A study conducted at the Grand Forks Center for Human Nutrition Research and directed by Henry C. Lukaski showed that if the levels of zinc present in an athlete’s diet are too low carbonic anhydrase activity is hindered. Carbonic anhydrase, an enzyme that helps the body eliminate the by-products of cellular activity, plays a very important role in physical performance during exercise. However, this does not occur when the diet is rich in zinc, like when you eat quality Serrano ham such as Consorcio Serrano Ham.

In this study by the United States Agricultural Research Service, a group of active young men between the ages of 20 and 40 were monitored. Initially, for the first nine weeks, they only ingested 3.5 mg of zinc per day, far below the recommended daily intake, and this caused a notable reduction in their physical performance.

In the second phase, after a six-week washout, the same group was again monitored, this time taking a daily 15 mg zinc supplement and participating in athletic activities for nine weeks.  In the second phase they exercised normally, as published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (Research Article |Volume 81, ISSUE 5, P1045-1051).

It is also known that the abundant zinc in Serrano ham has an effect on tissue metabolism and physiology, as it influences the regeneration and recovery of small injuries to the athlete’s musculature. It also intervenes in the maintenance of the body’s acid balance, which can impact the athlete’s recovery after physical exertion.

For all these reasons, because zinc is important to muscular activity vis-à-vis the muscle’s capacity for exertion, we can confidently say that Serrano ham is an ideal food for enhancing athletic performance and endurance and reducing fatigue.