Essentials of Nutrition for Sports

Some riders cannot tolerate the fruit sugar (fructose) in fruit
juices, whereas other simple carbohydrates, including glucose, may not present a problem.

As described earlier, because the intestines often react to the

number of sugar particles in solution, stringing together single-molecule sugars into chains of glucose polymers or maltodextrins may allow more calories to be consumed without increasing gastrointestinal upset. For more information about maltodextrins, see page

51

.

There is hardly any evidence, though much hype and promotion,

that adding a small amount of pr

otein to drinks may improve

recovery.

For more information about sports drinks, see page

97

.

For a discussion about protein and recovery drinks, see page

66

.

Make Your Own Sports Drink

For a standard 16-ounce waterbottle, mix:

-^

16 ounces water

-^

½ cup maltodextrin

-^

1 to 2 tablespoons of concentrated lemonade or fruit juice

-^

1/16 teaspoon salt

Each 16-ounce bottle will contain about 200 calories and 100 mg

of sodium. This may not provide

enough sodium when many

waterbottles are required during the course of training or an event; even so, this may taste too salty for some athletes. If so, rely on salty snacks for your sodium. Recent Studies

Proprietary sports drink ingredients have not been show to offer

any advantage over standard ingredients when independently studied.

The manufacturer of Revenge claims it may improve

performance by decreasing blood viscosity. Not so in a study that examined ingestion of 20 ounces of the product.

For more on marketing hype of sports nutritionals, see

Ergogenic

Products

on page

111

and

Nutritional Promotion & Quackery

on

page

132

.

Oxygenated Water

Although one study showed that

oxygenated water benefited

highly-trained cyclists, almost all studies show no benefit.

Whether there can possibly be any help from this product is

doubtful. Look at it this way: •^

One quart (liter) of tap water contains about eight milligrams of dissolved oxygen.

-^

One company claims its product contains four times that—32 milligrams.

-^

A 154-pound (70 kilogram) recreational athlete with a VO2 max of 50 milliliters/kilogram/minute will use about 100 milligrams of oxygen every second.

-^

To get a one percent boost, athletes must chug 2.5 quarts (liters) of oxygenated water every minute for each minute of exercise.

-^

The technical term for this is drowning.

Glycerol

Glycerol, a three-carbon molecule, forms the backbone of

triglycerides. It may also act to

increase hydration, but so does a little

extra salt in the diet.

Studies examining the effectiveness of glycerol have had mixed

results, mostly negative. Cramping and

weight gain are side effects.

Adding common salt to the diet 24 to 48 hours before prolonged

exercise in the heat may be as, if not more, valuable.

Nutrition for Sports, Essentials of 32