Essentials of Nutrition for Sports

Many commercial sport drink promoters completely ignored and

continue to ignore this part of van Loon’s research in promoting their protein-recovery products. Summary: van Loon

Important conclusions of this study are:

1.^

Carbohydrate in the amount of 1.2 grams per kilogram per hour is better than 0.8 grams per kilogram per hour.

2.^

When subjects receive the same amount of calories, straight carbohydrate is better at replacing muscle glycogen than a mixture of carbohydrate and protein.

Protein Replacement Partial Truth Zawadzki et al, JAP, 1992

9

In an earlier study, Zawadzki also showed that the addition of

protein was helpful in improving glycogen storage.

Glycogen replacement was faster

with carbohydrate and protein

than with either carbohydrate or protein alone.

Nine subjects were evaluated on three separate occasions. The

study compared (a) 112 grams of carbohydrate—448 calories; (b) 112 grams of carbohydrate and 40.7 grams of protein—611 calories; and (c) 40.7 grams of protein—163 calories given after two hours of exhaustive cycling in a laboratory.

Muscle glycogen was examined immediately and four hours

after exercise.

As in van Loon’s study, the fundamental flaw in the study is that

there was no (152.7 gram) carbohydrate group receiving the same number of total calories (611) as the carbohydrate-protein group.

9 Zawadzki, K.M., et al. (1992). Carbohydrate-protein co

mplex increases the rate of muscle glycogen storage

after exercise. Journal of Applied Physiology. 72(1854). View the abstract at: http://jap.physiology.org/cgi/content/abstract/72/5/1854. Accessed 11-25-2004.

Yes, carbohydrate and protein were better than either

carbohydrate or protein alone; but more calories were given. We do not know whether subjects given the same total amount of calories in the form of carbohydrate would have

fared even better, as they did in

van Loon study.

Ed Burke’s Optimal Muscle Recovery Putnam, 2

nd

edition, 2003

This book popularizes the notion that protein is important in

“restoring, protecting, and rebuilding muscles” during and after exercise.

Ed Burke, the author, was the trademark owner of R4.

10 He was

paid by PacificHealth Laboratories before his death from a heart attack in 2002.

Burke wrote this book to bring his thesis to a wider audience. He

also had a commercial conflict of interest.

PacificHealth Labor

atories, Inc.

Protein recovery drink research has been fueled by PacificHealth

Laboratories. As of February 19, 2004, the company website notes.

11

“The sports nutrition category, which encompasses sports drinks,

protein powders and supplements,

and sports bars, exceeds $2 ½

billion in annual sales. The largest component of this market is sports drinks, which is dominated by Gatorade and similar type products.

Gatorade type products are primaril

y for rehydration. In the past 10

years, landmark studies have shown that nutrition can improve athletic performance beyond rehydration.

PHL’s sports nutrition research program has focused on enhancing

recovery of the muscle during and after exercise. In developing products and conducting trials the Company us

es a number of prominent experts

in exercise physiology including:

10 http://tess2.uspto.gov/bin/showfield?f=doc&state=7vjevs.2.12

. Accessed 2-19-2004.

11 http://www.pacifichealthlabs.com/research_focus.asp. Accessed 2-19-2004.

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