ACSM Health & Fitness Summit

Rickman, 1

Session Outline

ACSM Health and Fitness Summit

March 12 - 15 , 20 13

Quit Carbs? Are You Kidding?!?

Amy D. Rickman, PhD, RD, LDN, FACSM

Assistant Professor, University of Pittsburgh

Assistant Director, Physical Activity and Weight Management Research Center

Pittsburgh, PA 15213

Email: [email protected]

Session Overview: Athletes, in particular endurance athletes, often focus on consuming a diet high in
carbohydrates. However, current research encourages Americans to cut back the amount of sugar (in
essence “carbohydrates”) they are ingesting for overall health improvement. These guidelines can
become confusing for an athlete, especially due to the fact that this macronutrient is essential for
optimal athletic performance. This presentation will review the current research on sugar consumption
and chronic disease and then discuss how athletes can balance the recommendations for carbohydrate
intake for performance versus those for the best sources of carbohydrate for overall health.

I. Introduction and Overview

II. Defining Carbohydrates
a) Simple Carbohydrates
i) Monosaccharides
ii) Disaccharides
b) Complex Carbohydrates
i) Oligosaccharides
ii) Polysaccharides

III. Sugar Consumption Research Review
a) Obesity
b) Heart Disease
c) Diabetes

IV. Importance of Carbohydrates for Overall Health
a) Role in the Body
b) Disease Prevention

V. Importance of Carbohydrates for Athletic Performance
a) Role in the Body
b) “Hitting the Wall”
c) Glycemic Index

VI. What Does This All Mean?
a) Calculating Carbohydrate Needs
b) Practical Applications of Balancing Carbohydrate Recommendations