NUTRITION
98 MUSCLE & FITNESS / AUGUST 2019
Introduction
When it comes to bodybuilding, we want to maximise
lean muscle growth, muscle size and muscle density.
Alongside resistance-based training, this is achieved
via the intake, digestion and absorption of sufficient
macronutrients and micronutrients to help repair and
build muscle tissue whilst providing energy for exercise
and everyday life. This process therefore relies heavily
on the function and condition of our gut to effectively
breakdown, digest and absorb foods we consume. When
problems begin to occur within the gut it can cause
disruption of optimal nutrient absorption, affecting
our overall progress with building quality dense
muscle tissue. These problems normally come in the
form of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), a problem that
currently affects 7-15% of the general population(1). IBS
is a common issue that can cause a range of “functional
symptoms” from within the gastrointestinal tract (GI),
such as luminal distension (causing abdominal pain,visible bloating and visible distention), alteration in bowel
movements (increase colon osmolality causing loose and
more frequent stools) and an increase in gas production
(affecting bloating and increasing flatulence)(2).Gut Microbiome
These functional symptoms of IBS and underlying
issues with digesting and absorbing nutrients could
be due to a lacking gut microbiome. The term – gut
microbiome - simply refers to the composition and
make up of our gut ‘microbial genome’, essentially
these are the vast variety of bacteria & bacterial genes
within our GI tract, of which there are trillions, that
are responsible for breaking down our daily foods and
according to some research, encoding our metabolic
capabilities(3). A lack of diverse “good gut bacteria”
could result in an inability to digest particular types
of foods and more commonly, carbohydrates e.g.
monosaccharides, disaccharides and polysaccharides.FODMAPING FOR BODYBUILDERS:
GET YOUR GUT ONSIDE
(fermentable oligosaccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharides, and polyols)