Performance Enhancers

Ergogenic Aids

• Ergogenic aids are used by some athels to :
  • Improve physical appearance
  • Prevent and/or treat injuries, illnesses, or disease
  • Cope with stress
  • Increase athletic potential
  • Bridge the “genetic gap”
  • Three types of Ergogenic Aids:

1. Nutritional aids
2. Pharmacological aids
3. Physiological aids

Nutritional Supplements – Vitamins and Minerals

• Regularly taking mega vitamins well in excess of recommended levels may cause:
  • Illness
  • Tissue damage
  • Toxic effects to the body
  • Supplements are beneficial when a clear deficiency is indicated.
    • Endurance athletes may benefit from carbohydrate drinks and energy bars.
    • Athletes with low-energy intake (Athlete 1) may benefit from a multivitamin.
    • In general, athletes are advised to increase food intake, resulting in dietary sources of vitamins and minerals.

Nutritional Supplements – Protein & Amino Acid Supplements

• Benefits/risks of protein and amino acid supplements are fraught w/ conflicting research findings/evidence.
• Studies have shown that amino acid may enhance muscle development by stimulating the release of growth hormone but these studies involved intravenous infusions and the finding could not be replicated w/ oral supplements
• Studies also report that ingesting excessive  amounts of protein can produce toxic effects due to overproduction of urea resulting in:
  • Dehydration
  • Muscle cramps
  • Impairment of thermoregulating function.

Nutrition Supplements – Carnitine & Creatine

• Carnitine is a nutrient that helps the body turn fat into energy
• It’s synthesized in the kidney and liver. Excellent dietary source include liver, meat, poultry, fish & milk products.
• Carnitine supplements have been advertise as “fat burners” but experimental data has failed to support this.

• Creatine is a non-essential protein that’s stored in skeletal muscle and facilitates the rapid production of ATP in the PC-ATP
• As muscle phosphocreatine stores deplete during exercise muscle fatigue develops.
• Taking creatine supplements appears to benefit performance in shot-term, high intensity exercise under very specific conditions in some individuals

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Nutrition for Performance

Food Categories

• Macronutrients
  • Direct sources of energy
  • Carbohydrates
  • Proteins
  • Fats
  • Micronutrients
    • Act as co-agents in bioenergetic process
    • Vitamins
    • Minerals
    • Water

Proteins

• Proteins are necessary for the growth and repair of body tissue.
• They are also a necessary component of hormones, enzymes, the immune system and the body’s fluid balance.
• The body can also use proteins as a source of energy if our preferred energy sources (carbohydrates and fats) are not available.
• 4 Calories of energy for each gram of protein
• The body breaks proteins down into amino acids
  • There are 20 amino acids
  • 11 amino acids can be synthesized by our bodies
    • Non-essential Amino Acids
• 9 amino acids are only supplied by the foods we eat
  • Essential Amino Acids
  • Complete proteins (foods containing all 20 amino acids)
    • Animal Proteins like meat, eggs, cheese, and milk
    • Incomplete proteins (limited amounts of amino acids)
      • Vegetable Proteins

Carbohydrates

• Carbohydrates are the most accessible form of energy.
• 4 Calories of energy for each gram of carbohydrate
• Complex carbohydrates
  • Cereals, fruits, vegetables, legumes, and pasta
  • Simple carbohydrates
    • Sugar
    • Complex carbohydrates are preferable because they take longer time to absorb and often contain many vitamins, minerals, proteins and fibre.

Fats

• Fats insulate and protect vital parts of the body
• As energy source, they release energy more quickly and are more energy-dense than proteins or carbohydrates.
• 9 Calories of energy for each gram for fat
• Saturated fats
  • Animal sources like meat, poultry, butter, lard, hard margarines.
  • Higher concentrations of low-density lipoproteins (LDL)
  • An excess of saturated fats can raise cholesterol levels and lead to build-up on artery walls
  • Polyunsaturated fats
    • Vegetable sources like soybean, corn, sunflower, safflower, sesame oil
    • Higher concentrations of high-density lipoproteins (HDL)

Micronutrients

• Vitamins assist the body in performing several processes.
  • They regulate reactions that occur in metabolism. A deficiency in a particular vitamin can block reactions from happening which may disrupt the entire body.
  • They facilitate energy release.
  • They are important in the synthesis of bone and tissue.
  • Vitamins can be either fat-soluble or water-soluble.
  • Minerals assist the body in acquiring energy from macronutrients.
    • They aid in bone and teeth formation.
    • They aid in the development of skeletal and connective tissues.
    • They aid in muscle and nerve function.
    • Water assists with a range of functions, including aiding in digestion and transporting nutrients and wastes.

Water Soluble Vitamins (Diagram)

Fat Soluble Vitamins (Diagram)

Minerals (Diagram)

Canada’s Food Guide

• Canada’s Food Guide to Healthy Eating
  • Provides recommendations for number of servings from the main food groups: (servings for female and male teens in brackets)
    • Vegetables and Fruits (7-8)
    • Grain Products (6-7)
    • Milk Products (now Milk and Alternatives) (3-4)
    • Meat and Alternatives (2-3)
    • Eating Well with Canada’s food Guide
      • Released in 2007
      • Revision provision providing nutritional requirements that reflect Canada’s multicultural society.

The Energy Equation

• Energy equation: the food (or energy) we take in should closely match the effort we put out
• Energy storage/balance = Energy intake – Energy output
• A negative energy balance will result in a decrease in body weight over time.
• A positive energy balance will result in an increase in body weight over time.

Basal and Resting Metabolic Rate

• Metabolic rate (MR)
  • Measures energy that needs to be consumed in order to sustain essential bodily functions
  • Affected by age, sex, weight, lean muscle mass, and general level of physical fitness
  • Two measures are distinguished and are measured in Calories/day:
    • Basal metabolic rate (BMR)
      • Measures MR under rigorous conditions
      • Resting Metabolic rate (RMR)
        • Measures MR under less rigorous conditions
        • Most common measurement in practise
• For individuals with a relatively low level of physical activity, their RMR accounts for about 60-70% of total energy expenditure.

Harris-Benedict Equation

• Harris-Benedict Equation
  • Used to calculate your RMR
  • Separate calculations for males and females

Males: RMR = 66.5 + (5 x H) + (13.7 x W) – (6.8 x A)*

Females: RMR = 665 + (1.9 x H) + (9.5 x W) – (4.7 x A)*

*H = height in centimetres (1 inch = 2.54 cm)

W = weight in kilograms (lb = 0.45 kg)

A = age in years

• Someone with more muscle mass will have a higher RMR, so this equation is just an estimation.
• RMR can be used to estimate one’s daily caloric needs to maintain body weight.
• For a relatively sedentary person, multiply that RMR by 1.4.
• For a person who is relatively active, multiply the RMR by 1.6.
• For a person who is highly active, multiply the RMR by 1.8.

Body Mass Index

• Body Mass Index (BMI)
  • Used to assess extent to which a person is balancing the energy equation
  • Ratio of a person’s weight in kilograms to the square of his/her height in metres.
  • A BMI of over 27 is considered overweight and over 30 is considered obese
  • An increased BMI correlates with risks of diabetes and cardiovascular, pancreatic, and kidney disease.
  • Does not distinguish between fat and excess muscle.

Nutrition Facts table (Diagram)

Obesity

• Obesity is considered a “chronic” condition and is becoming a serious health problem
• Contributing factors include:
  • Activity Levels
  • Diet
  • Genetic Factors
  • Rates of Metabolism
  • Environmental, Social, and Psychological factors.
  • In 2004, 58.8% of Canadian adults were measured to be overweight (BMI>25) with 23.4% being obese (BMI>30)
  • In 2004, 28% of Canadian children (aged 7-13) were overweight with 10% being obese
  • There is an 80% chance that as child will become obese if both parents are also obese
  • For athletes, excess body weight impairs performance, contributes to the possibility of heat exhaustion and impairs oxygen utilization.

Being Underweight

• Being underweight (officially designated as BMI of less than 18.5) is a major health concern
• One prominent factor associated with being underweight includes a relentless urge for an impossibly lean physique
• Eating disorders are not uncommon among athletes involved in appearance sports, such as gymnastics, ballet, figure skating and diving
• Sign suggestive of an eating disorder include:
  • Preoccupation with food and weight / Increasing criticism of one’s body
  • Eating alone
  • Continuous drinking of diet soda and water
  • Trips to the bathroom during or immediately following meal
  • Use of laxatives
  • Compulsive/excessive exercise

Nutrition and Athletic Performance

• Athletes need to ensure that their diet is one that provides optimum nutrition in order to benefit from their training
• Protein
  • Most protein is used to restore and repair tissue
  • Some us used for energy and if it’s not available, the muscle tissue itself become and energy source
  • Carbohydrates
    • Main energy source for both anaerobic and aerobic activity
    • Pre-exercise and post-exercise meals should be high in carbohydrates since they are easily digested and will ensure an adequate supply of glucose and glycogen during exercise or quick replenishment after exercise
    • Fats
      • Energy source for low to moderate-aerobic intensity exercise
      • As an athlete adapts to an endurance event, there is an increase in the amount of fat used as a fuel source.

Nutrition and Athletic Performance (Diagram)

Water

• Water is a very important nutrient and makes up 50-60% of overall body weight
  • It transports nutrients and wastes.
  • It aids in digestion and in all metabolic activity.
  • It also distributes heat throughout the body and enables heat to be released from the body.
  • A constancy of body temperature is achieved by:
    • Reflex dilation of the vessels  leading to the skin forces to the skin and transfers heat to the surface.
    • The sweating reflex sends excess fluid to the surface where it can use the excess heat to evaporate.
    • The overall effect is to cool the body, but the cost is dehydration.

Fluid Replacement

• Dehydration is a loss of water (and loss of electrolytes) that affect human performance,
• Since the assimilation of water by the body under active conditions cannot keep up with its use, it is important that replenishment take place before, during and after physical activity.
• Before exercise:
  • Drinking water or sports drinks 2-3 hours before exercise will ensure hydration and glycogen stores.
  • During exercise:
    • Drink ½ cup of cool fluid after each 10 minutes of exercise
    • Drink a sports beverage (6-8% concentration of carbohydrate) during activity longer than 50 minutes.
    • Thirst and voluntary fluid intake increase if the beverage contains salt, which is lost through perspiration.
    • After exercise:
      • Fluid loss should be regained within 2 hours
      • Drink fluids containing carbohydrates or foods high in water content to rebuild glycogen stores and electrolytes (sodium and potassium)

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