The Pace Setter August 2009 - Hudson Mohawk Road Runners Club

The Athlete's KitchenSports Nutrition News From theAmerican College of Sports MedicineThe American College of Sports Medicine(ACSM) is the world's largest sports medicineand exercise science organization. At ACSM'sannual meeting in Seattle, May 27-30, 2009,over 5,000 exercise scientists, sports dietitians,physicians and health professionals gathered toshare their research. Here are a few of the nutritionhighlights. More highlights are availableat www.acsm.org (click on "news releases").Supplements• Many athletes believe protein supplementsare needed for building muscle. Yet, astudy with college football players indicatedno performance or muscle-building advantagesfrom taking recovery protein in the form acommercial supplement as compared to standardfood.• Colorful fruits and berries, including tartcherries, have anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatoryproperties. Runners who drank two 10.5ounce bottles of tart cherry juice for one weekbefore the 192 mile Mt. Hood to Oregon Coastrelay race reported less post-race muscle painthan the placebo group.• Black currants may also help reduceoxidative stress. Cyclists who consumed a prehardride dose of black currant extract (theequivalent of about 1.2 cups of currants) experiencedless oxidative stress.• Research suggests food tends to be morehealth-protective than supplements. Takinghigh doses ofC (2000 mg), E(800 IU), A (3000IUl, and selenium (200 micro-g) for six weeksoffered no benefits to trained cyclists in termsof antioxidant effects and suppressing oxidativedamage.• Almonds (and all nuts, for that matter)are a positive addition to a sports diet. For fourweeks, elite cyclists enjoyed about 60 almondsa day (-450 calories) prior to meals. They increasedtheir anti-oxidant capacity 43% after atime trial as compared to the group who ate anequal number of calories from cookies. Theyalso improved their time trial distance by 5%compared to the cookie group.• Just rinsing your mouth with a sports drinkmay help you run faster! After an overnight fast(13-15 hours without food) and before andduring a one-hour time trial, 10 trained runnersrinsed their mouth for five seconds with asports drink or a placebo, and then spit it out.With the sports drink mouth rinse, they wereable to run 365 meters longer in the hour.• An effective sports drink needs to be rapidlyabsorbed. Adding sodium (40 to 165 mg)to the beverage does not significantly slow absorption.(1973)• Runners who compete in the heat mightwonder if they can "hyper-hydrate." Yes; drinkinga sports drink with double and triple thestandard amount of sodium contributed toretaining 25% and 35% more water (12 and17 ounces; 340 and 480 ml) than the standardsports drink.• About 25% of athletic trainers use picklejuice to treat muscle cramps. Some report 1 to2 ounces of pickle juice relieves cramps within35 seconds. The mechanism is elusive becauserapid relief must mean that pickle juiceempties from the stomach very quickly. Yet,research indicates pickle juice empties veryslowly from the stomach.• "LactAway" is a sports supplement thatclaims to reduce blood lactate. A study withhighly trained kayakers does not support thatmanufacturer's claim.• Chocolate milk is a good recovery choice.Cyclists did an exhausting bike ride, recoveredwith equal amounts of carbs in chocolate milkor a commercial recovery drink, and thenthe next day did a time trial. The commercialdrink offered no additional benefits. Save yourmoney!• Glutamine is reported to enhance recoveryby reducing post-exercise inflammatoryresponses. A study that compared acarbohydrate+essential amino acids beveragewith or without glutamine taken during andafter exercise offered no additional recoverybenefits.• Anemia is a problem for many femaleathletes. Of 153 female soldiers starting basictraining, 37% were iron deficient (serum ferritin