european college of sport science

OP-NU01 Nutrition 1
Methods. Employees of the St.-Petersburg research institute of physical culture accept active participation in scientifically-methodical
maintenance of Russian paralympic national teams. In article presented the analysis and comparison of statistical data received following
the XIII Paralympic games 2008 in Beijing results and participations in it Russian national team.
Results. Total of the world records established in Beijing-298 (136-swimming, 115-track and field athletics, 7-shooting, 8-archery, 10powerlifting).
The considerable superiority on these indicators the national team of China, more than in 2 times outstripped Ukraine, USA,
Great Britain. What achievements of the countries-leaders in Paralympic movement? We made results comparison of 15 leading teams
on last 3 games. The most important changes in the program of competitions: inclusion in it rowing, and also reduction of medals sets
for 10 percent in comparison with Athens. In 2008 only 7 teams have kept the first 10 places in comparison with previous (China, Great
Britain, USA, Ukraine, Australia, Canada and Spain). The greatest progress from 2004 for 2008 reached South Africa, Russia, Ukraine,
Brazil, Tunisia and Korea. For definition of the reasons and conditions of successful performance we have compared team ranks on gold
medals, the sum of medals and quantity of participants. It has turned out, that team’s occupied first 3 places in the general table; include
about 200 athletes (China-332), Great Britain and USA (on 209 in everyone). It is necessary to notice, that two teams: Ukraine (124) and
South Africa (61) achieve high sports results with a small amount of participants. In this context it is interesting to consider quantity of the
athletes who have won more than one medal (multimedallists). The obtained data show that fact, which South Africa has successfully
acted at the expense of five ’gold’ multimedallists who have won 15 gold awards, the made 71 % from number of all gold medals won by
athletes of this country.
Discussion. The received results allow ascertaining, that in paralympic training process, all takes root into designing and creation of
means a science more actively. Special interest represents increase in the importance of multimedallists achievements in various kinds of
sports. The increase in quantity of the countries and the athletes who are taking part in paralympic games, expansion of ’geography’ of
medal winners say that the focused humanistic concept of the states relation more and more clearly admits the world community and a
society to disabled persons.
10:15 - 11:45
Oral presentations
OP-NU01 Nutrition 1
EFFECT OF BETA-ALANINE SUPPLEMENTATION ON SUSTAINED ISOMETRIC MUSCLE CONTRACTIONS IS INTENSITY-
DEPENDENT
WILLEMS, M., PONTE, J., HARRIS, R.
UNIVERSITY OF CHICHESTER
Introduction: The dipeptide carnosine (β-alanyl-L-histidine) acts as an intramuscular proton buffer. Beta-alanine supplementation
increased muscle carnosine content and high intensity cycling performance (Hill et al., 2007) potentially by postponing muscle fatigue. It is
unknown whether the performance enhancing effect of β-alanine supplementation is intensity dependent. Therefore, the purpose
of this study was to examine the performance of sustained isometric contractions of the quadriceps femoris muscles at two different
intensities.
Methods: 24 physically active subjects (3 females, 21 males, 20±3 years; 76.6±11.3kg; 1.77± 0.08m) participated in a placebo-controlled
triple-blind study. Subject’s upper body was restrained and hip and knee joint angles were kept at 90°. Subject’s ankle of the nondominant
leg was connected to a force transducer (sampling frequency 1000Hz). In two sessions, maximal voluntary isometric force
(MVIF), time to task failure during 20%MVIF and 70%MVIF and MVIF 20 seconds after task failure, for calculation of fatigue index, were
measured before and after supplementation. Post-supplementation testing of 20%MVIF and 70%MVIF was performed at presupplementation
MVIF values. Subjects were supplemented with 6.4g/day of beta-alanine (n=11) (8 x 2 capsules, Carnosyn, NAI, San
Marcos, CA) (Harris et al., 2006) or placebo (n=13) (8 x 2 capsules Maltodextrin) (supplementation period 38±7 days). Two-way ANOVA
with post-hoc paired samples t-tests were used for data analysis with significance level set at P < 0.05.
Results: In both groups, there was no change in MVIF after supplementation. Both groups increased the time to task failure during
20%MVIF by 12-16%. The increase in time to task failure during the 20%MVIF in the placebo group was associated with an increase in the
fatigue index (pre: 31.6±10.5%; post: 39.7±14.7%). No change in fatigue index occurred following a 20%MVIF after beta-alanine supplementation
(pre: 42.9±20.3%; post: 47.5±20.3%). For the 70%MVIF, there was a significant 30% increase in time to task failure (pre:
42.4±11.9s, post 55.0±21.0s) with no change in the placebo group (pre: 43.1±9.2s, post 47.3±13.1s). In both groups, there was no change
in fatigue index following the 70%MVIF.
Discussion: Beta-alanine supplementation in physically active individuals 1) had no effect on the force-producing capability during maximal
isometric muscle contractions, 2) had no effect on the calculated muscle fatigue index following sustained isometric muscle contractions
at both low and high intensities, 3) enhances muscle isometric endurance but the effect is intensity-dependent. Beta-alanine supplementation
may be beneficial for performance of high-intensity exercise.
References
Harris RC, Tallon MJ, Dunnett M, Boobis L, Coakley J, Kim HJ, Fallowfield JL, Hill CA, Sale C, Wise JA. (2006). Amino Acids, 30, 279-289.
Hill CA, Harris RC, Kim HJ, Harris BD, Sale C, Boobis LH, Kim CK, Wise JA. (2007). Amino Acids, 32, 225-233.
THE EFFECT OF ORAL L-ARGININE SUPPLEMENTATION ON LEG SPEED, ANAEROBIC CAPACITY AND MUSCULAR
STRENGTH.
ZACHAROGIANNIS, E., PARADISIS, G., KOLIFA, M., GERAKAKI, M., SMIRNIOTOU, A., ROUSOPOULOS, V.
DEPARTMENT OF TRACK & FIELD, FACULTY OF PHYSICAL EDUCATION AND SPORTS SCIENCE, UNIVERSITY OF ATHENS, GREECE.
L-arginine is widely used by athletes as an ergogenic aid to improve physical performance for three main reasons: 1) its role in the increase
of the secretion of growth hormone; 2) as a precursor for creatine synthesis and 3) its most important role as a precursor for the
128 14 TH
ANNUAL CONGRESS OF THE EUROPEAN COLLEGE OF SPORT SCIENCE