Sports Nutrition

If your question relates to health or weight loss but is mainly focused on performance or aspects of nutrition specifically for an athlete, post your question here.

If you want to ask me about a specific product on the market, include within your question a link to the product nutrition information.  Otherwise, I will be unable to answer your question.

Comments

[eva Fabbri]

Dr. Clyde for the 2010 Senior Games you posted a receipe for muscle endurance, it contain, uncook oats, banana and nuts. Can you send me that receipe again, please? I really appreciated. Thanks Eva

[Steve]

Clyde - I am a masters swimmer, competing at an elite level. In competitions, it is normal to swim in more than one race/event during the day/session. The shorter races/events typically last between 30 sec & 2:45 minutes (depending upon age, stroke & distance). The time interval between race/events can be from 1 to 3 hours. What are you recommendations for drinks/supplements/carbs/etc to gain the maximum recovery during the available time between events? Also, are there things that should be avoided? Thanks.

[Barbara]

Hi Clyde,
I wanted to know if you plan to develop a gluten-free Clyde Bar. It's difficult to find nutritious snacks for my daughter before a track meet. Also, is N-Acetyl-L-Cysteine helpful for sore muscles? Thanks, Barbara

[Sarah]

Hi Dr Clyde, I was wondering what your thoughts are on teen atheles (13 years old) taking whey protein.

[Clyde Wilson]

Ashish: I found the original research that the article you linked me to was based on and wrote a blog on it. Thanks

[Ashish]

Thought you'd be interested in this article:
http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/12/15/phys-ed-the-benefits-of-exercising-before-breakfast/?src=me&ref=homepage

[Sydney]

Hey Clyde I was wondering what you think of the use of creatine and whey protein. Creatine to last longer in workouts and whey protein for a protein shake for after workouts.

[Meredith]

Hi Clyde, I am an endurance enthusiast and train long and often. I am also a Raw Food enthusiast (eat only raw fruit, vegetables and nuts) which makes training quite difficult. As a result I have used gels during training, but I have to admit that I do not like to. Can you advise me on how to load before and fuel during training within the bounds of eating Raw? Are there any fruits that I can eat that will fuel me properly? Advice appreciated!!

[Zach Landman]

ANSWER: Zach, Over 500 Cal of any of the macronutrients at one sitting is likely to lead to partial absorption, but most of what we eat is absorbed (even at that level). To limit absorption to a quarter of the calories we eat, meals would have to be over 2000 Cal in one digestion period (at one sitting), with its associated gas and diarrhea. However, the real problem is that when eating so much that absorption is saturated, the hormonal response to the high rate of calories entering the bloodstream sends most of the absorbed calories to body fat. In fact, even just 300 Cal of sweets will go mostly to fat because of the insulin response. So there is some truth to the "caloric free fall" idea, but our hormonal regulation of calories eliminates the vast majority of any benefit, except for the psychological boost that comes from splurging. I can certainly attest to that personally, since I eat dessert regularly (but only after a salad). Small regular desserts never generate a detrimental hormonal response, and they provide a steady low-level satisfaction against cravings.

QUESTION: Clyde - Is there any data to support the idea "caloric freefall" which many bodybuilders and other athletes go into during a "binge day" or break from a strict diet. The idea is that the body can only absorb so many calories in a certain, short sitting so that a single binge day of ice cream, junk food etc has less net effect on overall weight gain. Thanks a lot

[Nicole]

ANSWER: Hello Nicole. The scientific literature supports the use of 1-1.5 g/day glucosamine for 6-8 weeks for reducing the symptoms associated with articular cartilage damage for those with rheumatoid arthritis. There are no peer-reviewed studies I am aware of showing such benefits for athletes, but there is a lot of anecdotal support. If 1-1.5 g/day glucosamine is not helping with joint symptoms within 2 months its impact on your joint health is likely minimal, but since glucosamine is just a sugar that can be metabolized or urinated out and no side effects at the doses described, you can chose to take it even if there is no benefit. I have seen no studies indicating that it matters if you take glucosamine with meals or with fluids, and there is certainly no evidence that the product you ask about delivers it better than the body would do on its own if you took glucasamine in tablet form. Dr Clyde

Hi Clyde, Wondering your thoughts on Joint Juice. I have been hearing about the company more and more and they have been donating a lot of drinks to local sports clubs and college teams. Do the ingredients live up to the marketing? Would this be a helpful and cost-effective product for an endurance athlete? Thanks, Nicole
http://www.jointjuice.com/