NUTRITION

 Carbohydrates
 Proteins
 Lipids (fats)
 Vitamins
 Minerals
 Water
 A carbohydrate (CHO) is classified as
 Monosaccharide: single unit sugar e.g. glucose,
fructose and galactose
 Disaccharide: composed of two monosaccharide e.g.
sucrose, maltose and lactose
 Oligosaccharide: short chain of 3-10
monosaccharides
 Polysaccharide: contains starch and fibers
 All carbohydrates must be broken down into
monosaccharides before the body can use
them.
 Major sources: grains, fruits, vegetables, milk
and concentrated sweets
 Pure carbohydrate source: refined sugar, syrup,
cornstarch
 Function of carbohydrates are
 Major energy source during high intensity exercises
 Regulates fat and protein metabolism
 Nervous system relies exclusively on carbohydrate
for energy.
 Muscle and liver glycogen are synthesized from
carbohydrates.
 Body stores excessive carbohydrate, primarily
in muscle and liver as glycogen. So
consumption of carbohydrate directly
influences the glycogen storage and ability to
train and compete in endurance events.
 So the imbalance between glycogen use and
carbohydrate intake explains why athletes
become chronically fatigued and need 48hrs to
restore normal muscle glycogen level.
 Simple carbohydrates (sugars) are absorbed from
digestive system quickly. Because of this ingestion
of simple carbohydrates causes hyperglycemia
 When the carbohydrates are more than can be
used or stored, this excessive carbohydrates are
converted to fats. This in turn elevates the
concentration of triglyceride and cholesterol in
blood which are associated with a higher risk of
heart diseases
 In endurance athletes, most carbohydrates
consumed is used for glycogen storage. Because
training depletes their glycogen reserves, which in
turn triggers increased glycogen synthesis.
 Muscle glycogen provides energy during exercise. The
glycogen depletion is the major source of fatigue and
ultimate exhaustion in event lasting more than hour. So
there should be extra storage of glycogen in muscle.
Therefore, endurance athletes consume carbohydrate-
rich diet before 3 days of events. This is called
glycogen loading.
 Carbohydrate feeding in between exercises improves
performance, maintaining the blood glucose near
normal levels allows the muscles to obtain energy from
blood glucose.
 An athlete should not consume carbohydrate food
during the period of 15-45 min before the exercise
because it may cause hypoglycemia after the exercises
starts. But the carbohydrate feeding in between
exercise does not show same effect as it can not
increase the insulin and blood glucose levels.
 It is a class or organic compounds with limited water solubility.
 It exists in body in the body in many forms such as triglycerides,
free fatty acids, phospholipids and sterols (cholesterol).
 Body stores most fats as triglyceride, composed of three
molecules of fatty acids and one molecule of glycerol. This is the
most concentrated source of energy.
 Excessive intake of dietary fats (cholesterol and triglyceride) can
be involved in heart disease, obesity, cancer and diabetes.
 Fatty acids is the basic unit of fats and occur in two forms:
 Saturated: (no double bonds so maximum amount of
hydrogen bound to carbon)
 Unsaturated: monounsaturated or polyunsaturated (double
bonds between carbon atoms, so less amount of hydrogen
bound)
 Sources are as follows
 Animal sources (saturated fatty acids):solid at room temp,
animal fats, ghee, butter,
 Plant sources (unsaturated fatty acid): liquid at room temp,
veg oils, dalda,
 Function of fats:
 Important components of cell membrane and nerve fibers.
 Primary energy source, providing 70% energy at resting
state
 Supports and cushions vital organs
 All steroids are produced from cholesterol
 Body heat is preserved by insulating subcutaneous fat
layers.
 Fat soluble vitamins are get entry, stored and transported
through fat layers.
 Fat consumption:
 Fat can enhance food’s palatability by absorbing and
retaining flavors and by affecting the food’s texture.
 Recently health consciousness has reduced the
dietary fat intake from 45% to 34%. But most
nutritionist recommends that fat consumption
should not exceed more than 30% of total caloric
intake.
 Fat intake and performance:
 For the athlete, fat is especially the source of energy.
Muscle and liver glycogen is limited, so the use of fat
for energy production can delay the exhaustion.
More use of fat is helpful in endurance performance.
 Protein is a class of nitrogen containing
compounds formed by amino acids.
 There are 20 amino acids necessary for human
growth and metabolism. They are categorized
into two
 Nonessential amino acids(11C/12A): synthesized in
body,
 Essential amino acids(8C/9A):not synthesized in
body,
 Sources: meat, fish, poultry, eggs, milk,
(vegetables and grains)
 Functions:
 Major structural component of the cell
 Used for growth, repair and maintenance of body
tissues.
 Haemoglobins, enzymes and many hormones are
produced from protein.
 It is one of the three primary buffers in the control of
acid-base balance.
 Antibodies for disease protection are formed from
protein.
 Energy can be produced from protein.
 RDA for protein depends on the body weight
and body composition, so men require more
protein than women.
 Protein Intake and performance:
 Studies using metabolic-tracer and nitrogen-balance
technologies have shown that overall protein and
amino acids requirements are higher for individual
in training than the normally active individual.
 Excess intake of protein may become high risk to
body as it demands on kidney for excretion.
 In strength training amino acids are used as building
blocks of muscle development and in endurance
training protein is used as fuel.
 They are group of unrelated organic
compounds that perform specific function to
promote growth and maintain health.
 Classification is as follows:
 Fat soluble: vit-A,D,E,K
 Water soluble: vit-B complex and C
 Function:
 Act as catalyst inn chemical reaction.
 Essential for energy release, tissue building,
metabolic regulation.
 Vitamins are stored in body and excess intake
can cause toxicity.
 Importance in athletes:
 Vitamin A is crucial for normal growth and
development because it plays an integral role in bone
development
 Vitamin D is essential for intestinal absorption of
calcium and phosphorous and thus for bone
development and strength.
 Vitamin K is an intermediate in the electron
transport chain, making it important for oxidative
phosphorylation.
 These are the inorganic substances essential for
normal cellular function which accounts for 4%
of total body weight.
 Minerals are of two types:
 Macrominerals are those of which our body needs
more than 100 mg per day.
 Microminearls (trace elements) are those needed in
smaller amount in body.
 Though there is no caloric value of water but it
maintain the life next to oxygen.
 TBW is about 50-60% of total body weight in
typical adult. Water loss of 9-12% can be fatal.
 TBW= ICF+ECF
 Water gain at rest= fluid intake (60%) + food
intake (30%) + metabolic water production
(10%)
 Role of water in exercise:
 RBC carry oxygen to active muscle via the blood plasma,
which is primarily water
 Nutrients such as glucose, fatty acids and amino acids are
transported to muscle by blood plasma
 CO2 and other metabolic waste products leave the cells
and enter to plasma to get cleared off.
 Hormones that regulate metabolism and muscular
activity during exercise are transported by blood plasma.
 Body fluid contains buffering agents to maintain pH
when lactate is formed.
 Water facilitates the dissipation of body heat that is
generated during exercise.
 Blood plasma volume is major determinant of BP and
regulates cardiovascular function also.
 Under normal resting condition, body water
content is relatively constant: water intake is equal
to water output.
 Source of water input in body:
 60% from the fluid intake
 30% from the food
 10% from the cells during metabolism (150-250ml/day)
 Sources for water output or loss:
 Evaporation from skin (20%)
 Evaporation from the respiratory tract (15%)
 Excretion from the kidneys (60%)
 Excretion from the large intestine (5%)
 Water loss accelerates during exercise. Body’s ability
to loose the heat generated during exercise depends
upon the formation and evaporation of sweat. As the
body temperature increases the sweating increase to
prevent the over heating of body.
 Same time more water is produced because of
increased oxidative metabolism; but this water input
has less impact on dehydration.
 The amount of sweat produced is determined by the
following:
 Environmental temperature, radiant heat, humidity and air
velocity
 Body size (surface area)
 Metabolic rate (intensity of metabolism)
 Even minimal changes in body water content
can impair endurance performance.
 Effect of dehydration of various system in body:
 Physiological function
 Performance
 Physiological functions:
 Cardiovascular:
 Blood plasma/ volume
 Cardiac output
 Stroke volume
 Heart rate
 Metabolic
 Aerobic capacity
 Aerobic power
 Anaerobic capacity
 Buffer capacity
 Blood lactate
 Muscle and liver glycogen
 Blood glucose during exercise
 Protein degradation
 Thermoregulation and fluid balance
 Electrolytes
 Exercise core temp
 Sweat rate
 Skin blood flow
 Performance
 Muscular strength
 Muscular endurance
 Muscular power ?
 Speed of movement ?
 Run time to exhaustion
 Total work performance
 Normal body function depends on a balance
between water and electrolytes. During
exercise, there is imbalance between water and
electrolytes because of water loss.
 There are two major route of electrolytes loss
 Sweating
 Urine
 Human sweat is a filtrate of blood plasma, so it
contains substances including sodium,
chloride, potassium, magnesium and calcium.
Sweat is 99% water.
 Electrolytes concentration in sweat can vary in
individual depending on following
 Rate of sweating
 State of training
 State of heat acclimatization.
 To clear the wastes from the blood and regulate water level,
urine production regulates the body’s electrolyte content.
Urine formation is the major source of electrolyte loss.
 At rest, electrolytes are excreted in the urine to maintain
homeostatic level. But during exercise the rate of urine
formation reduces to conserve water for body demand.
 Kidney plays an important role in electrolyte management
by excreting sodium to maintain the sodium level constant.
 Increased sodium content triggers thirst, compelling the
person to consume more water. This water intake
normalizes the osmolarity and increase the fluid in
extracellular compartment. This is the major mechanism in
increasing plasma volume during exercise. This becomes
normal within 48-72 hrs after exercise.
 It is clinically defined as a blood sodium
concentration below the normal range of 136-
143 mmol/L.
 Symptoms are in stages: weakness,
disorientation, seizures and coma.
 Marathoners, who lose 3-5 l of sweat, drink 2-3
L of water to maintain the concentration of
electrolyte.
 Astrand proposed a plan to help the runners store the
maximum amount of glycogen. This is known as glycogen
loading.
 According to glycogen loading regimen, athlete should prepare
for competition by completing exhaustive training about 7 days
before the event. For 1st 3 days, they should eat fat and protein
rich food almost exclusively to deprive the muscle of
carbohydrate, which increases the activity of glycogen
synthase. For next 3 days, athletes should eat a carbohydrate
rich diet. Because glycogen synthase activity is increased,
increased carbohydrate intake can result in greater muscle
glycogen storage. the training intensity and volume during
this 6 days is reduced to prevent the additional muscle
glycogen depletion, thus maximizing liver and muscle
glycogen storage.
 Advantages:
 Increase the glycogen level double than normal.
 Disadvantage:
 Difficult in training.
 Mental instability and irritability of athletes.
 Shows low blood glucose level: muscle weakness,
disorientation