ENERGY

Athletes should aim to achieve carbohydrate intakes to meet the fuel requirements of their training program and to optimize the restoration of muscle glycogen stores between workouts.

Carbohydrates ensure the retention of water and electrolytes in the body. They also help absorb sodium from the intestines into the blood.

Glycogen stores need to be replenished daily. Carbohydrate intake can increase endurance capacity and performance. Daily carbohydrate consumption should not only increase the athlete's training performance, but also renew the carbohydrate stores in the muscles. It is especially important in high-intensity exercises, that is, in exercises that require maximum oxygen carrying capacity, that carbohydrate stores are full. Carbohydrate is the body's main source of energy, especially in high-intensity sports such as sprinting and multiple sprints. In many sports, insufficient carbohydrate stores result in fatigue and poor performance in athletes. For each hour of a sporting activity, 30-60 g of rapidly absorbed carbohydrates should be taken. In general, the athlete's carbohydrate needs should meet at least 55% of his daily energy needs. Carbohydrates in excess of the athlete's need will be stored as fat in his body. The rate of increase in blood sugar after consuming a carbohydrate is defined by the concepts of glycemic index (GI) and glycemic load. The GI defines how quickly carbohydrates enter the bloodstream. Consuming a low GI food during the race does not benefit the athlete. Athletes/athletes should consume carbohydrates at certain times for optimal performance.

Carbohydrates consumed more than 200 g 1-4 hours before the training increase the endurance of the athlete. Ingestion of 75 g glucose 45 minutes before the start of training reduced maximum fat oxidation rates by 28%.

Carbohydrate supply to the muscle and central nervous system may be compromised during training because the fuel cost of an athlete's training or racing program exceeds endogenous carbohydrate stores. Carbohydrate intake during training provides a high level of carbohydrate oxidation, prevents hypoglycemia and has a positive effect on the central nervous system.

It is well known that consuming carbohydrates plays a critical role in post-exercise muscle glycogen synthesis. Failure to replenish glycogen stores may cause fatigue and may result in a decrease in the athlete's training performance in subsequent sessions.

After training, the athlete should consume 1.2 g/kg of carbohydrates in addition to the daily carbohydrate requirement. Carbohydrates consumed during and immediately after training reduce the increase in stress hormones and can reduce the degree of immune suppression. It is well known that consuming carbohydrates plays a critical role in post-exercise muscle glycogen synthesis. Failure to replenish glycogen stores can cause fatigue and compromise the athlete's ability to train at a high intensity in subsequent sessions.

Consumed carbohydrates should be preferred over complex carbohydrates in order to prevent sudden gastric emptying and to prevent sudden sugar spikes. Complex carbohydrates raise blood sugar more slowly than simple carbohydrates.

You should start consuming carbohydrates immediately after the race. Especially in extensive runs, carbohydrates should be given at 2-hour intervals immediately after the competition. Post-competition carbohydrate intake should be approximately 600 g in 24 hours. It can be divided into 50 g every 2 hours. After marathon and half marathon runs, foods high in carbohydrates should be taken. If muscle glycogen falls below a safe level, there is a risk of depleting brain glycogen. This creates a runner without full brain function. In such a situation, it is very important to take carbohydrates immediately. Targets for carbohydrates should be given in grams of the athlete's body mass rather than as a percentage of total energy intake. Instead of talking about a high- or low-carb diet, consider carbohydrate availability relative to the fuel needs of the muscle.

In medium and long-term sports (longer than 60 minutes), fluid loss is more and carbohydrate stores are reduced compared to short-term sports. In this case, just consuming water will not be enough. In case of heavy sodium loss by people during long-lasting sports/races (more than 1-2 hours) or during any activity, it is necessary to consume more than 3-4 g of sodium. Sports drinks are specifically designed to replace the sweat and electrolytes (mineral salts) you lose in sweat and provide energy in the form of carbohydrates for active muscles and the brain. Sports drinks containing more than 80 g of carbohydrates per liter affect performance negatively.

Fruit juices contain more than 100 g of carbohydrates per liter. Therefore, it should not be consumed during activity. According to a study, carbohydrate-electrolyte solution consumed 3 hours before training contributed more to performance than a high carbohydrate meal consumed 3 hours before training, if carbohydrate stores were sufficient.

http://adudspace.adu.edu.tr:8080/xmlui/handle/11607/3401

You can view the products in Energy category here

 
Glycogen is a form of carbohydrate that your body stores in your muscles and liver. During exercise, especially high-intensity exercise, muscles tap into this storage form of sugar to produce ATP, the energy currency muscles need to contract. Glycogen is constructed of long chains of glucose held together by bonds called glycosidic bonds.

Muscles and liver are the primary organs that make glycogen from glucose and store it for later use, although your kidneys and intestines do so to a lesser degree. Your liver has the unique ability to break down glycogen and release the glucose into the bloodstream when your body runs low on glucose. Your muscles, however, lack the enzyme needed to do this.

Why is glycogen important?

Muscle glycogen is a major fuel source your body taps in to during exercise, especially high-intensity exercise. During low to moderate-intensity exercise, your muscles primarily use fat as fuel, but as exercise intensity increases, you can’t mobilize fat quickly enough to meet your body’s energy demands. So, muscle cells break down stored glycogen to glucose and glucose is used to make ATP, the energy currency that muscles need during exercise.

As mentioned, glycogen is a preferred fuel source during high-intensity exercise. Once you reach an exercise intensity above 70% of V02 max, your body preferentially burns carbs in the form of glycogen over fat, although it continues to burn fat as well. At most times, you’re using a mixture of carbs and fat as a fuel source and, to a much lesser degree, protein. But, without adequate muscle glycogen, performance during high-intensity exercise, especially explosive, power moves, may be compromised.

So, if you have a high-intensity workout planned, you want enough glycogen stored in your muscles to maximize your performance. How much glycogen can your body save up and store to use during exercise and how much can you boost your glycogen stores in preparation for exercise?

How does glycogen store?

Unless you’re fasting or unless you’ve just completed a long and exhausting exercise session, your muscles already contain varying amounts of glycogen. How much? A well-nourished person that weighs 80 kilograms stores, on average, about 500 grams of glycogen, although you can boost this even more by eating a carbohydrate-rich diet. Since each gram of glucose can be converted to 4 kilocalories of usable energy, this equates to 2,000 calories of stored energy. Of this, around 400 grams, or 1,600 calories, are in your muscles and about 100 grams, or 400 calories of glycogen, are stored in your liver.

So, muscles store their own fuel in the form of glycogen and the liver provides an additional source of glycogen that can be converted to glucose. In fact, your body can store a fair amount of glycogen, enough to fuel a 20 to 30 mile run at a moderate intensity, but there is a limit to how much glycogen you can store. Glycogen holds onto water and water has weight. If you could store unlimited quantities of glycogen, you would eventually weigh too much to get around! Once glycogen stores are maximized, extra macronutrients, mainly carbohydrates and fat, are stored as fat. You have an almost unlimited ability to store fat.

What is the role of diet in glycogen storage?

How much glycogen is in your muscles and liver at any one time is closely related to your diet and how much-stored glycogen you burn off through exercise. If you eat a high carbohydrate diet and consume enough calories, you maximize your glycogen stores. Yet, fasting for as little as a day can greatly reduce your muscle and liver stores of glycogen. When this happens, your body is dependent on fat as a fuel source, as well as ketone bodies produced by the rapid breakdown of fat.

On the other hand, eating a very high carbohydrate diet for a few days will almost double your body’s baseline glycogen stores to the point that they reach maximum capacity. Studies show most people can store a maximum of 15 grams of glycogen per kilogram of body mass. So, an 80-kilogram person can hoard a maximum of around 1,200 kilograms of glycogen under optimal conditions. That’s not insignificant since 1,200 grams of glycogen is equivalent to 4,800 calories of energy.

Exercise, of course, depletes glycogen stores and how quickly you deplete it depends on the intensity of your workouts. As mentioned, you might be able to run a distance of 30 miles at a moderate intensity before you empty your glycogen stores. But, if you do a very high-intensity workout, you could drain your muscle glycogen stores in as little as an hour. Of course, this depends on how full your glycogen stores were when you started.

When your glycogen stores drop, insulin sensitivity increases. This makes it possible, in theory, to consume more carbohydrates without gaining body fat. The carbohydrates will go toward replenishing your muscle and liver glycogen stores.

How can you load carb?

Athletes manipulate their glycogen stores as well by carb loading before a big event. Since we know glycogen stores help boost performance during vigorous exercise and reduce fatigue, someone participating in a race wants as much glycogen stored in their muscles as possible. To do this, they first try to lower their muscle glycogen stores about a week before the event through exercise and by eating a low-carb diet. This boosts levels of an enzyme called glycogen synthase that synthesizes new glycogen. Then, 3 days before the event, they switch to a high-carb diet of around 60% carbs daily to maximize glycogen stores before a race. Studies show this works only for intense aerobic activities that are at least an hour in duration. There’s little benefit to using this technique for shorter races and events. So, boosting muscle glycogen offers some benefit for intense, longer duration exercise.

Now, you know why glycogen is so important for optimal exercise performance during high-intensity exercise of longer duration. You don’t have an unlimited ability to build up glycogen, but you can stockpile it by carb loading before an event.

https://cathe.com/how-much-glycogen-can-your-body-store/

You can view the products in Energy category here

 
The primary mechanism of action of caffeine is on the central nervous system (CNS). Because of its fat-soluble nature, caffeine can easily cross the blood-brain barrier. With this effect, it not only delays fatigue, but also supports staying awake during long exercises.

Caffeine consumption during exercise decreases glycogen use and increases fatty acid use. This means that caffeine protects muscle glycogen, which is the energy store in the muscles, delays fatigue and increases energy use from fat stores.

Caffeine increases the level of epinephrine (adrenaline) hormone in the blood. Adrenaline is carried from the blood to the fat cells and sends signals for the destruction of the fat cells. In this way, coffee supports fat burning. At the same time, since free fatty acids are used for energy, glycogen resources in the body are more difficult to deplete. Therefore, it provides longer performance in endurance sports.

Caffeine-containing drinks are a very useful stimulant for endurance athletes, as they delay burnout. It improves aerobic and anaerobic performance. It can improve sprint performance and delay burnout in cycling races and long distance running. Caffeine does not accumulate in the bloodstream or the body, and is easily eliminated from the body a few hours after ingestion.

https://www.agirsaglam.com/kafein-kahve-ve-spor/

http://www.handeseven.com/Makale-Sporcu-Icin-Gida-Takviyesi-Kafein-45

https://www.ttb.org.tr/STED/sted0101/16.html

You can view the products in Energy category here

 
What are the effects of nitrate consumption through red beetroot juice on physiological performance and health?

In recent years, beetroot juice has started to increase its popularity in sports nutrition due to its high nitrate content from nutrition applications to increase the oxygen transport to active muscles. Several studies in the literature show that beetroot juice consumption improves performance in various sport branches and may have benefits to improve general public health. The aim of this study is to demonstrate the effectiveness of beetroot consumption on athletic performance and to explain possible mechanisms of action.

Although it is seen that beet juice supplementation can be beneficial in increasing aerobic exercise performance for both athletes and sedentary, it is also seen that there is no clarity on the effect of beet juice on resistance exercise and strength performance.

https://dergipark.org.tr/tr/download/article-file/885824

You can view the products in Energy category here

Carbohydrates play an important role in the diet as the key macronutrient that supplies the body with energy. However, not all carbohydrates are metabolized the same way and interest is growing in the characteristics of various carbohydrates – functional properties, digestibility, availability, speed of absorption, and metabolic pathways. Palatinose (generic name isomaltulose) is the only fully digested and slow-release carbohydrate. This glucose-fructose disaccharide isomaltulose, discovered in Germany in 1957 and marketed under the brand Palatinose, occurs naturally in small amounts in honey and sugar cane juice. Palatinose is made from sugar beet by strengthening the glucose-fructose linkage with the help of natural enzymes. This enzymatic conversion rearranges the α-1,2-glycosidic linkage in sucrose into a stronger, more stable α-1,6-glycosidic bond that is broken down more slowly by enzymes in the gastrointestinal tract, which is the key to the unique physiological properties of Palatinose.

Palatinose (isomaltulose) is a unique innovative carbohydrate: • The only fully digestible and slow-release carbohydrate, providing standard carbohydrate energy (4 kcal/g) • Balanced and sustained energy supply • Low blood glucose and insulin response (glycemic index = 32) • Improved metabolic profile, including lower GIP and higher GLP-1 release, to burn more body fat • Gastrointestinal tolerance as good as sugar • Natural, mild sweet taste • Toothfriendly

Slow-release property provides sustained energy.

Palatinose is different from readily available carbohydrates such as sucrose or corn syrup as its digestion and absorption is much slower resulting in less insulin release. Digestive enzymes hydrolyze Palatinose four to five times more slowly than sucrose because of the strong glucose-fructose bond, resulting in a slower release of glucose, slower intestinal absorption, and a longer-lasting fuel supply to the body and brain. This means a constant stream of energy over a longer period of time compared to quickly absorbed carbohydrates. Palatinose is also different from other non-available carbohydrates in that it is slowly but fully digested and absorbed in the small intestine – which means there is no risk of gastrointestinal distress, even at high intakes. Palatinose provides the same 4 kcal/g as other available carbohydrates yet these calories provide energy in a more balanced way – giving the body high quality calories for steady energy release. The slow digestion and absorption of Palatinose is reflected in the incretin response. Incretins (GIP (gastric inhibitory polypeptide) and GLP-1(glucagon-like peptide 1)) are gut hormones that stimulate glucose-dependent insulin secretion. Monosaccharides such as glucose trigger GIP release in the upper part of the small intestine; longer chain carbohydrates stimulate GLP-1 secretion in the lower part of the small intestine.

Low blood glucose response and smart glucose management benefit health.

Managing blood glucose levels and reducing blood glucose fluctuations are thought to benefit health. One consensus statement concludes that “there is sufficient convincing scientific evidence that following a carbohydratebased diet with lower impact on blood glucose levels reduces the risk for developing metabolic diseases like diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular disease and possibly overweight and obesity and it improves blood glucose control in people who are already affected by diabetes mellitus.” The slower yet complete digestion and absorption of Palatinose is characterized by a slower, longer lasting, and steadier blood glucose response, without the significant drops in blood glucose associated with conventional higher glycemic sugars. The lower and more balanced blood glucose response results in less insulin release and an improved metabolic profile.

Glycemic index (GI) compares the blood glucose response associated with various carbohydrate foods to the response of a 50 g carbohydrate load of either glucose or white bread.

Palatinose has a GI of 32, in the low glycemic range, compared to a moderate GI of 68 for sucrose and a high GI of 86 for maltodextrin. The totality of data from over blood glucose response trials consistently finds a lower blood glucose response to low GI Palatinose as compared to sucrose, maltodextrin or other reference carbohydrates. The lower rise in blood glucose levels is associated with lower insulin levels. A claim for a lower rise in blood sugar levels has been laid down in EU legislation following the publication of a positive EFSA opinion.

Palatinose is a tool to help manage blood glucose response. It has been shown to provide a lower and sustained blood glucose response in healthy adults, in those with overweight and obesity or impaired glucose tolerance, as well as in individuals with type 1 and non-insulin dependent type 2 diabetes.

Improved metabolic profile through higher level of fat burning.

The body metabolizes both fat and carbohydrate to produce energy. Excess energy that is not immediately metabolized is stored as the glucose polysaccharide glycogen and/or as fat. The proportions of ingested fat and carbohydrate that are utilized for energy depend on the needs of the body, its metabolic state and physical activity, as well as on the type of food consumed and the subsequent insulin response in the body. The hormone insulin plays a key role in postprandial metabolic regulation. Most sugars and other high glycemic carbohydrates produce a high blood glucose response, and that stimulates high insulin release which drives glucose into cells and stimulates glucose storage in the liver as glycogen. High insulin levels also suppress cellular fatty acid oxidation in adipose tissue and promote hepatic fatty acid synthesis. Palatinose offers the advantage of slower and steadier glucose release into the bloodstream and thus lower insulin release, allowing the body to burn more fat than conventional high glycemic carbohydrates. Human intervention studies demonstrate these effects in healthy weight, overweight, and obese adults, as well as sedentary or physically active adults. The ability of Palatinose to promote fat oxidation is unique. Traditional sugars and carbohydrates are either high glycemic or induce higher carbohydrate oxidation rates for other reasons, for example, fructose content. The steady energy release of Palatinose creates a metabolic profile that supports both physical activity and weight management.

Palatinose™ offers unique benefits for physical activity.
Carbohydrate consumption is particularly important to support all levels of physical activity. Carbohydrates that are quickly digested and absorbed, like common sugars and maltodextrin, provide fast energy from glucose as the primary fuel; fat oxidation is largely suppressed. In contrast, Palatinose breaks down more slowly, steadily releasing energy, allowing the body to also use body fat as a fuel, and preserving the body’s own carbohydrate reserves to support activities of longer endurance. Studies at the Institute of Sport and Sport Science at the University of Freiburg (Germany), as well as other laboratories, observed that higher fat oxidation rates in various types of sports and physical activity result from Palatinose consumption rather than higher glycemic index carbohydrates like maltodextrin or sucrose. Research from the Swansea University (UK) showed that feeding Palatinose compared to dextrose before exercise improves glycemic control, protects against hypoglycemia and maintains running performance among individuals with type 1 diabetes. Investigators also found that a low glycemic meal after exercise and a Palatinose-containing bedtime snack improved overnight glycemic control and reduced risk for hypoglycemic episodes.

Effective and long-term weight management benefits with Palatinose.

An alarming number of people are impacted by overweight and obesity in today’s society. Positive energy balance, where calorie intake exceeds expenditure, plays a role; frequent consumption of high glycemic carbohydrates may contribute to the incidence of obesity as well. High blood glucose levels trigger high insulin release, promoting the use of carbohydrates instead of fat for energy. This suppresses fat mobilization and promotes the storage of fat in adipose and non-adipose tissue. Furthermore, fat oxidation may be suppressed in obese individuals. While it is not clear yet whether this is causal or a consequence of a higher body fat mass, it has been shown that obese individuals who oxidize fat more slowly tend to continue gradually gaining weight. Therefore, impaired fat oxidation appears to be an important contributor to long-term weight gain, independent of other factors, and increasing fat oxidation can benefit weight management and body composition. Sugar replacement with Palatinose has been shown to improve metabolic response and increase fat oxidation rates in healthy adults, independent of body weight, as well as in adults with normal or impaired glucose tolerance.

Other benefits: Dental health.

Palatinose is no substrate for oral bacteria and therefore the first sugar that is kind to teeth. Its toothfriendliness has been confirmed in pH telemetry studies. A corresponding claim has been accepted in the USA by FDA and implemented in the Code of Federal Regulations as well as in the EU following the publication of a positive EFSA opinion.

https://www.3actionsportsnutrition.com/en/palatinose
https://isomaltulose.org/energy-sports-nutrition/
You can view our Carb3+ product containing Palatinose (isomaltulose) here