Research TidBits

Her is a list of archived research tidbits featured on the sidebar . . .

April 2010

• Research suggests that drinking fat free chocolate milk after exercise can help the body retain, replenish and rebuild muscle to help your body recover.  It has the right mix of carbs and protein to help refuel exhausted muscles, and the protein in milk helps build lean muscle.  Drinking lowfat chocolate milk after a strenuous workout could even help prep muscles to perform better in a subsequent bout of exercise.  Remember to refuel within 30 min of strenuous training and your body will thank you! (Studies presented at ACSM Conference 6/2010)

• A double-blind placebo-controlled study examined the effects of 2g of ginger on muscle soreness & function ingested 24 and 48hrs following high-intensity eccentric weightlifting.  The results showed ginger exerted more delayed effect on the progression of soreness.  So participants that consumed ginger experienced 13% decrease in soreness 24 hours later, and 25% reduced soreness when consumed 7 days prior, the day of, and 3 days following the exercise (Black CD, J Pain. 2010)

March 2010

• Athletes with eating disorders are known to over-exercise, and if they join an eating disorders recovery program, they often are not allowed to exercise.  This can be very upsetting to the athlete.  A study of patients with eating disorders who did 10 weeks of strength training as a part of their recovery showed that they achieved higher bone mineral density and muscular strength from baseline.  The exercise generated positive physical and psychological benefits.  Perhaps supervised exercise could be allowed as a positive aspect of a recovery program? (ACSM Annual Meeting Abstract 793, 2008)

• Research is showing it may be prudent for athletes to assess their Vitamin D status and consider a supplement if low (<40-70 nmom/L).  Maintenance of vit D status will provide health benefits to the athlete, and may possibly enhance athletic performance due to the enhancement of muscle physiology (Dr. Kimberly White, SCAN Symposium, 2010)

February 2010

• How many calories does a triathlete burn during the Hawaii Ironman?  Using doubly labeled water, researchers determined that a man who weighed 173 lbs burned 9,290 kcal.  Body water turnover was about 16.5L, and his weight dropped 7.5%.  He depleted 68% of his muscle glycogen (ACSM Annual Meeting Abstract 2418, 2008).

• Do athletes still need to worry about contamination in commercial sports supplements?  Yes, according to Stear, PhD (English Institute of Sport)  A study of 634 nutrition supplements (bodybuilding and weight loss products) indicates that about 15% contained a banned substance, even though it came from a factory that didn’t make the banned substance (i.e. steroids, ephedrine)

January 2010

• A study looking at the prevalence of the female athlete triad in adolescent athletes found that, although few had all aspects, 20% of the athletes (n=170), met at least one of the criteria (Nichols JF, 2006).  The female athlete triad consists of 3 health disorders:  low-energy availability (w/ or w/o an eating disorder), osteoporosis, and amenorrhea.

• Tart cherry juice may have anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties.  Trained runners who drank two 10.5 oz bottles of tart cherry juice for 1 week before the 192-mi Mt. Hood to Oregon Coast relay race reported less post-race muscle pain than the placebo (ACSM annual meeting, abstract 851).

• Research has shown that consuming a sports drink with glucose + fructose leads to a 20% to 50% higher oxidation rate than glucose alone.  But does it matter if the CHO is in the form of a drink or a gel?  No.  Both gels and sports drinks were oxidized at a rate of about 1.4g CHO/min and were equally effective for cyclists during an exercise test (60% VO2max) (ACSM annual meeting, abstract 1456).