NUTRITION: CARBOHYDRATES CARBOHYDRATES

Carbohydrates (CHO) are composed up of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen. In their simplest form (known as simple sugars), they exist as monosaccharides such as glucose and fructose. In their disaccharide form, they are made up of two monosaccharides molecules. For example, normal table sugar or sucrose, is composed of glucose and fructose. Complex carbohydrates are polysaccharides of which starch is the plant storage form and glycogen is the animal storage form (taken up and stored in the body through glucogenesis) found in the skeletal muscles and liver. Complex CHO (such as potatoes) often have a higher nutritional value due to them containing vitamins and minerals. Fibre is an indigestible form of CHO and is not used as a source of fuel. Indeed top players should be careful as too much fibre may slow CHO digestion and can reduce the absorption of valuable minerals and vitamins. All carbohydrates contain roughly the same amount of energy - 16kJ/g. Foods which are high in carbohydrates include bread, potatoes, pasta, rice and cereals. For example, 400g of white bread or pasta (complex CHO) contain around 100g of CHO. Similarly a 150g chocolate bar or jam contains 100g of simple sugars. Foods are also based on their glycaemic index which is the ability of the food to raise blood glucose levels. Foods with a high index are absorbed quicker and hence elevate blood glucose quicker. Bread, potatoes and rice are amongst those with a high index, pasta, noodles and crisps belong to the moderate index and apples, beans and lentils to the low index. A more detailed list is shown below. High Glycaemic Potatoes White rice Bread Honey Cornflakes Cooked carrots Bananas Raisins Glucose/Sucrose Moderate Glycaemic Pasta Noodles Crisps Grapes/Oranges Porridge Sponge Cake Corn Low Glycaemic Apples, peaches, pears... Yogurt Peas, beans, lentils Milk Ice Cream Soup Fructose

The recommended daily CHO intake for athletes in training is around 60% of their overall energy intake. The amount required depends upon the athletes total daily energy expenditure, type of sport performed, the athletes sex, and environmental conditions. However, it is more useful to base CHO intake on body weight (the amount of CHO per Kg of body weight). Recommendations for athletes range from 6 to 10 g/kg of body weight a day (i.e. between 400 - 600g). During heavy training, this may be increased to 70%. Various suggestions on increasing CHO intake a re listed below. - Eat a large portion of potatoes, pasta or rice with your main meal. - Eat plenty of fresh vegetables as a snack or with your main meal and bread for sandwiches or with your main meal. - Eat fresh of fruit either between meals or as a dessert. - Using CHO energy drinks to supplement food intake (or even plenty of fruit drinks) can help increase muscle glycogen levels. Studies have generally demonstrated the importance of CHO in providing energy for athletic performance. However, CHO also acts as fuel for the central nervous system at rest and during exercise. A reduction in blood glucose (hypoglycaemia) leads to feelings of weakness, hunger and dizziness and will lead to a reduction in performance due to neurological fatigue. CHO also acts as a protein sparer. Protein, normally used for tissue development will be used as an energy source

if glycogen stores are reduced. Similarly, CHO aid in the breakdown of fat for energy which is especially useful in endurance exercise. As mentioned earlier, CHO play an important role in exercise performance. The use of CHO depends upon various factors such as the intensity of exercise, duration, the athletes fitness and nutritional status. CHO act as an energy fuel during high -intensity exercise and in the early minutes of exercise from the breaking down of blood glucose and muscle glycogen. For example, after 40 minutes of intense exercise, glucose uptake can increase up to 20 times compared to the uptake at rest. During high-intensity aerobic exercise, intramuscular glycogen is the preferential energy source as it supplies energy quicker than fat or protein. During the first few minutes of moderate and prolonged exercise, muscle glycogen provides the required energy. Further into exercise, liver and muscle glycogen provide around 40-50% of energy requirements with the rest coming from blood glucose and fat breakdown. When muscle glycogen stores deplete, fat metabolism and blood glucose play a greater role with the latter gradually declining due to the liver being unable to provide the necessary output. A high carbohydrate diet (i.e. for three days) results in an elevated muscle glycogen content which in turn increases the capacity to undertake prolonged exercise. Indeed, muscle glycogen plays an important part in soccer performance. Studies have shown that players starting matches with low glycogen levels ran and sprinted less than those with fully replenished stores. This shows the importance of correct CHO intake before and after training and competition to fully replenish glycogen stores. CHO loading (through increasing CHO intake) as mentioned earlier can help augment intense and prolonged aerobic performance. Athletes deplete glycogen stores over several days by initial exhaustive exercise then maintain a low CHO diet. They then load upon a high CHO diet during several days which increases glycogen stores past levels obtained on a normal diet. However, expert nutritional advice should be sought as this can have negative effects on performance.

The use of CHO energy drinks can help increase muscle glycogen stores and improve player work-rates. For more detailed information on such drinks . Drinking during a match helps reduce fatigue and prevents dehydration. The use of CHO drinks use in aiding post -match recovery is also important, especially as the most rapid restocking of glycogen stores occurs during the first few hours after exercise, with the first two hours being the most crucial. The only time CHO intake should be avoided in within 30 -60 minutes of exercise as this can impair performance due to an increase in insulin which then reduces blood glucose levels. Generally, when experimenting with changes in CHO intake and general diet, this should only be carried out with expert advice from a doctor or qualified nutritional expert to ensure the continuing good health and performance of the player. Likewise, trying out new drinks or diets should firstly be carried out during training before being used in competition.
ADVICE ON CARBOHYDRATES

This weeks article was kindly donated by Peak Performance who can be visited at http://www.pponline.co.uk.

Although soccer is the most popular sport in the world, with over 120 million amateur players worldwide, scientific research concerning the nutritional needs of soccer players has been scant. Fortunately, new investigations are being conducted, and the up-to-date research suggests that soccer players should eat and drink like marathon runners! The link between soccer players and long-distance endurance athletes seems odd at first glance, since soccer is a game involving sudden sprints and bursts of energy rather than continuous

moderate-intensity running, but the connection doesn't seem so extraordinary when o ne considers what happens during an actual soccer match. In a typical contest, soccer players run for a total of 10-11 kilometres at fairly modest speed, sprint for about 800 -1200 metres, accelerate 40-60 different times, and change direction every five seconds or so. Although soccer players don't cover a full marathon distance (42 kilometres) during a game, the alternating fast and slow running which they utilise can easily deplete their leg -muscle glycogen stores. For example, just six seconds of all-out sprinting can trim muscle glycogen by 15 per cent, and only 30 seconds of upscale running can reduce glycogen concentrations by 30 per cent! The high average intensity of soccer play (studies show that top-notch players spend over twothirds of a typical match at 85 per cent of maximal heart rate) accelerates glycogen depletion. Plus, the time duration of a soccer match, 90 minutes, is more than enough to empty leg muscles of most of their glycogen. In fact, research has shown that soccer players sometimes deplete 90 per cent of their muscle glycogen during a match, more than enough to heighten fatigue and dramatically reduce running speeds. They're half-starved! Unfortunately, many soccer players don't seem to be aware of the importance of dietary carbohydrate. Studies show that large numbers of players eat only 1200 calories of carbohydrate per day, far below the optimal level of 2400-3000 carbohydrate calories. As a result, many players BEGIN their competitions with glycogen levels which are sub-par. Players who start a match with low glycogen usually have little carbohydrate left in their muscles by the time the second half starts. That leads to bad performances during the second half. Glycogen -poor soccer players usually run more slowly - sometimes by as much as 50 percent - during the second halves of matches, compared to the first. In addition, total distance covered during the second half is often reduced by 25 per cent or more in players who have low glycogen, indicating that overall quality of play deteriorates as glycogen levels head south. Compared to competitors with normal glycogen, low glycogen players spend more time walking and less time sprinting as play proceeds. That's why taking in carbohydrate DURING competition can pay big dividends. In re cent research carried out with an English soccer team, players consumed a glucose-containing sports drink during 10 of their matches but swallowed only an artificially flavoured, coloured -water placebo during 10 other competitions. When the players used th e glucose drink, the team allowed fewer goals and scored significantly more times, especially in the second half. When the placebo was ingested, players were less active and reduced their contacts with the ball by 20-50 per cent during the final 30 minutes of their games. A separate study showed that swilling a glucose solution before games and at half-times led to a 30-per cent increase in the amount of distance covered at high speed during the second half of a match. However, just sipping a sports drink at random before matches and at half-time probably won't do much good, because soccer players must be sure they take in ENOUGH carbohydrate to really make a difference to their muscles. An excellent strategy is to drink about 12-14 ounces of sports drink, which usually provides about 30 grams of carbohydrate, 10 -15 minutes before a match begins. The same amount should be consumed at half -time, although players may rebel at both intake patterns because of perceptions of stomach fullness. The important thing t o remember is that through experience - trying out these drinking strategies on several different occasions during practices - the intake plans will gradually become comfortable and they will help reduce the risk of carbohydrate depletion. Tapering is important as well. Soccer players should also eat a small meal containing at least 600 calories of carbohydrate about two hours before competition. 600 calories is the approximate amount of carbohydrate in three bananas and four slices of bread (eaten together ).Players should also try to 'taper' for a few days before matches, reducing their intensity and quantity of training in order to avoid carbohydrate depletion. During the taper and during all periods of heavy training, soccer players should attempt to ingest 9-10 grams of carbohydrate per kilogram of

body weight (16-18 calories per pound of body weight) each day. 'Grazing' - eating two to four daily high-carbohydrate snacks in addition to three regular meals - can help players carry out this high-carbo plan successfully. However, carbohydrate is not the only nutritional concern for soccer players. Fluid intake is also critically important. Various studies have shown that soccer players lose - through their sweat glands - from two to five litres of fluid per game. Even the lower figure could raise heart rate and body temperature during a match and might reduce running performance by about 4-5 per cent for a typical player. Fortunately, the sports-drink-intake plan described above - coupled with sips of sports drink during injury time-outs - can help to reduce the impact of dehydration. Although water and carbohydrate must be taken onboard, soccer players don't need to worry about replacing electrolytes during play. Sweat is a dilute fluid with low concentration s of electrolytes, and most players can obtain enough electrolytes - including salt - from their normal diets. However, the presence of salt in a sports drink can enhance the absorption of water and glucose. Most commercial drinks have about the right concentration of sodium; if you're making your own beverage, you should be sure to mix about one-third tea spoon of salt and five to six tablespoons of sugar with each quart of water that you're going to be using. After all matches, players should attempt to ingest enough carbohydrate-containing sports drink to replace all the fluid they've lost during competition. After strenuous workouts, water should also be replaced, and soccer athletes need to eat at least 500 calories of carbohydrate during the two hours following practice in order to maximise their rates of glycogen storage.