Carbohydrate Mouth Rinse In Sports Performance Analysis

All throughout an athletes life they are told to drink plenty of water, and replace their fluids. Athletes are told this enough to the point where it makes numbs them since they heard it so many times to the point where they forget the extreme importance of proper hydration, proper hydration. Proper hydration is not only key to optimum health, but also to great performance. Athletes are told to drink plenty of water, but do they really know why? It is this writer’s opinion that a greater understanding of proper hydration can lead to better health and performance for athletes and help spread awareness for dehydration and over hydration.

Four interval times (PR, RT, TP and RR) measured in seconds were recorded both with the subject at rest and after the subject had exercised. The PR and RT intervals remained virtually unchanged with the PR intervals remaining the same both before and after exercise with an interval time of 0.15 seconds, and the RT interval increase by 0.01 seconds from 0.37 at rest to 0.38 seconds after exercise. More substantial changes were noted in TP and RR intervals. The TP interval decreasing from 0.32 seconds at rest to just 0.08 seconds after exercise, a decrease of 0.24 seconds (just 25% of the resting 0.32 seconds). The RR interval decreased from 0.84 seconds at rest to 0.61 seconds seconds after exercise, a decrease of 0.23 seconds

When athletes are training or competing, it is apparent that they sometimes benefit by consuming various drinks that contain water, carbohydrate and electrolytes. This can assist and improve an athlete's performance, and it may reduce physiological stress on an athlete’s cardiovascular, central nervous and muscular systems. During endurance events Gatorade is an effective drink to have in order for the athlete to sustain their maximum energy throughout the competition. Gatorade has been proven to reduce the risk of hyponatraemia, improve endurance performance if consumed during training or competition and it allows fast release of fluid to the tissue as well as rapid fluid absorption.

This study targets the physical effect of caffeinated energy drinks on athletes, in both genders, in team sports, primarily the capacity of the participants to perform repeated sprints during a simulated match.

In this assignment I will be reviewing the different effects of exercise on the body system including the acute and long term using the pre-exercise, exercise and post-exercise physiological data which I collected based on interval and continuous training method. I will also be including the advantages and disadvantages of these, also the participants’ strengths and areas where they can improve on.

It is important for anyone doing physical activity to keep well hydrated, for performance to be at its best. Sports drinks are specially formulated to help people rehydrate during or after exercise. Drinks such as Gatorade and Powerade contain the main electrolytes and carbohydrates, which are used by the working muscles, to maintain optimal sports performance (Medindia.net, 2014). The acidity of sports drinks and the sugars, is raising health concerns, and creates unnecessary calories. (Nutritionwonderland.com, 2014) Sports drinks are proven to only be necessary when working intensely for over 90 minutes, so an athlete running a marathon may need a Powerade, but water is the best source of hydration for exercise of 90min or less.

Majority of studies on the effects of creatine and sprint performance portray positive effects and consider creatine to be an ergogenic aid. A study by Casey researched the effects of creatine supplementation on performance. In this study 20-30 grams a day were ingested, which is the recommended daily value over a five to six day period. There was a positive relation between muscle creatine uptake and improvements in performance during repeated bouts of maximal exercise. (1). Based on the findings of this study it is believed not only do the increased phosphocreatine levels affect performance but also the improvement in ATP resynthesis.

Therefore, nutritional strategies to increase body carbohydrate stores or carbohydrate availability are considered to be potentially beneficial for maintaining or improving performance capabilities”(Nutrition Bytes, (1)). In this way, choosing to follow the standard American diet which is low in carbohydrates and high in protein and fats is contradictory to the blood sugar stability our bodies are designed to function off of. “'Carb loading', short for carbohydrate loading, is a strategy used by athletes to maximize endurance during physical exercise. By consuming large amounts of carbohydrate-rich foods, individuals can increase energy reserves and improve performance (Nutrition Bytes, 3(1))”. In the grandiosity of this example, carb loading reinforces my hypothesis of how carbohydrates based diets is the most efficient source of dietary component to combat fatigue. For this reason, I now plan to continue a life that focuses on an abundance of carbohydrates from sugar, starches, and fibers as I have never felt so awake in my

In contrast to athletes consuming recovery drinks for vital nutrients, studies have shown that food like fresh fruits and veggies are also great for replenishing athletes. Bananas, for example, contain necessary vitamins, minerals, nutrients, and electrolytes. This makes them an excellent post-workout snack. Furthermore, bananas are commonly known for having a large amount of potassium, which helps keep an athlete’s body healthier by protecting muscle mass (Michelle). In addition to having an abundance of potassium, bananas are an exceptional source of another crucial mineral: magnesium. Magnesium helps athletes recover by keeping their blood pressure levels regulated. This demonstrates that putting foods like bananas and other fruits and veggies

What is carbohydrate loading? Carbohydrate loading, also known as carbo loading, is when the body is depleted of carbs and then overloading the body with carbs at one time. To carbohydrate load the body must be depleted of carbs for a few days. Doing this tricks your body into thinking that there is a problem with your glycogen stores. Glycogen is a form of carbohydrate that is stored in the liver and muscle cells. It is used when you exercise. It eventually runs out and your performance levels drop as fatigue sets in. for the next two or three days, after depleting your body of carbs, you overload on carbs because your body will store more glycogen because it still thinks there is an issue

As mentioned before in the case of our tennis player, carbohydrates are known to be a major source of fuel for the body. Carbohydrates fuel muscles during performance. With that being said athletes ought to consume a high quality of carbohydrates throughout the day in order to maintain their energy sources. Without a sufficient supply of carbohydrates, athletes may begin to feel fatigued throughout the day and in turn not perform to the best of their abilities on the field or in the weight

As well, sport drinks have the ability to provide a subject with an increased amount of endurance for their exercise. One reason why sport drinks have this capability is due to the carbohydrates found in the beverages. These carbohydrates exist as either of two sugars, sucrose and glucose-fructose, which provide the energy for the body that makes sport drinks better to use during exercise than water (Tsintzas 155). Carbohydrate consumption allows athletes to work harder for longer periods of time and to feel better while doing the exercises. A recent study determined that runners who had only water to drink lost speed during the race compared to those who had sport drinks. Also, performance time was faster in runners who consumed the sport drinks as opposed to water. It was only during the final 17.2 kilometres of the race that the performance times began to differ and the runners who drank the sport drinks ran faster (Tsintzas 156). Furthermore, the exercise intensity was higher towards the end of the race from those runners who had the sport drinks. As with most performance enhancing implements, sport drinks have potential drawbacks.

Carbohydrate (CHO) mouth rinse is defined as the rinsing of a CHO fluid around the mouth for a specified time followed by spitting the fluid out. There is to be no swallowing or ingestion of the CHO fluid. The utilization of a low concentration source (typically around 6% glucose) or maltodextrin is the most common CHO used (Silva et al, 2014). CHO mouth rinse has been investigated as a potential ergogenic resource for improved performance during moderate- to high-intensity exercises (~75% VO2max, ~1 h duration) (Carter et al., 2004). CHO ingestion has often demonstrated improved performance during high intensity exercise bouts and prompted the though process that a CHO rinse of fluids could establish the same response. This response was beneficial because it was not accompanied by the oxidation of the CHO (Jeukendrup et al, 1997). Together these results indicated that an oral CHO rinse may exert its effects during high-intensity exercise through a central action mediated by receptors in the mouth or GI tract, improving motor drive or motivation (Silva et al, 2014). The benefit of the rinse vs. the ingestion during high intensity exercise is the reduction of incidence of gastrointestinal problems and the CHO rinse might be an alternative strategy to reduce debilitating incidence of GI issues. Studies have reported that CHO mouth rinse can improve performance cycling, running, and other high intensity bouts. The mechanism by which CHO mouth rinse

Maughan, R. J., Owen, J. H., Shirreffs, S. M., & Leiper, J. B. (1994). Post-exercise rehydration in man: effects of electrolyte addition to ingested fluids. European journal of applied physiology and occupational physiology, 69(3), 209-215.

An athlete needs to ensure that they consume enough fuel to complete activities undertaken. The amount of energy required depends on many factors including size and weight of the athlete, level and intensity of the training, and due to this the amount of energy required varies from person to person. However if more energy is consumed than required, the excess is stored as fat and weight will increase, on the other hand if insufficient energy is consumed the body calls upon its stores to meet the demand and weight will be lost.