Ron's Appetites: A Case Study

Athletes often overlook the energy demands of daily training sessions. Total calories required are considerably increased for the training and competing athlete versus the average person, but it should be done in the proper % to total daily intake. If sufficient calories are not included in the diet, an athlete will lose to much weight, become fatigued more quickly and performance will

When ingested, complex carbohydrates are broken down within the stomach and absorbed by muscles. The amount of glycogen stored by a muscle is directly correlated to the amount of work an athlete can do during a training session3. Glycogen is oxidized by muscles when used3. Once the glycogen stores within the muscle are depleted, fatigue sets in and hinders the athlete’s ability to perform. Therefore, supplements have been made to provide athletes with carbohydrates that can replenish the glycogen stores, which allows them to perform past their usual capacity and avoid the effects of fatigue. Fats play an important role in maintaining the health of joints and major organs, which is why fats are part of a balanced diet and cannot be neglected. Omega-3 fatty acids protect a person’s muscles, joints, immune system, cardiovascular system, and nervous system.1 An athlete’s training is extremely intense and can damage the joints and muscles over a long period of time, thus, it is important that athletes consume large amounts of omega-3 fatty acids relative to the average person so that they keep their muscles and joints in peak condition. Of the three macronutrients listed, protein is the most important macronutrient as a high protein intake preserves muscle and augments the formation of more muscle, which is a sought-after goal for many athletes.1 Repairing and building more muscle requires a source of protein and amino acids to synthesize

Having taken a meal high in carbohydrates a couple of hours earlier, I embarked on my arranged exercise regimen. Right before starting the task (jogging several rounds around the field) I felt energized. After jogging for some time,

) Due to hypothalamus stimulation, Laila will feel hungry. Two regions of hypothalamus will contribute towards the hunger of Laila, which are the lateral and paraventricular hypothalamus. These regions have been correlated with receptors for certain chemical messengers that signal hunger, especially ghrelin and leptin. Lateral Hypothalamus is the region of the brain associated with hunger recognition. Laila’s body will recognize hunger due to the stimulation of lateral hypothalamus (lateral nuclei). Laila’s paraventricular hypothalamus will regulate her hunger. The stomach and the hypothalamus produce the hormone ghrelin. Laila’s levels of ghrelin will increase which will signal the body of hunger due to the receptors of hypothalamus. Laila knows that it is time to eat because she can feel her stomach growling through her interceptors. After the smell of the pizza was sent to the hypothalamus,

This system is comprised of Pro-opiomelanocortin (POMC) and AgRP neurons of the arcuate hypothalamus (Arc), neuropeptides α-MSH and AgRP, and central melanocortin receptors (MCRs) MC3R and MC4R. POMC and AgRP neurons monitor energy state and change their activity to alter feeding and body weight. When energy needs are met, POMC neurons release α-MSH which acts as an agonist on MC3R and MC4R. AgRP is released in response to an energy deficit and acts as an inverse agonist/antagonist of the central MCRs. Activation of POMC and AgRP neuron signaling has an opposite effect on feeding behavior such that the stimulation of POMC neurons or injection of MCR agonist decreases food intake and body weight27-29 , whereas AgRP neuron activation, central administration or overexpression of AgRP stimulates food intake and weight gain27,30-33. In addition to neuropeptide-mediated signaling, both POMC and AgRP neurons are also capable of fast neurotransmission via Glutamate and/or GABA34-36 and this neurotransmission has been suggested to play an important role in the ability of POMC and AgRP neurons to control feeding27,32. Although much is known about the role of AgRP and POMC neurons in the regulation of feeding and body weight, there is still much to be learned about the larger role these neurons play in energy homeostasis, including their interactions with non-homeostatic circuits, and a better understanding of the role GABA and Glutamate released from POMC and AgRP neurons play in feeding

The receptors in the gastrointestinal tract manage the size and times of eating behavior while metabolic cues oversee energy consumption with respect to what the body needs. Overeating causes a greater amount of fat storage than did carbohydrate overfeeding. Studies of the appetites of obese women prove that energy intake during a high-fat lunch was much higher than during a high-carbohydrate lunch and this remained for the next 24 hours. The reason that has been hypothesized for this is that the metabolic rates of fats and carbos are different. Carbohydrates are more rapidly absorbed and contribute to the suppression of appetite. Fat storage, on the other hand, is almost without limit with a lower satiety calibre. Carbohydrate storage in the body, in the form of glycogen, is limited, and need to be constantly refilled. Obesity is a disorder that is related to a "disease" of the fat storage mechanisms and if a person is obese, there will be a presence of lipids already in the small intestine that delay the emptying of gastric fluids. These fatty acids in the stomach relax the stomach and therefore, cause the stomach to be able to adapt to a greater capacity of food. When the stomach receptors are stimulated, the gastric sensitivity is transformed to accommodate a meal while the positive sensations of enjoyment are also aroused so that this experience is repeated again. Studies have shown that people show feelings of sleepiness and

The presence of peripheral signals influences the hypothalamus through actions from afferent neurones and brainstem. The chemoreceptors also play important roles in controlling appetite. These receptors mediate vagal afferent and pass on the signal s to the nucleus of tractus solitaries (NTS) present in the brainstem. Gut hormones also work through this vagal pathway and brainstem (Schwartz et al, 2000). Hence, the orexigenic and anorexigenic neurons in the hypothalamus are mediated by neural and hormonal signals. These neurons will extend to various others in the extra-hypothalamic and intra-hypothalamic regions, such as the hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus (PVN), and lateral hypothalamus (LH) where some of the significant efferent pathways

Aging affects the appetite and food intake of a person resulting in a gradual decreasing in the body weight. Moreover, slower stomach emptying makes the elderly to experience increased fullness or satiation all the time. The alteration of gut peptides, such as cholecystokinin, insulin, GLP-1 and Peptide YY during aging modifies satiation and satiety. Moreover, the study collected data from seven scholarly reviewed medical journals following well-defined criteria: must use scholarly reviewed journals written English and the journals had to align with the topic under discussion. It demonstrated the differences in satiety and satiation related to age and their unique responses to gut hormones. Moreover, out of the seven articles, four were controlled trials while three of them included cohort studies. The keywords used during the study were aging, food intake, regulate, satiety and satiation. Other studies used in the search demonstrated major strengths, such as exhibiting the differences in satiety and satiation related to age and their unique responses to the gut hormones. They also showed the likelihood for the manipulation of nutritional factors like the meal size, taste, and variety for inhibiting weight gain or weight loss through compensatory alterations in energy ingestion. The major limitation of the study included their inability to reflect the general population because the elderly subjects represented successful aging, free of chronic diseases and

The hypothalamus plays a large role in eating. The lateral hypothalamus is involved in turning on eating. Electrical stimulation to the area will cause eating to begin. If a lesion is produced in this area, aphagia will occur to the individual or animal. This means that the animal will stop eating completely. It removes and destroys the set point of eating. The medial hypothalamus is involved in turning off eating in individuals or animals. If the area is electrically stimulated, eating will be turned off. Lesions in this area produce hyperphagia. This causes non-stop eating by the animal. This will lead to excessive weight gain. Other factors control eating as well.

Carbohydrate loading a basic regiment for glycogen for a higher expected sports Performance. Carbohydrate loading is split into carbohydrate and loading. Carbohydrate is a primary sources for energy during physical activity, and loading is the expense changing our bodies is programmed to store it and use it at the right time to burn it as our muscle is at work. On some occasions it makes sense to consume more carbohydrate-rich foods to exploit our glycogen stores a strategy known as carbohydrate loading. It is good to consume extra carbohydrate if you are an athletic. Taking in extra carbohydrate can determine how much period you can sustain and use the excess carbohydrate for longer time length as an athletic.

The glycemic index is a good measure of how carbohydrate-containing food affects a person’s blood glucose levels. In was originally introduced in 1981. The general rule for Glycemic index is that low glycemic index food was digested and absorbed slowly and high glycemic index food are rapidly digested and absorbed. These two factors result in different glycemic responses from the body (Sun, O’Reilly, Li, and Wong, 2013, p. 1001). It is because of these reactions that many people have become interested in seeing how the different glycemic index of food will help athletes during exercise. One of the main ways people use the glycemic index for exercise is in their pre-exercise food (Sun, O’Reilly, Li, and Wong, 2013, p. 1001). Using the glycemic

It is recommended that before you work out, you should load up on carbohydrates. It is necessary to eat a lot of carbohydrates because they will provide you with the energy you need your workout. The reason that carbohydrates serve as energy is because of how they break down after being eaten. Once you eat carbohydrates your body breaks them down and turns them into glycogen, glucose stored in your liver and in your muscles. As you eat more carbohydrates, your body stores more glycogen, and the more glycogen stored means the more energy available. The reason that carbohydrates are the best source of glycogen is because it provides a much longer lasting and better quality energy than foods high in sugar or fat. When you start to workout

When exercising regularly or even an athlete in training you are trying to improve your health and enhance your exercise performance. The demand for improving performance with training or competition is higher for what the nutritional value must be, which is where we get energy from and to restore our body’s balance. Conditioning, strength, and speed have been the focal points of athletic training for years; nonetheless, the research on nutritional elements indicates their importance to an athlete's optimal performance. In this summary, we will be discussing why carbohydrates are the primary supplement for energy, and how vitamin and mineral are essential for a peak performance.

Throughout a normal day, the body uses glucose in the form of energy. The glucose that the body uses is attained from carbohydrates that one receives from a meal eaten during the day. However, when glucose begins to run out, especially if a person is rigorously exercising, and is not “restocked,” the body must use its energy supplies, glycogen. Glycogen is one of the most important polysaccharides in the human body. It is the body’s stored energy; with the highest storing sites being the muscles and liver. Glycogen is important to the liver because it is able to provide a backup supply of glucose so that blood glucose concentration is maintained at a sufficient level to supply the brain during times of starvation. Glycogen's function in sustaining blood-glucose levels is imperative because glucose is essentially the only fuel source used by the brain. The primary function of muscle glycogen is to supply fuel for the contraction of the muscles during exercise. However, insufficient amount of glycogen in the liver and muscles can lead to numerous diseases, diseases like Glycogen Storage Disorders (GSD).

Carbohydrates are perhaps the most important nutritional source for energy production as it is fuel for both energy systems (Burke, Loucks & Broad, 2006). Burke et al., (2006) suggested that football players should aim to achieve a carbohydrate intake that meets the fuel requirements of their training routine and optimizes restoration of muscle glycogen stores. Carbohydrate is stored in the muscles and in the liver as glycogen; muscle fatigue towards the end of a game may be related to depletion of glycogen in the muscle fibres (Reilly, Drust & Clarke, 2008). The high-intensity bursts in football also require a level of strength and power from the athlete, highlighting protein as another dietary essential (Boisseau, Vermorel, Rance, Duché & Patureau-Mirand, 2007). Along with carbohydrates, protein is also significant in the aid of recovery (Nieman,