Theme: Nutrition, Drugs and Ergogenic Aids in Athletic Performance: Theory and Practice

Presenters and Chairperson

Bob Girandola, Ed.D,

Department of Kinesiology,

University of Southern California,

USA

Abstract. Athletes have always attempted to improve athletic performance utilizing dietary manipulation, dietary supplements and drugs, if need be. Success in sport can lead to great prestige and enormous monetary rewards, depending on the country of origin. Sport scientists have the role to determine what type of supplement or dietary manipulation can truly aid an athlete’s quest for success. Swedish physiologists were the first to identify the benefits of a high carbohydrate diet in endurance exercise. However, there are so many other products and methods that are still unknown. This seminar will cover a wide range of topics from nutrition to drugs. One presentation will look at the role of soy protein and endurance performance. Another will evaluate the use of eleutherococcus senticosus (Siberian ginseng) as an aid in endurance exercise. The third presentation will look at the energy requirements and energy intake of Indian athletes in various sports. The final presentation will focus on drugs and ergogenic aids that are being used by athletes in the USA. In addition, this talk will discuss the future direction of not only drugs but methodologies that potentially could improve athletic performance exponentially.

Dr. Girandola received his doctoral degree (Ed.D) from the University of California at Berkeley in the area of Exercise Physiology. He has been at the University of Southern California since 1973 and is a professor in the Kinesiology department. His research and areas of interest include: Body Composition Methodology, Obesity: Causes and Solutions, Nutrition and Athletic Performance, and Drugs and Ergogenic Aids. Dr. Girandola has presented at many scientific symposia, including the ICPE in 2000 and 2004 in Hong Kong. He presently teaches courses at USC in Sport Physiology, Drugs and Sport, and Nutrition.

Sago and soy combined supplementation for the improvement of high intensity endurance performance

Asok Kumar Ghosh, Ph.D.

Associate Professor,

Sports Science Unit,

Universiti Sains Malaysia,

Kubang Kerian, Kelantan

Malaysia

Abstract. The consumption of carbohydrate before and/or during prolonged exercise can delay the onset of fatigue and improve endurance or performance, especially in events lasting more than an hour by maintaining a euglycaemia and a high rate of carbohydrate oxidation. Carbohydrate beverages augment blood glucose levels during the later stages of prolonged exercise, when muscle glycogen levels are significantly reduced. Inclusion of small amounts of protein (2 %) in a carbohydrate beverage may produce benefits over traditional carbohydrate beverages. Commercially available sport beverages containing carbohydrate and protein have gained popularity among athletes in part because of evidence suggesting that the added protein improves endurance performance. Local and everyday use agro based food like sago starch and a soy protein isolate mixture in the form of carbohydrate protein combination has been studied in our laboratory. We observed that a locally available everyday use food like, sago and soy, improved the high intensity endurance time at 90% VO_2max as compared to sago and placebo supplements. Sago soy supplementation resulted in a significant extension of endurance by 84 % (95% confidence interval: p=0.001) and by 37 % (p=0.05) relative to placebo and sago, respectively. The plasma insulin response was elevated above the placebo during sago and sago soy supplementations. We conclude that a combination of carbohydrate and protein in the form of sago and soy, can delay the fatigue during high intensity endurance exercise.

Dr. Asok Kumar Ghosh obtained his doctorate degree from University of Calcutta in the field of exercise physiology. He has been engaged in teaching and research for 30 yrs. He has guided many masters and Ph.D. students in the areas of exercise physiology and sports nutrition. Dr. Ghosh has presented 60 papers in the international conferences’ and published 80 papers in journals. Presently he is an Associate Professor in University Sains Malaysia. Dr. Ghosh is also a life member of Physiological Society of India, Ergonomics Society of India, Indian Science Congress and Hony Board member of ‘Association of the Sports for the Disabled’ in India. He is the reviewer and referee of many scientific journals and examiner of masters and PhD theses of many Universities.

Eleutherococcus senticosus as an antioxidant and ergogenic aid for endurance exercise

Margaret Jip KUO, Ph.D. Candidate

Lecturer

Department of Leisure and Recreation Management

China University of Technology

TAIWAN

Abstract. This presentation focuses on the effects of Eleutherococcus senticosus (ES) as an antioxidant and ergogenic aid for endurance exercise. ES is a plant, also known as ciwujia or Siberian ginseng, Russian ginseng and Radix Acanthopanax senticosus, which has been used by the Chinese for the last 2000 years as a medicinal remedy to treat infections and to increase energy and vitality. ES acts as an adaptogen that exerts effects on both sick and healthy individuals without producing unwanted side effects. Previous research has also suggested that ES may neutralize free radical created while exercising as well. In one of our studies, we examined nine recreationally trained males in college consumed 800 mg/d of ES or placebo (P) for 8 weeks according to a double-blind, randomized, placebo controlled and crossover design with a washout period of 4 weeks between the cycling trials. Subjects cycled at 75%VO₂peak until exhaustion. The major finding of this study was the subjects’ VO₂ peak elevated 12% (P<0.05), endurance time improved 23% (P<0.05) and the HHR increased 4% (P<0.05) significantly. Second finding was that the production of plasma NEFA increased and glucose decreased both significantly (P<0.05) at 30 min of 75% VO₂peak cycling and when exhaustion over 8-week ES supplementation. This presentation will address the following questions in relation to ES: What are the active ingredients found in ES? What is the possible mechanism action of ES on enhancing endurance capacity? Can ES also protect cells from free radicals damage after exercise? An overview of current research in this area will be included.

Margaret Jip Kuo is a lecturer and consultant in health and nutrition in Taiwan. She holds a Masters Degree in Physical Education from the National Taiwan Sport University of Taoyuan (1996) and now is a PhD candidate in the College of Nutrition and Food Sciences, Fu Jen Catholic University of Taipei. She is the author of four books: Sports Nutrition (2001); Keep Beauty and Healthy: 365 tips (2002); Exercise & Nutrition (2004) and Learn nutrition by yourself (2006). She presented projects that aimed the development of ergogenic aids. She has oral and posters presentation in United State, Vienna and South Africa. She teaches certificate courses in weight management and sports nutrition at the International Personal Trainer and Fitness Academy. She is a current executive committee member and judge of the Asian Bodybuilding & Fitness Federation.

Nutrition for Optimal Sports Performance: an Indian Perspective

Venkata Ramana Yagnambhatt, MSc. Ph.D.

Senior Scientist

Dept. of Work Physiology & Sports Nutrition

National Institute of Nutrition (ICMR)

INDIA

Abstract. The energy requirements of an athlete vary in accordance to the type of event and the intensity & duration of training sessions, which in turn change across training phases/cycles. Hence, to achieve the optimal performance, individual assessment of energy requirements must consider the athlete’s age, sex, size and composition, phase of training program, and environment. There is a paucity of such work in India, in comparison with a number of other countries. Furthermore, many coaches in India make dietary recommendations based on their own “feelings” and past experiences instead of relying on available scientific evidence. This problem is compounded by the fact that athletes often have inadequate information concerning either prudent dietary practices or the role of specific nutrients in the diet. Therefore, it is essential to consider factors like physical, physiological, and sport specificity in recommending dietary allowances to improve the ultimate performance of an individual athlete. To establish the nutritional needs of Indian athletes, sport events have been divided into five categories and suggested energy allowances based on the energy expenditure levels, as per the recommendations of FAO/WHO/UNU, 1985. Systematic studies were used to evaluate the energy expenditure pattern of the Indian athletes in their different phases of training. These studies suggested that the variations in the energy needs are based on the discipline and phase of sport. Furthermore, track athletes (sprinters, middle distance and long distance runners), were monitored in three phases of their training; transition phase (TP), pre-competition phase (PP) and competition phase (CP). The results of the study confirm that the 24h-BMR (9.0 to 15%), VO_2max(10 to 13%), Work Rate_max (15 to 37%) and energy expenditure levels (30 to 48%) were increased significantly with the increase in the training intensity from the TP to PP (7 to 29%) and further to CP (20 to 63%). This was due to the increase in duration of training from TP to PP by 1.8 fold and to 2.2 fold in CP across the events studied. The results of this study clearly demonstrate that the energy requirements of athletes vary widely based on the type of event, intensity & duration of training, apart from the training phase. The results of this study will be discussed in the context of nutrition recommendations for the Indian athlete.

Dr. Venkata Ramana is a senior scientist working at National Institute of Nutrition (NIN), Hyderabad, India which is a premier institute of the Indian Council of Medical Research. He holds a Master’s and a Doctorate from Kakatiya University, Warangal, India, specializing in cell physiology & muscle metabolism, and was a fellow of the Indian Council of Medical Research during his doctoral programme (1980-85). His research interests include Energy Metabolism, Body Composition, Exercise Physiology and Sports Nutrition. His research findings in the area of Energy Metabolism helped in identifying the energy requirements of Indian populations that led to modifications in the RDA for energy. He has also demonstrated the effects of Yoga, Pranayama, and Meditation on physiological efficiency and physical fitness. He has published 20 articles in peer reviewed national and International scientific journals. Dr Venkataramana is associated with a number of professional bodies including: Life Member of Nutrition Society of India; Indian Association of Sports Medicine; Physiological Society of India; Annual Member in Indian Science Congress; Federation Internationale de Medicine Sportive (FIMS); Research Advisory Committee Member of Department of Foods and Nutrition , Faculty of Home Science, APAU.; Research Advisory Committee Member of Sports Authority of India; Member, New York Academy of Sciences; Member of review panel for Indian Journal of Medical Research (IJMR); Editorial Board Member of Indian Journal of Sports Traumatology & Allied Sciences, Amritsar, India; and Executive Member of Indian Association of Health and Fitness (IAHF), Chandigarh, India.