Carbohydrates and Running (The Research)
While it’s apparent that sweetpotatoes are a health-promoting food, they are also an ideal choice for athletes. Exercise is dependent upon multiple energy systems working together in the body, the amount of energy available for our bodies to use and training adaptations we make. Of those energy systems, carbohydrates are the body’s most efficient energy source for exercise. Carbohydrates like sweetpotatoes provide instant fuel for the brain and central nervous system as well as for muscle contractions.
While runners love their carbohydrates, there are two different types of carbohydrates: simple and complex. Both are important for runners at different times. Generally speaking, the closer to exercise you are eating, the smaller the snack and the simpler the source of carbohydrate is needed. This is because it will be turned to glucose (energy) quicker in the bloodstream to be burned for energy. However, when eating hours in advance of competition, complex carbohydrates will be more useful, as they will take longer to break down and digest to be used for energy.
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We consume carbohydrates (strands of sugars including glucose, fructose, and/or galactose) through foods, like sweetpotatoes, that we can use immediately for energy or store for later in the liver and muscles. The carbohydrates we eat and store both contribute to our body’s available energy, the amount of energy intake in relation to the energy costs of exercise. For longer distance athletic events, it’s important to have sufficient available energy to sustain activity.
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The carbohydrate stores we save for later are known as glycogen. In addition to fat stores, which are essentially unlimited, glycogen stores are what we tap into during longer distance endurance activities, so are therefore extremely valuable and crucial for distance runners. Having adequate glycogen stores will also prevent the body from breaking down protein and muscle to be used as energy. Compared to fat stores, carbohydrates offer advantages as a fuel substrate because they provide a greater yield of ATP (energy) per volume of oxygen that can improve exercise efficiency (Source).
Research has shown that the performance of prolonged intermittent high-intensity exercise, such as running and racing, is enhanced by strategies that promote and maintain sufficient carbohydrate stores and availability. Without adequate carbohydrate consumption, replenishment and storage, runners and athletes alike may run out of fuel for exercise, more commonly known as “hitting the wall.” Many long-distance runners may be familiar with this feeling of fatigue, impaired concentration and increased perception of effort, due to the low blood sugar that can be experienced if the body runs out of fuel (Source). Since carbohydrates are the main fuel source responsible for balancing and maintaining our blood sugar during exercise, the body and brain suffer when the balance runs low. Hence, carbohydrate intake before, during and after exercise is important for the building, storing and replenishment of fuel stores.
Carbohydrates also help improve our immune systems. Heavy training and endurance exercise are forms of physical stress on the body that can lead to a depressed immune system. Consuming adequate carbohydrates before, during and after long training sessions can reduce the immune-suppressing effect of exercise on immune function (Source). Consistently including nutrient-dense carbohydrate rich foods, like sweetpotatoes, can assist with immunity and can improve the body’s stress response and recovery after long and intense training cycles.
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Aside from carbohydrates, the micronutrient distribution in sweetpotatoes also offer advantageous health benefits to runners. Antioxidant-rich Vitamins A and C help with immunity, as well as with neutralizing oxidants produced by the stress of running and exercise. While there haven’t been many research studies done with sweetpotatoes and runners, one early study found that subjects consuming a high-polyphenol diet of purple sweetpotato leaves for seven days improved antioxidant status and decreased exercise-induced oxidative damage compared to those who didn’t after running for one hour (Source).
Furthermore, sweet potatoes offer adequate potassium, magnesium and manganese, electrolytes that are often lost through sweat and exercise. These electrolytes help with muscle contraction, maintaining a normal blood pressure and blood sugar, and regulating fluid and mineral balance in cells, all of which are important for long endurance exercise.
The proportion of carbohydrates in sweetpotatoes, as well as the wide range of micronutrients and electrolytes, make sweetpotatoes the ideal food for runners.
Source: https://en.congthucvatly.com
Category: Cook