Goalie Nutrition and Recovery Drinks

[Cubanpuckstopper]

As an extension to the thread below,

http://www.goaliepro.com/foorumi/viewtopic.php?t=1686

For a number of years Gatorade-type of products were the standard for sports recovery drinks.

Recently I have seen some movement towards recovery drinks that are 4 parts carbohydrate to one part protein.

This article describes them, and when to use them.

http://www.utexas.edu/features/archive/ ... ition.html

As a side note is was Dr. John Freeman who I met at a Rochester Clinic that guided me to Dr. Ivy (the article's author).

I do not have a scientific way to tell if this works, other than just "how I feel" when taking other recovery products. As I have gotten older, I havehad to focus more on proper hydration.

[Jukka Ropponen]

I have done a lot of testing and studies in this area. What I could do is compile all my notes later and publish as a resource article on the site.

Anyway, it is a good topic for discussion as I see a lot of room for improvement in this area where goalies are not taking things serious enough or just do not have the knowledge for proper behavior.

Dr. Freeman and I started to look into these things already at year 2000.

Let's hear from the others and I will also chime in time to time.

Jukka

[Jani]

I've heard and also evidenced numerous strategies sportsmen follow for the ultimate hydration in hockey and many other sports. In my opinion there lies no myths behind proper nutrition for average population as well as for athletes. Having published scientific papers on sports nutrition (e.g. Curr Sports Med Rep. 2006;5(4):182-186) I found this discussion to serve an educational purpose.

Therefore, I'd like to provide you with some key points that summarize the current energy, nutrient, and fluid recommendations for active adults and competitive athletes by the American College of Sports Medicine (published in Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2009 Mar;41(3):709-31.). These general recommendations can be adjusted further to accommodate the unique concerns of individual athletes regarding health, sports, nutrient needs, food preferences, and body weight and body composition goals.

* Athletes need to consume adequate energy during periods of high-intensity and/or long-duration training to maintain body weight and health and maximize training effects. Low energy intakes can result in loss of muscle mass; menstrual dysfunction; loss of or failure to gain bone density; an increased risk of fatigue, injury, and illness; and a prolonged recovery process.

* Body weight and composition should not be used as the sole criterion for participation in sports; daily weigh-ins are discouraged. Optimal body fat levels depend on the sex, age, and heredity of the athlete and may be sport-specific. Body fat assessment techniques have inherent variability and limitations. Preferably, weight loss (fat loss) should take place during the off-season or begin before the competitive season.

* Carbohydrate recommendations for athletes range from 6 to 10 gr/kg of body weight per day (2.7-4.5 gr/lb of body weight per day). Carbohydrates maintain blood glucose levels during exercise and replace muscle glycogen. The amount required depends on the athlete's total daily energy expenditure, type of sport, sex, and environmental conditions.

* Protein recommendations for endurance and strength-trained athletes range from 1.2 to 1.7 gr/kg of body weight per day (0.5-0.8 gr/lb of body weight per day). These recommended protein intakes can generally be met through diet alone, without the use of protein or amino acid supplements. Energy intake sufficient to maintain body weight is necessary for optimal protein use and performance.

* Fat intake should range from 20% to 35% of total energy intake. Consuming <=20% of energy from fat does not benefit performance. Fat, which is a source of energy, fat-soluble vitamins, and essential fatty acids, is important in the diets of athletes. High-fat diets are not recommended for athletes.

* Athletes who restrict energy intake or use severe weight-loss practices, eliminate one or more food groups from their diet, or consume high- or low-carbohydrate diets of low micronutrient density are at greatest risk of micronutrient deficiencies. Athletes should consume diets that provide at least the recommended dietary allowance (RDA) for all micronutrients.

* Dehydration (water deficit in excess of 2-3% body mass) decreases exercise performance; thus, adequate fluid intake before, during, and after exercise is important for health and optimal performance. The goal of drinking is to prevent dehydration from occurring during exercise and individuals should not drink in excess of sweating rate. After exercise, approximately 450-650 mL of fluid for every pound (0.5 kg) of body weight lost during exercise.

* Before exercise, a meal or snack should provide sufficient fluid to maintain hydration, be relatively low in fat and fiber to facilitate gastric emptying and minimize gastrointestinal distress, be relatively high in carbohydrate to maximize maintenance of blood glucose, be moderate in protein, be composed of familiar foods, and be well tolerated by the athlete.

* During exercise, primary goals for nutrient consumption are to replace fluid losses and provide carbohydrates (approximately 30-60 gr/hour) for maintenance of blood glucose levels. These nutrition guidelines are especially important for endurance events lasting longer than an hour when the athlete has not consumed adequate food or fluid before exercise or when the athlete is exercising in an extreme environment (heat, cold, or high altitude).

* After exercise, dietary goals are to provide adequate fluids, electrolytes, energy, and carbohydrates to replace muscle glycogen and ensure rapid recovery. A carbohydrate intake of approximately 1.0-1.5 gr/kg of body weight (0.5-0.7 gr/lbs) during the first 30 min and again every 2 h for 4-6 h will be adequate to replace glycogen stores. Protein consumed after exercise will provide amino acids for building and repair of muscle tissue.

* In general, no vitamin and mineral supplements are required if an athlete is consuming adequate energy from a variety of foods to maintain body weight. Supplementation recommendations unrelated to exercise, such as folic acid for women of childbearing potential, should be followed. A multivitamin/mineral supplement may be appropriate if an athlete is dieting, habitually eliminating foods or food groups, is ill or recovering from injury, or has a specific micronutrient deficiency. Single-nutrient supplements may be appropriate for a specific medical or nutritional reason (e.g., iron supplements to correct iron deficiency anemia).

Conclusion statements:

* Thirty-six studies investigating the consumption of a range of macronutrient composition during competition on athletic performance were evaluated. Seven studies based on carbohydrate consumption during exercise lasting less than 60 min show conflicting results on athletic performance. However, of 17 studies based on carbohydrate consumption during exercise lasting greater than 60 min, 5 reported improved metabolic response, and 7 of 12 studies reported improvements in athletic performance. Evidence is inconclusive regarding the addition of protein to carbohydrate during exercise on athletic performance. Seven studies based on consumption of pre-exercise meals in addition to carbohydrate consumption during exercise suggest enhanced athletic performance. (Evidence Grade II = Fair). www.adaevidencelibrary.com/conclusion.c ... _id=250453

* Twenty-five studies investigating the consumption of a range of macronutrient composition during the recovery period were evaluated. Nine studies report that consumption of diets higher in carbohydrate (>65% carbohydrate or 0.8-1.0 gr carbohydrates/kg of body weight per hour) during the recovery period increases plasma glucose and insulin concentrations and increases muscle glycogen resynthesis. Provided that carbohydrate intake is sufficient, four studies show no significant benefit of additional protein intake and two studies show no significant effect of meal timing on muscle glycogen resynthesis during the recovery period. Studies focusing on carbohydrate consumption during recovery periods of 4 h or more suggest improvements in athletic performance. (Evidence Grade II = Fair). www.adaevidencelibrary.com/conclusion.c ... _id=250451

[Cubanpuckstopper]

Jani,

Thanks for your reply.

That was quite an extensive post, I had to read it a few times to capture all the information.

I stumbled across this article below, and it corresponds to your point about Dehydration, and the 2-3% water deficit.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/ ... y/Science/

[Jani]

Glad if you find the post helpful.

The hydration-dehydration topic should indeed be more acknowledged as it can really impair athlete's performance. Importantly, it's not all what you drink during the sports, but also the fact that you should drink way before the event, which is something that we should be more aware of.

Actually I am familiar with Dr. Spriet's recent paper, and if you are interested access the fulltext here:

http://article.pubs.nrc-cnrc.gc.ca/ppv/ ... rtPage=263

Please consider that this study was supported by Gatorade, hence the interest for the effect of a sports drink on physical performance.

Interestingly, in the study the authors also report about goalies' fluid intake as follows:

"Goalies drank more than other players before practice (0.7 ± 0.2 L), during practice (1.2 ± 0.5 L), and in total (1.8 ± 0.5 Liters per hour), which is likely a function of having ready access to fluids during the practice (bottles on the net). Other players, however, were only
able to drink during breaks dictated by the coaching staff.
Another possibility is that the increased fluid intake observed
in goalies was a function of their high sweat rate, although again, studies to date have been unable to find such a relationship. Future studies are required to collect enough position-specific data to elucidate any relationships between the measured variables. In this study, however, the goalie with the highest overall fluid intake (3.3 Liters per hour) also had the highest overall sweat rate (3.2 Liters per hour). This resulted from the fact that this individual had previous issues with severe cramping and was aware of his particular need to consume large amounts of fluid during practices. This supports the idea that hydration guidelines must be personalized and individual education is the most effective means of preventing hypohydration in sport."