Abstract
Gastrointestinal (GI) problems are a common concern of athletes during intense exercise. Ultimately, these symptoms can impair performance and possibly prevent athletes from winning or even finishing a race. The main causes of GI problems during exercise are mechanical, ischemic and nutritional factors. Among the nutritional factors, a high intake of carbohydrate and hyperosmolar solutions increases GI problems. A number of nutritional manipulations have been proposed to minimize gastrointestinal symptoms, including the use of multiple transportable carbohydrates. This type of CHO intake increases the oxidation rates and can prevent the accumulation of carbohydrate in the intestine. Glucose (6%) or glucose plus fructose (8%–10%) beverages are recommended in order to increase CHO intake while avoiding the gastric emptying delay. Training the gut with high intake of CHO may increase absorption capacity and probably prevent GI distress. CHO mouth rinse may be a good strategy to enhance performance without using GI tract in exercises lasting less than an hour. Future strategies should be investigated comparing different CHO types, doses, and concentration in exercises with the same characteristics.
Highlights
The effect of exercise on the gastrointestinal (GI) tract depends mainly on the intensity and duration of exercise, while moderate intensity exercises have a protective effect [1], acute strenuous exercises cause gastrointestinal distress [2]
During exercise, blood is shunted from viscera to active tissues [6,7] and splanchnic blood flow is decreased by as much as 80% and gastric emptying (GE) is thought to be negatively affected, especially when hypohydrated [7,8], which can cause gut mucosal ischemia and increases in mucosa permeability [5]
This review aimed to discuss the association of CHO intake and GI complaints during exercise, focusing on the type, amount and dilution of carbohydrate that can prevent these events
Summary
The effect of exercise on the gastrointestinal (GI) tract depends mainly on the intensity and duration of exercise, while moderate intensity exercises have a protective effect [1], acute strenuous exercises cause gastrointestinal distress [2]. Carbohydrate feeding can help to maintain plasma glucose concentration and prevent hypoglycemia; sparing hepatic glycogen, and in some cases delay muscle glycogen depletion [11]. This information can induce athletes to ingest large amounts of CHO and hyperosmolar beverage because a high intake of CHO is correlated with better performance. A number of nutritional manipulations have been proposed to minimize gastrointestinal symptoms, including use of multiple transportable carbohydrates [9] This type of CHO intake increases oxidation rates and can prevent accumulation of carbohydrate in the intestine [13]. This review aimed to discuss the association of CHO intake and GI complaints during exercise, focusing on the type, amount and dilution of carbohydrate that can prevent these events
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