CARBOHYDRATE INTAKE AND MARKERS OF OVERTRAINING

Abstract

885 Current research indicates that insufficient carbohydrate (CHO) intake may be linked to the etiology of the overtraining syndrome. Furthermore, endurance runners are susceptible to CHO debt due to the high volume of training which they perform at intensities where CHO is the primary energy source. The aim of this study was to elucidate the relationship between CHO intake and overtraining markers. Nine male, cross-country athletes (20.9±3.1 yrs;66.7±5.4kg) were split into supplement (N=4) and placebo (N=5) groups. Blood was drawn at the beginning (B) middle (M) and end (E) of the season with dietary logs being kept during weeks B,M and E. Training logs were recorded weekly. Case II t-Test analysis (N=8;df=6;α=.05) of M data revealed no significant differences between groups for the overtraining markers. Analysis (N=7;df=5;α=.05) found total grams of CHO (p=.010) and total calories (p=.010) to be significantly higher in the supplement group. Grams of CHO per kg (p=.074), % of caloric intake from CHO (df=5;p=.567) and calories per kg (df=5;p=.108) were not significantly different between groups. Correlational analysis revealed the following: (Table)TableEarly findings suggest that CHO supplementation may not result in a significant difference in relative amounts of CHO and calories ingested. However, markers of overtraining appear to be inversely related to CHO and caloric intake. Partially Supported by Gatorade Sports Science Institute