Abstract
Carbohydrate (CHO) ingestion is an established strategy to improve endurance performance. Race fuels should not only sustain performance but also be readily digested and absorbed. Potatoes are a whole-food-based option that fulfills these criteria, yet their impact on performance remains unexamined. We investigated the effects of potato purée ingestion during prolonged cycling on subsequent performance vs. commercial CHO gel or a water-only condition. Twelve cyclists (70.7 ± 7.7 kg, 173 ± 8 cm, 31 ± 9 yr, 22 ± 5.1% body fat; means ± SD) with average peak oxygen consumption (V̇o2peak) of 60.7 ± 9.0 mL·kg−1·min−1 performed a 2-h cycling challenge (60–85% V̇o2peak) followed by a time trial (TT; 6 kJ/kg body mass) while consuming potato, gel, or water in a randomized-crossover design. The race fuels were administered with [U-13C6]glucose for an indirect estimate of gastric emptying rate. Blood samples were collected throughout the trials. Blood glucose concentrations were higher (P < 0.001) in potato and gel conditions compared with water condition. Blood lactate concentrations were higher (P = 0.001) after the TT completion in both CHO conditions compared with water condition. TT performance was improved (P = 0.032) in both potato (33.0 ± 4.5 min) and gel (33.0 ± 4.2 min) conditions compared with water condition (39.5 ± 7.9 min). Moreover, no difference was observed in TT performance between CHO conditions (P = 1.00). In conclusion, potato and gel ingestion equally sustained blood glucose concentrations and TT performance. Our results support the effective use of potatoes to support race performance for trained cyclists.NEW & NOTEWORTHY The ingestion of concentrated carbohydrate gels during prolonged exercise has been shown to promote carbohydrate availability and improve exercise performance. Our study aim was to expand and diversify race fueling menus for athletes by providing an evidence-based whole-food alternative to the routine ingestion of gels during training and competition. Our work shows that russet potato ingestion during prolonged cycling is as effective as carbohydrate gels to support exercise performance in trained athletes.
Highlights
Carbohydrate (CHO) ingestion during prolonged endurance exercise (Ͼ2 h) is a proven dietary strategy to sustain exercise performance [31]
During the time trial (TT), CHO ingestion, irrespective of condition, resulted in a higher percentages of peak heart rate obtained compared with water condition (P Ͻ 0.01)
We have demonstrated that potato ingestion during exercise exhibits similar performance improvements over water compared with the ingestion of gels during prolonged cycling in trained athletes
Summary
Carbohydrate (CHO) ingestion during prolonged endurance exercise (Ͼ2 h) is a proven dietary strategy to sustain exercise performance [31]. The factors that contribute to the increased exercise performance with CHO ingestion include maintenance of blood glucose concentrations, high exogenous CHO oxidation rates during the late stages of a race, and attenuation in the decline of liver glycogen during prolonged exercise [18]. Optimal race feeding is somewhat personalized, and race fuel selection will depend on a variety of factors, including taste, cost, and the risk of gastrointestinal (GI) distress. The latter is pertinent, since the prevalence of exercise-induced GI distress has been reported by 30 –70% of endurance athletes [6, 12], and this GI distress may negatively impact their performance [12]. The gut has been increasingly recognized as an athletic organ [25]; the most appropriate race fuel should facilitate gastric emptying and intestinal absorption and deliver targeted amounts of exogenous CHO without exacerbating GI symptoms (e.g., cramping, bloating, vomiting, etc.) during competition [23]
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