supplementation and effects on performance

A vitamina D parece desempenhar papel importante na função muscular. A literatura aponta que níveis baixos dessa vitamina em atletas podem levar a maior risco de fratura por estresse, além de prejudicar a função e recuperação musculares. Esse trabalho objetiva identificar as implicações da deficiência de vitamina D no esporte, bem como analisar os efeitos da suplementação sobre níveis sanguíneos e performance atlética. Nesta revisão narrativa da literatura, uma busca por artigos científicos foi realizada nas bases de dados Pubmed e Biblioteca Virtual em Saúde (BVS). O papel da vitamina D está relacionado com saúde óssea, ação imunomoduladora, atuando sobre a imunidade inata e adquirida, inflamação, além de atuar em ações de vias moleculares nos músculos. Estudos mostram altas taxas de insuficiência e deficiência de vitamina D em atletas de diversas modalidades esportivas. Os níveis reduzidos dessa vitamina são observados principalmente em atletas que praticam modalidades esportivas do tipo indoor. Além disso, insuficiência e deficiência costumam ser mais frequentes nos meses de inverno. Apesar das taxas elevadas, a deficiência de vitamina D parece não impactar significativamente o desempenho de atletas. Estudos clínicos com diversos protocolos de suplementação de vitamina D em atletas apontam melhora considerável do estado nutricional dessa vitamina, porém ao analisar parâmetros de performance, essa melhora não é observada de forma significativa. Não há evidência de que a suplementação pode melhorar o desempenho em atletas. Logo, a vitamina D não deve ser recomendada como recurso ergogênico, mas para correção de deficiências e melhora da saúde geral dos atletas.Vitamin D seems to play an important role in muscle function. The literature points out that low levels of this vitamin in athletes can lead to a higher risk of stress fracture, in addition to impairing muscle function and recovery. This work aims to identify the implications of vitamin D deficiency in sport and to analyze the effects of supplementation on blood levels and athletic performance. In this narrative review of the literature, a search for scientific articles was carried out in Pubmed and Virtual Health Library (VHL) databases. The role of vitamin D is related to bone health, immunomodulatory action, acting on immunity, inflammation, in addition to acting on molecular pathway actions in muscles. Studies show high rates of vitamin D insufficiency and deficiency in athletes from different sports. The reduced levels of this vitamin are observed mainly in athletes who practice indoor sports. In addition, insufficiency and deficiency are more frequent in the winter months. Despite the high rates, vitamin D deficiency does not appear to significantly impact the performance of athletes. Clinical studies with several vitamin D supplementation protocols in athletes point to a considerable improvement in the nutritional status of this vitamin, however, when analyzing performance parameters, this improvement is not significantly observed. There is no evidence that supplementation can improve performance in athletes. Therefore, vitamin D should not be recommended as an ergogenic aid, but to correct deficiencies and improve the general health of athletes

Is individualization of sodium bicarbonate ingestion based on time to peak necessary?

Purpose: To describe the reliability of blood bicarbonate pharmacokinetics in response to sodium bicarbonate (SB) supplementation across multiple occasions and assess, using putative thresholds, whether individual variation indicated a need for individualised ingestion timings. Methods: Thirteen men (age 27±5 y; body mass (BM) 77.4±10.5 kg; height 1.75±0.06 m) ingested 0.3 g·kg-1BM SB in gelatine capsules on 3 occasions. One hour after a standardised meal, venous blood was obtained before and every 10 min following ingestion for 3 h, then every 20 min for a further hour. Time-to-peak (Tmax), absolute-peak (Cmax), absolute-peak-change (ΔCmax) and area under the curve (AUC) were analysed using mixed models, intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC), coefficient of variation (CV) and typical error. Individual variation in pharmacokinetic responses was assessed using Bayesian simulation with multilevel models with random intercepts. Results: No significant differences between sessions were shown for blood bicarbonate regarding Cmax, ΔCmax or AUC (p>0.05), although Tmax occurred earlier in SB2 (127±36 min) than in SB1 (169±54 min, p=0.0088) and SB3 (159±42 min, p=0.05). ICC, CV and typical error showed moderate to poor reliability. Bayesian modelling estimated that >80% of individuals from the population experience elevated blood bicarbonate levels above + 5 mmol∙L-1 between 75-240 min after ingestion, and between 90-225 min above +6 mmol∙L-1. Conclusion: Assessing SB supplementation using discrete values showed only moderate reliability at the group level, and poor reliability at the individual level, while Tmax was not reproducible. However, when analysed as modelled curves, a 0.3 g·kg-1BM dose was shown to create a long-lasting window of ergogenic potential, challenging the notion that SB ingestion individualised to time-to-peak is a necessary strategy, at least when SB is ingested in capsules

Weight loss in combat sports: physiological, psychological and performance effects

Abstract\ud \ud \ud \ud Background\ud \ud The present article briefly reviews the weight loss processes in combat sports. We aimed to discuss the most relevant aspects of rapid weight loss (RWL) in combat sports.\ud \ud \ud \ud Methods\ud \ud This review was performed in the databases MedLine, Lilacs, PubMed and SciELO, and organized into sub-topics: (1) prevalence, magnitude and procedures, (2) psychological, physiological and performance effects, (3) possible strategies to avoid decreased performance (4) organizational strategies to avoid such practices.\ud \ud \ud \ud Results\ud \ud There was a high prevalence (50%) of RWL, regardless the specific combat discipline. Methods used are harmful to performance and health, such as laxatives, diuretics, use of plastic or rubber suits, and sauna. RWL affects physical and cognitive capacities, and may increase the risk of death.\ud \ud \ud \ud Conclusion\ud \ud Recommendations during different training phases, educational and organizational approaches are presented to deal with or to avoid RWL.The authors would like to thank FAPESP for supporting the studies on rapid weight loss (grant # 2006/51293-4)

Genetics and sport performance: current challenges and directions to the future

In recent years there has been a great progress in molecular biology techniques, which has facilitated the researches on influence of genetics on human performance. There are specific regions of DNA that can vary between individuals. Such variations (i.e., polymorphisms) may, in part, explain why some individuals have differentiated responses to certain stimuli, including the responses to sports training. In a particular sport, the presence of specific polymorphisms may contribute to high levels of performance. Since 1998, several polymorphisms have been associated with athletic phenotypes; however the accumulation of information generated over these 15 years shows that the influence of genetics to sport is extremely complex. In this review, we will summarise the current status of the field, discussing the implications of available knowledge for the practice of professionals involved with the sport and suggesting future directions for research. We also discuss topics related to the importance of polygenic profile characterization of athletes, methods for the identification of new polymorphisms associated with physical performance, the use of genetic testing for predicting competitive success, and how crucial is the genetic profile for the success athletes in competition.In recent years there has been a great progress in molecular biology techniques, which has facilitated the researches on influence of genetics on human performance. There are specific regions of DNA that can vary between individuals. Such variations (i.e., polymorphisms) may, in part, explain why some individuals have differentiated responses to certain stimuli, including the responses to sports training. In a particular sport, the presence of specific polymorphisms may contribute to high levels of performance. Since 1998, several polymorphisms have been associated with athletic phenotypes; however the accumulation of information generated over these 15 years shows that the influence of genetics to sport is extremely complex. In this review, we will summarise the current status of the field, discussing the implications of available knowledge for the practice of professionals involved with the sport and suggesting future directions for research. We also discuss topics related to the importance of polygenic profile characterization of athletes, methods for the identification of new polymorphisms associated with physical performance, the use of genetic testing for predicting competitive success, and how crucial is the genetic profile for the success athletes in competition

The ergogenic effect of beta-alanine combined with sodium bicarbonate on high-intensity swimming performance

We investigated the effect of beta-alanine (BA) alone (study A) and in combination with sodium bicarbonate (SB) (study B) on 100- and 200-m swimming performance. In study A, 16 swimmers were assigned to receive either BA (3.2 g·day−1 for 1 week and 6.4 g·day−1 for 4 weeks) or placebo (PL; dextrose). At baseline and after 5 weeks of supplementation, 100- and 200-m races were completed. In study B, 14 were assigned to receive either BA (3.2 g·day−1 for 1 week and 6.4 g·day−1 for 3 weeks) or PL. Time trials were performed once before and twice after supplementation (with PL and SB), in a crossover fashion, providing 4 conditions: PL-PL, PL-SB, BA-PL, and BA-SB. In study A, BA supplementation improved 100- and 200-m time-trial performance by 2.1% (p = 0.029) and 2.0% (p = 0.0008), respectively. In study B, 200-m time-trial performance improved in all conditions, compared with presupplementation, except the PL-PL condition (PL-SB, +2.3%; BA-PL, +1.5%; BA-SB, +2.13% (p < 0.05)). BA-SB was not different from BA-PL (p = 0.21), but the probability of a positive effect was 78.5%. In the 100-m time-trial, only a within-group effect for SB was observed in the PL-SB (p = 0.022) and BA-SB (p = 0.051) conditions. However, 6 of 7 athletes swam faster after BA supplementation. The probability of BA having a positive effect was 65.2%; when SB was added to BA, the probability was 71.8%. BA and SB supplementation improved 100- and 200-m swimming performance. The coingestion of BA and SB induced a further nonsignificant improvement in performance

Metabolismo de carnosina, suplementação de β-alanina e desempenho físico: uma atualização – PARTE II

Diversos são os fatores que podem levar à fadiga muscular durante os exercícios de alta intensidade e curta duração. Dentre eles, o acúmulo de íons H+, levando a uma queda do pH intramuscular, é apontado como uma das principais causas da fadiga durante este tipo de exercício. Sendo assim, as defesas tamponantes intramusculares representam a primeira linha de defesa contra o acúmulo destes íons. Estratégias nutricionais visando otimizar a ação de tais defesas tem recebido especial atenção no campo da nutrição esportiva. Nesse sentido, a suplementação de beta-alanina é a que mais tem se destacado em anos recentes. A suplementação com este aminoácido não essencial e não proteogênico induz um aumento das concentrações musculares de carnosina. A carnosina, por sua vez, é um dipeptídeo citoplasmático cuja função mais bem atribuída é a de tamponante. Com isso, diversos estudos têm se dedicado a investigar o potencial ergogênico da suplementação de beta-alanina sobre o desempenho em exercícios de alta intensidade. De fato, a eficácia ergogênica da beta-alanina tem sido investigada em diferentes populações (indivíduos sedentários, fisicamente ativos, idosos, atletas) e em diferentes protocolos de exercício (incrementais, anaeróbios contínuos, anaeróbios intermitentes, esporte-específico). Além disso, sua combinação com o treinamento físico e com outras estratégias consideradas ergogênicas também tem recebido especial foco de investigação. Em virtude do intenso e crescente interesse na suplementação de beta-alanina, esta revisão tem por objetivo descrever narrativamente tais estudos, ressaltando a implicação dos resultados encontrados para o campo da nutrição esportiva e fisiologia do exercício. ABSTRACTCarnosine metabolism, β-alanine supplementation and performance: an update - Part IIThere are several factors that can lead to muscle fatigue during high-intensity exercise. Among them, the accumulation of H+ ions, leading to a decrease in intramuscular pH, is considered a major cause of fatigue during this type of exercise. Thus, intramuscular buffering represents the first line of defense against the accumulation of these ions. Nutritional strategies aiming to optimize the action of such defenses have received considerable attention in the field of sports nutrition in recent times, with beta-alanine a particular focus in the last years. Supplementation with this non-essential, non-proteogenic amino acid induces an increase in muscle carnosine concentration. Carnosine is a cytoplasmic dipeptide whose most attributable function is acting as a buffer. Therefore, many studies have been devoted to investigate the effects of beta-alanine supplementation on high-intensity exercise performance and capacity; the ergogenic efficacy of beta-alanine has been investigated in different populations (sedentary, physically active, athletes and elderly) and in different exercise protocols (incremental, continuous anaerobic, intermittent anaerobic, sport-specific). Furthermore it is combination with physical training and other nutritional strategies to improve exercise has also received special focus of research. In light of the intense and growing interest in beta-alanine supplementation, this review aims to narratively describe such studies, emphasizing the implication of the findings for the areas of sports nutrition and exercise physiology

Optimization of fast and simple real-time PCR-based method for genotyping the angiotensin converting enzyme-I I/D polymorphism

The insertion or deletion of 288 bp in intron 16 of the gene encoding for angiotensin converting enzyme-I (ACE) was the first genetic variant associated with physical performance and one of the most studied in the past 15 years. Carries of the deletion in one of its alleles may have higher enzyme activity, which may result in a greater vasoconstrictor response. These individuals may also better respond to strength and power training, as carriers of the insertion may have a greater propensity to respond better to the endurance training. Traditionally, to determine an individual genotype (I/I, I/D or D/D) the conventional PCR is the method used. This method involves the PCR reaction and then gel electrophoresis for the visualization of DNA bands indicating the genotype. For use this methodology on a large scale, as seen in association studies, such as those used to evaluate the influence of genetics in sport, this double process of conventional PCR is not time-effective. This paper aims to present an optimized, fast and efficient method for the genotyping of this polymorphism by real-time PCR, using genomic DNA samples collected from buccal cells. The method discussed in the text was originally proposed in 2001, but its original configuration has limitations in its methodology and uses much of the reagent. Thus, protocol variables such as primer concentration, reaction volume and the resolution of dissociation curve which indicates the genotypes were adjusted. After this adjustments the protocol remained effective with a reduced cost, suitable for use in large-scale studies involving genetic and sport.A inserção ou deleção de 288 pb no íntron 16 do gene que codifica a enzima conversora de angiotensina (ECA) foi a primeira variante genética associada com o desempenho físico e uma das mais estudadas nos últimos 15 anos. Carreadores da deleção em pelo menos um dos alelos, podem apresentar maior atividade enzimática, resultando em uma maior resposta vasoconstritora. Estes indivíduos podem também possuir uma melhor resposta ao treinamento de força e potência, assim como carreadores da inserção podem possuir uma melhor predisposição ao treinamento de endurance. Tradicionalmente, para determinar o genótipo do indivíduo (I/I, I/D ou D/D), o método utilizado é o PCR convencional. Este método envolve dois estágios; primeiramente a reação da PCR é realizada e depois o gel de agarose contendo o produto da PCR é submetido à eletroforese tornando possível visualizar por luz UV as bandas de DNA indicando o genótipo. Para o uso desta metodologia em larga escala, como no caso de estudos de associação, utilizados para avaliar a influência da genética no esporte, este duplo processo consumo muito tempo. Este artigo tem como objetivo apresentar um protocolo rápido e eficiente para a genotipagem deste polimorfismo por meio da PCR em tempo real, utilizando DNA genômico coletado de células bucais. O protocolo discutido no texto foi inicialmente proposto em 2001, contudo a sua configuração original apresenta limitações e utiliza uma quantidade grande de material. Variáveis do protocolo, tais como: concentração do primer, volume de reação e resolução da curva de dissociação que indica o genótipo foram ajustadas. Após este ajustamento, o protocolo permaneceu efetivo com uma quantidade reduzida de custo, adequado para o uso em estudos em larga-escala envolvendo genética e esporte

Metabolismo de carnosina, suplementação de β-alanina e desempenho físico: uma atualização – PARTE I

Os papéis fisiológicos da carnosina tem despertado interesse recente, apesar de já ser uma substância estudada há anos. É formada através de aminoácidos (β-alanil e L-histidina) e juntamente com seus análogos metilados (anserina e ofidina- balenina) fazem parte da classe dos dipeptídeos contendo histidina (HCDs, do inglês Histidine-Containing Dipeptides), os quais são abundantemente encontrados em uma ampla gama de animais terrestres e aquáticos. Maiores concentrações estão no musculo esquelético e bulbo olfatório, estando em menor quantidade em regiões do sistema nervoso central, fluido cerebroespinhal, rins e baço. Dentre os papéis fisiológicos atribuídos a ela estão: função tamponante especialmente nas fibras tipo II; ação antioxidante e melhora da liberação do cálcio do retículo sarcoplasmático, e na sensibilidade do aparato contrátil ao cálcio. A suplementação de β-alanina é a forma mais eficiente de aumentar a carnosina muscular, e vem recebendo demasiado destaque na área de nutrição esportiva em anos recentes. Esta estratégia nutricional apresenta um efeito “dose-resposta†com a ingestão aguda, além da parestesia como efeito colateral. Até hoje permanece incerto o tempo exato de washout da carnosina no músculo esquelético após a interrupção da suplementação de β-alanina. Estudos futuros devem ser realizados para avaliar outros possíveis mecanismos de ação da carnosina, e confirmar os já existentes. ABSTRACTCarnosine metabolism, β-alanine supplementation and performance: an update - Part IThe physiological role of carnosine has attracted recent interest, even though it is a substance studied for years. It is formed by amino acids (β-alanyl and L-histidine) and together with their methylated analogues (anserine and balenine) are part of the class of histidine-containing dipeptides (HCDs, English Histidine-containing dipeptides), which are abundantly found in a wide range of terrestrial and aquatic animals. Higher concentrations are in the olfactory bulb and skeletal muscle being a lesser extent in regions of the central nervous system, cerebrospinal fluid, kidney and spleen. The physiological roles attributed to it are: buffering function especially in type II fibers; antioxidant and improves the release of calcium from the sarcoplasmic reticulum, and the sensitivity of the contractile apparatus to calcium. Supplementation of β-alanine is the most efficient way to increase muscle carnosine, and has been receiving substantial highlight in the sports nutrition area in recent years. This nutritional strategy presents a "dose -response" effect from acute ingestion, as well as paresthesia as a side effect. Until these days the exactly washout period of carnosine in the skeletal muscle remains uncertain after β-alanine supplementation interruption. Future studies should be conducted to evaluate other possible mechanisms of action of carnosine and confirm existing ones

Individual participant data meta-analysis provides no evidence of individual response variation in individuals supplementing with beta-alanine.

Currently, little is known about the extent of inter-individual variability in response to beta-alanine (BA) supplementation, nor what proportion of said variability can be attributed to external factors, or to the intervention itself (intervention response). To investigate this, individual participant data on the effect of BA supplementation on a high intensity cycling capacity test (CCT110%) were meta-analysed. Changes in time to exhaustion (TTE) and muscle carnosine (MCarn) were the primary and secondary outcomes. Multi-level distributional Bayesian models were used to estimate the mean and standard deviation of BA and placebo (PLA) group change scores. The relative sizes of group standard deviations were used to infer whether observed variation in change scores were due to intervention or non-intervention related effects. Six eligible studies were identified, and individual data were obtained from four of these. Analyses showed a group effect of BA supplementation on TTE (7.7[95%CrI:1.3 to 14.3 s]) and MCarn (18.1[95%CrI:14.5 to 21.9 mmol·kgDM-1]). A large intervention response variation was identified for MCarn (σ_IR= 5.8 [95%CrI: 4.2 to 7.4 mmol·kgDM-1]); however, equivalent change score standard deviations were shown for PLA (16.1[95%CrI:13.0 to 21.3 s]) and BA (15.9[95%CrI:13.0 to 20.0 s] conditions, with the probability that standard deviation was greater in PLA being 0.64. In conclusion, the similarity in observed change score standard deviations between groups for TTE indicates the source of variation is common and therefore unrelated to BA supplementation, likely originating instead from external factors, which may include, for example, nutritional intake, sleep patterns or training status

Effect of age, diet and tissue type on PCr response to creatine supplementation

Creatine/phosphorylcreatine (PCr) responses to creatine supplementation may be modulated by age, diet, and tissue, but studies assessing this possibility are lacking. Therefore we aimed to determine whether PCr responses vary as a function of age, diet, and tissue. Fifteen children, 17 omnivorous and 14 vegetarian adults, and 18 elderly individuals (“elderly”) participated in this study. Participants were given placebo and subsequently creatine (0.3 g·kg−1·day−1) for 7 days in a single-blind fashion. PCr was measured through phosphorus magnetic resonance spectroscopy (31P-MRS) in muscle and brain. Creatine supplementation increased muscle PCr in children (P < 0.0003) and elderly (P < 0.001), whereas the increase in omnivores did not reach statistically significant difference (P = 0.3348). Elderly had greater PCr increases than children and omnivores (P < 0.0001 for both), whereas children experienced greater PCr increases than omnivores (P = 0.0022). In relation to diet, vegetarians (P < 0.0001), but not omnivores, had significant increases in muscle PCr content. Brain PCr content was not affected by creatine supplementation in any group, and delta changes in brain PCr (−0.7 to +3.9%) were inferior to those in muscle PCr content (+10.3 to +27.6%; P < 0.0001 for all comparisons). PCr responses to a standardized creatine protocol (0.3 g·kg−1·day−1 for 7 days) may be affected by age, diet, and tissue. Whereas creatine supplementation was able to increase muscle PCr in all groups, although to different extents, brain PCr was shown to be unresponsive overall. These findings demonstrate the need to tailor creatine protocols to optimize creatine/PCr accumulation both in muscle and in brain, enabling a better appreciation of the pleiotropic properties of creatine