Is carbohydrate mouth rinsing a novel approach to maintain exercise performance during Ramadan fasting?

About a decade ago, carbohydrate mouth rinsing was shown to enhance endurance exercise performance. This improvement was more pronounced in a fasted compared to a fed state, suggesting that the ergogenic effect of carbohydrate mouth rinse is dependent on endogenous carbohydrate storage. Hence, indirectly highlights the potential use of carbohydrate mouth rinse as a potential strategy to mitigate the adverse effects of exercise during Ramadan fasting. To date, only one study has been carried out to explore the potential benefit of carbohydrate mouth rinse on exercise performance during Ramadan fasting. This single observation showed that a 10-km time trial performance was enhanced when performing mouth rinsing with either a carbohydrate or a placebo solution as compared with not performing mouth rinsing. While one study had acknowledged that the practice of mouth rinsing do have a positive effect on exercise performance during Ramadan fasting, future studies is warranted in order to have a better understanding on the underlying mechanisms associated with carbohydrate mouth rinsing during Ramadan fasting

Influence of sahour meal on exercise performance and physiological responses in welltrained muslim runners during Ramadan

The objective of this study was to examine the influence of sahour meal on exercise performance, and physiological responses to a 10Km Time-Trial [10KTT] at two different times of the day during Ramadan. Three well-trained Muslim runners participated [age, 25 +/- 0.8years; maximal oxygen uptake, 54.87 +/- 3.45 ml.kg-1.min-1; body weight, 52.4 +/- 1.99 kg; height, 162.7 +/- 3.55 cm]. Subjects ran a 10KTT on four occasions: 8.00am [Am], and 5.00pm [Pm], separated by one day rest two weeks before Ramadan [BRam] and during the second week of Ramadan [DRam]. BRam, subjects consumed their usual diet. DRam, subjects consumed a standardized sahour meal containing 5.6 +/- 0.6kcal/kgBW; 2.3 +/- 0.1gCHO/kgBW; 0.6 +/- 0.0g Protein/kgBW; 0.5 +/- 0.0gFat/kgBW. During each 10KTT, the subject ran at 85%VO2max for the first two Km, and then at a self?selected speed then onwards. Blood samples were collected before the run, and at 2, and the end of 10 Km. Time to complete 10KTT were recorded. Urine specific gravity was measured before each run. There was no difference in hydration status for the Am and Pm runs BRam and DRam. Running performance DRamAM, was better compared to the DRamPm. There were also no changes in blood glucose BRam and DRam. Serum Testosterone was highest at the end of 10KTT DRamPm when compared to the DRamAm, and was generally higher than BRam. Serum Cortisol showed no differences between the trials. All runners did not experience dehydration, lack of energy nor drop in performance DRam. The results from this study suggest that when athletes are provided with a balanced sahour meal, during Ramadan, they can maintain their performance

Changes in bone turnover markers and bone mass with reducing levels of jumping exercise regimens in female rats

To date, little is known about the effects of a reduced level of jumping exercise regimens on bone turnover markers and mass. This study investigates the effects of different jumping exercise regimens with varying exercise loads on serum bone turnover markers and bone mass in female rats. A total of 144 female rats aged 12 weeks, were divided into 12 groups as follows: no exercise for 8 [8S] or 32 weeks [32S], or 8 weeks of standard training program [8STP] consisting of 200 jumps per week [200J/w], given at 40 jumps per day [40J/d] for 5 days per week [5d/w] [8STP24E], followed by 24 weeks of exercise at loads of either 10J/d or 20J/d or 40J/d, for either 5d/w, or 3d/w, or 1d/w. Serum osteocalcin, alkaline phosphatase, C-terminal telopeptide of type 1 collagen [1CTP] concentrations, and tibial fat free dry weight were measured. Tibial mass was significantly higher in 8STP than 8S. No changes were evident in serum markers of bone turnover parameters after 8STP. Significant increases in tibial mass were observed in rats that continued to exercise at workloads of 30J/w and above after 8STP. Serum alkaline phosphatase concentrations increase whereas serum 1CTP concentrations decrease in rats given workloads of 40 J/W and above it appears an exercise load of 30 J/W. i.e. 10 j/d for 3 D/W, was the minimum level of continuous exercise load that was required to maintain the 8STP-induced bone gains in addition significant increase in bone mass in young rats following 8STP might not always be reflected changes in serum levels of osteocalcin alkaline phosphatase and ICTP

Subjective perception of sports performance, training, sleep and dietary patterns of Malaysian junior Muslim athletes during Ramadan intermittent fasting

To examine the subjective perception of daily acute fasting on sports performance, training, sleep and dietary patterns of Muslim athletes during the Ramadan month. Seven hundred and thirty-four [411 male and 323 female] Malaysian Junior-level Muslim athletes [mean age 16.3 +/- 2.6 y] participated in the survey which was designed to establish the personal perception of their sport performance, sleep pattern, food and fluid intake during Ramadan fasting. The survey was conducted during and immediately after the month of Ramadan in 2009. Twenty-four percent of the athletes perceived that there was an adverse effect of the Ramadan fast on their sporting performance and 29.3% reported that quality of training during Ramadan was also negatively influenced. Majority [48.2%] of the athletes stated that Ramadan fasting did not affect their normal sleep pattern but 66.6% of them complained of sleepiness during the daytime. Half of the athletes [41.4%] maintained the caloric intake during Ramadan as they normally would with the majority of them [76.2%] reporting that they consumed more fluids during Ramadan. Overall, Malaysian Junior-level Muslim athletes showed diverse views in their perception of changes in their training, sleep and dietary patterns during Ramadan fast. These individual differences probably indicate differences in the athletes' adaptability and coping strategies during fasting and training in Ramadan

Temporal patterns of subjective experiences and self-regulation during Ramadan fasting among elite archers: a qualitative analysis

Some major competitions [e.g. London Olympics, 2012] are scheduled during the Ramadan fasting month. Little attention has been given to explore the archers' performance related subjective experiences with a qualitative method. Therefore, this study addressed individual archers' subjective experiences within the framework of self-regulation during Ramadan. Eleven elite Malaysian Muslim fasting archers volunteered to participate in the study. Grounded theory was the qualitative approach used to examine the subjective experiences of athletes during Ramadan. Interviews were conducted and inductive content analysis was adopted to identify the temporal patterns of self-regulation of subjective experiences across the fasting period. Inductive content analysis identified [a] physical, [b] mental,[c] emotional, [d] behavioral, and [e] spiritual experiences. Overall patterns revealed that experiences associated with physical, emotional, behavioral, and spiritual dimensions dominated in the first phase of fasting, while the mental dimension surfaced increasingly in the latter phase of fasting. The trend showed changes in the patterns of experiences among the major domains across the temporal dimension. Athletes reported increased subjective experiences in mental factors toward the latter half of the fasting period. Practitioners should emphasize on mental aspects of training, as these appear to be salient in archery performance