International Society of Sports Nutrition position stand: nutrient timing.

Position Statement: The position of the Society regarding nutrient timing and the intake of carbohydrates, proteins, and fats in reference to healthy, exercising individuals is summarized by the following eight points: 1.) Maximal endogenous glycogen stores are best promoted by following a high-glycemic, high-carbohydrate (CHO) diet (600 - 1000 grams CHO or ~8 - 10 g CHO/kg/d), and ingestion of free amino acids and protein (PRO) alone or in combination with CHO before resistance exercise can maximally stimulate protein synthesis. 2.) During exercise, CHO should be consumed at a rate of 30 - 60 grams of CHO/hour in a 6 - 8% CHO solution (8 - 16 fluid ounces) every 10 - 15 minutes. Adding PRO to create a CHO:PRO ratio of 3 - 4:1 may increase endurance performance and maximally promotes glycogen re-synthesis during acute and subsequent bouts of endurance exercise. 3.) Ingesting CHO alone or in combination with PRO during resistance exercise increases muscle glycogen, offsets muscle damage, and facilitates greater training adaptations after either acute or prolonged periods of supplementation with resistance training. 4.) Post-exercise (within 30 minutes) consumption of CHO at high dosages (8 - 10 g CHO/kg/day) have been shown to stimulate muscle glycogen re-synthesis, while adding PRO (0.2 g - 0.5 g PRO/kg/day) to CHO at a ratio of 3 - 4:1 (CHO: PRO) may further enhance glycogen re-synthesis. 5.) Post-exercise ingestion (immediately to 3 h post) of amino acids, primarily essential amino acids, has been shown to stimulate robust increases in muscle protein synthesis, while the addition of CHO may stimulate even greater levels of protein synthesis. Additionally, pre-exercise consumption of a CHO + PRO supplement may result in peak levels of protein synthesis. 6.) During consistent, prolonged resistance training, post-exercise consumption of varying doses of CHO + PRO supplements in varying dosages have been shown to stimulate improvements in strength and body composition when compared to control or placebo conditions. 7.) The addition of creatine (Cr) (0.1 g Cr/kg/day) to a CHO + PRO supplement may facilitate even greater adaptations to resistance training. 8.) Nutrient timing incorporates the use of methodical planning and eating of whole foods, nutrients extracted from food, and other sources. The timing of the energy intake and the ratio of certain ingested macronutrients are likely the attributes which allow for enhanced recovery and tissue repair following high-volume exercise, augmented muscle protein synthesis, and improved mood states when compared with unplanned or traditional strategies of nutrient intake.

International Society of Sports Nutrition position stand: protein and exercise.

POSITION STATEMENT: The following seven points related to the intake of protein for healthy, exercising individuals constitute the position stand of the Society. They have been approved by the Research Committee of the Society. 1) Vast research supports the contention that individuals engaged in regular exercise training require more dietary protein than sedentary individuals. 2) Protein intakes of 1.4 - 2.0 g/kg/day for physically active individuals is not only safe, but may improve the training adaptations to exercise training. 3) When part of a balanced, nutrient-dense diet, protein intakes at this level are not detrimental to kidney function or bone metabolism in healthy, active persons. 4) While it is possible for physically active individuals to obtain their daily protein requirements through a varied, regular diet, supplemental protein in various forms are a practical way of ensuring adequate and quality protein intake for athletes. 5) Different types and quality of protein can affect amino acid bioavailability following protein supplementation. The superiority of one protein type over another in terms of optimizing recovery and/or training adaptations remains to be convincingly demonstrated. 6) Appropriately timed protein intake is an important component of an overall exercise training program, essential for proper recovery, immune function, and the growth and maintenance of lean body mass. 7) Under certain circumstances, specific amino acid supplements, such as branched-chain amino acids (BCAA's), may improve exercise performance and recovery from exercise.

Vitamin C: research update.

For more than 50 years, the Food and Nutrition Board of the National Academy of Sciences has been reviewing nutrition research and defining nutrient requirements for healthy people, referred to as the Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDA). As new nutrition research is published, the importance of vitamins as vital nutrients is underscored, and new physiologic roles and applications to human health are examined and considered with regard to updating the RDA. Each year a substantial amount of new research is published on vitamins. This review examines recent research published on the importance of vitamin C with regard to general health.

Effects of a water-soluble cinnamon extract on body composition and features of the metabolic syndrome in pre-diabetic men and women.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of supplementation with a water-soluble cinnamon extract (Cinnulin PF(R)) on body composition and features of the metabolic syndrome. METHODS: Twenty-two subjects with prediabetes and the metabolic syndrome (mean +/- SD: age, BMI, systolic blood pressure [SBP], fasting blood glucose [FBG]: 46.0 +/- 9.7 y; 33.2 +/- 9.3 kg/m2; 133 +/- 17 mm Hg; 114.3 +/- 11.6 mg/dL) were randomly assigned to supplement their diet with either Cinnulin PF(R) (500 mg/d) or a placebo for 12-weeks. Main outcome measures were changes in FBG, SBP, and body composition measured after 12-weeks of supplementation. The primary statistical analyses consisted of two factor (group x time), repeated-measures ANOVA for between group differences over time. In all analyses, an intent-to-treat approach was used and significance was accepted at P < 0.05. RESULTS: Subjects in the Cinnulin PF(R) group had significant decreases in FBG (-8.4%: 116.3 +/- 12.8 mg/dL [pre] to 106.5 +/- 20.1 mg/dL [post], p < 0.01), SBP (-3.8%: 133 +/- 14 mm Hg [pre] to 128 +/- 18 mm Hg [post], p < 0.001), and increases in lean mass (+1.1%: 53.7 +/- 11.8 kg [pre] to 54.3 +/- 11.8 kg [post], p < 0.002) compared with the placebo group. Additionally, within-group analyses uncovered small, but statistically significant decreases in body fat (-0.7%: 37.9 +/- 9.2% [pre] to 37.2 +/- 8.9% [post], p < 0.02) in the Cinnulin PF(R) group. No significant changes in clinical blood chemistries were observed between groups over time. CONCLUSION: These data support the efficacy of Cinnulin PF(R) supplementation on reducing FBG and SBP, and improving body composition in men and women with the metabolic syndrome and suggest that this naturally-occurring spice can reduce risk factors associated with diabetes and cardiovascular diseases.

Comparison of electromyographic (EMG) activity of selected forearm muscles during low grade resistance therapeutic exercises in individuals diagnosed with lateral epicondylitis.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: This was a descriptive and exploratory study of electromyographic (EMG) activity of wrist extensor musculature specific to the extensor digitorum (ED), extensor carpi radialis brevis (ECRB) and flexor carpi radialis (FCR) in individuals with a medical diagnosis of the common work associated complaint of lateral epicondylitis (LE). The purpose was to evaluate and compare the EMG activity of the selected forearm muscles during three different types of resistive (strengthening) therapeutic exercises (rubber ball, theraputty, and "make-it-disappear" (MID) sponge) in participants with LE. PARTICIPANTS: Five individuals between the ages of 44 and 55 years of age diagnosed with lateral epicondylitis by a physician were recruited on a voluntary basis from a local outpatient clinic. METHODS: The participants completed 1 min. of each of the resistive exercises, which were assigned randomly. Muscle activity was collected simultaneously by 3 surface electrodes (4/18/16 DE-2.3 silver surface EMG electrodes, Delsys Inc, Boston, MA) and recorded on an EMG Myomonitor-4 (Delsys Inc, Boston, MA) utilizing EmgCE software (Delsys Inc, Boston, MA). The raw EMG signal was converted to a root mean square (RMS) at each 0.0625 second interval during the full 60 second recording using EMGWorks, (Delsys, Inc, Boston, MA). The data were pooled, and the mean RMS was then determined as an overall measure of activity for each muscle during the 60 recording. RESULTS: A 1-way ANOVA with Tukey's post-test was completed using Prizm Software (Graph Pad Software, Inc, San Diego, CA) for a comparison of the mean RMS values of each muscle during each activity. Statistically significant between group differences were noted for all muscles, among all exercises. Relative activity was noted to be greatest for ED and FCR during MID exercise, and for ECRB during putty exercise. CONCLUSION: All three exercises represent different patterns of muscle activity, for the muscles observed. The possible differences in the recorded activity may be consequent to the specific positioning and movement requirements involved in the performance of the distinct exercises. Practitioners may find the evidence of this study helpful in designing rehabilitation programs for those affected with lateral epicondylitis.