Topic 3: Sports Nutrition By: Marisa Schoepflin and Shawn Hanlon

Sports Nutrition We chose to interview someone on this topic because: Shawn is an athletic training student Treat athletes on a daily basis Marisa is a Rowan athlete Want to know how to stay healthy while playing field hockey

Who we Interviewed Dr. Gregory Biren Has a PhD Professor at Rowan Exercise physiology Nutrition for fitness Basic Nutrition Kinesiology Certified exercise specialist Certified strength and conditioning specialist

Are there any major differences between nutrition for athletes versus nutrition recommendations for people who do not participate in excess physical activity?

Sports nutrition focuses more on fueling the body for physical activity and replenishing what is lost during practice or games Nutrition programs are different for everyone depending on their sport Assess how long the person is actually exercising Look at what energy system they are relying on ATP-PC system (High intensity, short duration- sprinters) Glycolytic system Uses carbs to created ATP and will fuel the body after the ATP-PC system is expended (long duration activity) Uses carbs to created ATP and will fuel the body after the ATP-PC system is expended (long duration activity) Aerobic system Primary energy source along with glycolysis is sports like field hockey and soccer If you know these two things, you can target what nutrients are going to be the most essential for that athlete

How many calories should an athlete take in on average?

Females: calories a day Males: calories a day This depends on body composition and how many calories they are expending throughout a day

Is there a difference in importance of certain nutrients over others in sports nutrition?

All nutrients are important for athletes and sedentary people Athletes diet should consist of: (can be altered depending on activity) 55% carbohydrates 25% fat 20% protein Consuming carbohydrates after a workout increases protein synthesis by 40% compared to if you only consume protein

I’ve heard of carbohydrate loading, how do you do it and who does it benefit the most?

Very popular diet technique (usually marathon runners) to maximize muscle and liver glycogen stores 5 day process with day 6 being the competition Days 1-3 the goal is to almost completely deplete your glycogen stores by performing high intensity exercise and consuming 40-50% carbohydrates Day 4-5 carbohydrates are reintroduced at a higher amount (60-70%) with low intensity exercise or none at all This causes the body to absorb more glycogen than the body’s normal capacity Day 6 eat normal pre-event meal

How important are antioxidants in sports nutrition?

Exercise is an oxidant It produces free radicals in the body It is important if you want to perform at your maximal level to consume adequate fruits and vegetables in a variety of colors to assure you are getting all the different antioxidants

What should athletes focus on for pre-event meal, during, and after and is time a factor?

Pre-event meal can be up to 4 hours prior Focus on carbohydrates and proteins more than fat 4:1 ratio carbohydrates to proteins One hour before take in about.25 g/lb of carbohydrates or a sports drink During the last hour before competition just water or sports drink During competition, the main focus is to replenish your blood glucose so sports drinks during competition to prevent hypoglycemia and dehydration After competition.4 g/lb of carbs each hour for the next 4 hours and.3 g/lb of protein within the next 4 hours

More information Contact Dr. Biren at