Sport Nutrition Low Carbohydrate Diet Paper

Low Carbohydrate Diet Assignment The Role of Carbohydrates In the Body Carbohydrates are one of the three macronutrients in the human diet that can be used to provide energy to skeletal muscle, the brain, and other vital organs in the body. During exercise, the two primary sources of fuel that are oxidized in the muscles are fats and carbohydrates. Fat stores, under normal circumstances, will not run out. The available amount of carbohydrates stored in the body though, are always limited. The stored form of carbohydrates is called glycogen. Glycogen is found in muscle tissue and in the liver and is readily used as fuel. What is a Ketogenic Diet? There has been a significantly large increase of literature regarding the use and effect of ketogenic diets for both athletes and non-athletes in the past decade. The term ketogenic is used to describe a diet consisting of little to no carbohydrate intake. Simultaneously, in a ketogenic diet done correctly, fat intake should increase.The ketogenic diet as it was originally designed had very specific guidelines for macronutrient intake: 75%-80% of calories derived from fat sources each day, about 15% from protein, and then less than 5% of calories derived from carbohydrates sources. When done this way, it should only take a few days for all the glucose stored in the body to be used up completely. This means that glucose is no longer available as an energy source and the body must find other sources. There is a vast quantity of fat stored in the human body. This is true even for extremely lean athletes; this is the next readily available substance for energy. Low carbohydrate diets as they are being prescribed for athletes or other active individuals are supposed to function by solely activating fatty acids as an energy source. It is important to note that ketogenic diets were made popular as awareness of their aid in weight loss circulated among athletes who compete in weight specific or aesthetic sports. It became widely recognized as one of the most efficient nutritional plans for losing weight for athletes and non athletes alike. Advantages to Limiting Carbohydrate Consumption In opposition to the common stance that increasing carbohydrates is the best way to fuel the body for exercise or athletic competition, some researchers are suggesting that physical performance can be constrained if carbohydrates serve as the dominant fuel source. There is no hard evidence to support this, but it is worth considering and analyzing the available literature if one is assessing their personal carbohydrate intake. The primary benefit of limiting or completely cutting out carbohydrate consumption is its influence on metabolic reorganization. There is plenty of evidence to support this and it is the most common reason people utilize this type of nutritional plan. “Metabolic reorganization” refers to the body’s formation of ketone bodies from breaking down fatty acids. Ketone bodies are then used in the production of ATP for energy. When the body is functioning in this state, it is referred to as ketosis. Because ketone bodies are derived from breaking down fatty acids from the diet and also adipose tissue, a minimal carbohydrate diet can be effective in supporting weight loss. Without a doubt, greatly lowering carbohydrates in the diet increases fat oxidation. Additionally, there is evidence to support that a ketogenic diet can positively impact brain function and cognitive performance over time. This is related to the fact that there are different brain signaling pathways utilized as the body learns to operate off of depleted glycogen stores. The impact of low carbohydrate diets on brain function is also worth considering as a potential benefit of this type of nutrition plan. Disadvantages to Limiting Carbohydrate Consumption For years, high carbohydrate diets have been recommended and utilized for athletes to maximize their performance and delay fatigue related to glycogen depletion. Glycogen stores in the muscles and liver enable an athlete to maintain their desired pace for a greater length of time and also help to prevent hypoglycemia. Hypoglycemia happens when blood sugar levels drop below normal ranges and can lead to a multitude of injurious conditions. As previously discussed, there is already a limited amount of carbohydrates available for use at all times. Further limitations of available carbohydrate stores can be a hindrance in physical performance for athletes. This is particularly true for athletes that compete in endurance events. In a research study performed to evaluate the effects of a low carbohydrate diet in a group of crossfit athletes, participants reported experiencing side effects such as drowsiness, irritability, and changes in mood during their several week trial of consuming limited carbohydrates. This leads me to believe that limiting carbohydrate intake would not be a very constructive regime for such athletes. It must be mentioned though, that in the abundance of other studies that have evaluated the effect of a low carbohydrate diet on athletic performance, it has been shown to fully support exercise performance in many cases. For example, in a study involving only resistance trained men, a low carbohydrate high fat diet over a 15 day period had zero negative effect on aerobic performance. In fact, for several participants, their running economy improved over the course of the 15 day diet. However, this has not been the case in all studies. Ketogenic diets especially may not support exercise performance in high-intensity, endurance disciplines. This indicates that it might not be a bad strategy for some, but at large, I would not recommend a low carbohydrate diet to any athlete or individual who wishes to be supported in their high-intensity endurance training or competition. Conclusion After thorough consideration of the impact of low carbohydrate diets, the only situation in which I would recommend such a nutritional plan for an athlete would be in the situation in which one must engage in phases of rapid weight loss. This is because a low carbohydrate diet has been shown over and over again to aid in weight loss with minimal effects on performance. Though there have been performance decrements observed in some athletes, these have been minimal and small in magnitude. Additionally, any method used to rapidly lose weight will inevitably include multiple negative side effects including but not limited to loss of lean muscle mass, dehydration, and fatigue. Engaging in a low carbohydrate diet for a short period of time to achieve a desired weight loss is, in my opinion, one of the methods with the least amount of negative impact. Similarly, a low carbohydrate diet might be a useful strategy to aid in permanent weight loss for appearance. I would not necessarily recommend a ketogenic diet over other nutrition plans designed to aid in weight loss though. Lowering carbohydrate intake to achieve a caloric deficit is a suitable route for weight loss. Complete ketogenesis over an extended period of time is not a superior strategy in my opinion however. I would under no circumstance recommend a low carbohydrate diet to an athlete looking to increase muscle mass. I also would not recommend a low carbohydrate diet to an endurance athlete. It is true that it might not necessarily deter performance advancements, but it also will not aid in increasing their performance. Unless the need for weight loss is present, my final opinion is that a diet that decreases carbohydrate intake below RDA levels is completely unnecessary and not a beneficial nutrition plan.