Exercise Training and High Carbohydrate Diet

Abstract

Proper nutrition is critical for optimal physical performance. Carbohydrate is the most important nutrient in an athletes diet because it is the only fuel that can power intense exercise over prolonged periods, yet its stores within the body are relatively small (Coyle, 1991). However, the systematic use of large amounts of carbohydrate provokes hyperglycamia and creates the conditions for the development of non-enzymatic glycation of proteins. Over the last few years a relationship between hyperglycamia and an increase in content of glycated proteins of tissues leading to the development of diabetes and the acceleration of aging has been discovered (Brownlee et al., 1984; VanBoekal, 1991; Brownlee, 1994). A high content of blood glycated proteins in athletes practisicing winter and summer sports is to be found (Rogozkin et al., 1991). This is comparable to data obtained from those who suffer from diabetes and therefore, shows some disturbance of the regulation of carbohydrate metabolism in this group of athletes. Subsequent experiments using animal models showed that with an abundant administration of carbohydrate food together with aerobic exercise created a higher concentration of glucose which is not only used as a source of energy, but can also lead to the modification of many proteins in the reaction of non-enzymatic glycation (Karpus,1993; Karpus et al., 1993, 1994; Rogozkin et al., 1993). This encouraged us to the search for the substance which competed with glucose for binding to protein amino groups. In the present paper we investigated the content of glycated proteins in blood under standard conditions and with different kinds of physical exercise, as well as with various concentrations of carbohydrates and vitamin C and B6 in normal diets.