Sports Nutrition for the New Millennium: An Exclusive Report from Las Vegas

By Greg E. Bradley-Popovich, DPT, MSEP, MS, CSCS

© 2002

To appear in Anabolic magazine

Sin City was recently host to the 25^th National Strength & Conditioning Association conference.  A great many topics were explored, discussed, and debated, but of particular interest to this author was the pre-conference symposium entitled Sports Nutrition for the New Millennium.  An entire day devoted to intense and cutting-edge discussions on performance supplements—and yours truly was there to provide NW Spine readers with detailed coverage!

            The symposium featured among it some of the top sports supplement authorities in the country:  Jeff Stout, PhD, Jose Antonio, PhD, EPC, Jeff Volek, PhD, RD, Tim Ziegenfuss, PhD, Richard Kreider, PhD, EPC, and Tom Incledon, MS, RD.  The attendees were astute and accomplished as well, including former IFBB pro and Arnold Schwarzenegger Classic champion Mike Ashley. 

            Unlike many stuffy scientific conferences where speakers would likely be stoned to death for going out on a limb by actually recommending supplements, the relaxed, intimate environment at this symposium was ideal for progressive thinkers.  The supplement experts had little reservation in speculating about the practical applications of ergogenic substances. 

            Dr. Stout welcomed attendees and laid the foundation for the following presenters.  Dr. Stout emphasized that sports nutrition supplements are a training aide and are not a replacement for proper training or sound nutrition.  It has been said that a poor diet with supplementation is still a poor diet.  Laying this foundation may have been an act of self-preservation, given that a fist fight between pro-food and pro-supplement factions threatened to break out among the audience at a similar symposium two years ago!  Regardless of how people perceive the role of supplementation, I can verify that the presenters did indeed eat real food during lunch break, though I am sworn to not divulge the contents. 

            Given the highly qualified speakers, the symposium covered a lot of ground.  The experts discussed and dissected approximately 50 different supplements, not to mention all the information pertaining to dietary manipulation of macronutrients.  I will try my best to deliver a timely summary while doing the symposium justice.  Get ready, ‘cause the bulleted phrases are gonna fly!

            First off, Dr. Volek of the University of Connecticut presented a lecture entitled “Nutritional Needs for Strength Athletes.”  In it, Dr. Volek reminded us to not ignore past research, but he certainly did address the latest developments in the dynamic field of sports nutrition.  Some of the more important points he addressed are concisely provided as follows:

• dietary composition does affect fuel utilization preference (e.g., the more fat you eat, the greater the percent fat utilized for energy).
• vegetarian diets lead to a marked decrease in testosterone compared to an equivalent amount of protein from animal sources.
• muscle glycogen returns to 90% of baseline if carbohydrate is provided immediately following exercise; glycogen can return to normal in one day if carbohydrates are consumed in the amount of 7g/kg bodyweight.
• if you want to consume extra calories to build muscle mass, choose protein or fat sources because they exert endocrinological effects by increasing testosterone and growth hormone.
• just a 2 hour delay in post-workout nutrient consumption may decrease acute training adaptation (i.e., compromise your recovery and growth).
• eating protein is insufficient to grow muscle; a training stimulus is an absolute must.
• if periodizing your training program, you should periodize your nutrition program to meet the changing physiological needs of the various training phases.
• L-carnitine shows promise as a means of reducing muscle damage.
• optimum protein intake is as follows:
  • endurance athletes—1.2-1.4 g/kg bodyweight/day
  • strength athletes—1.7-1.8 g/kg bodyweight/day

            Next up was the soon-to-be “Doctor” Tom Incledon of Human Performance Specialists who presented “Optimum Nutrient Timing: When and What to Eat to Enhance Training Adaptations.”  Readers may recognize Tom as a regular contributor to this magazine.  Tom took about a three-hour lecture and squeezed it into a one-hour slot.  This lively presentation was filled with humorous anecdotes from Tom’s experience as both a strength athlete and advisor to athletes worldwide.  His major points--of which there are many--are presented here:

Anabolism & Muscle Damage

• lifting weights increases protein synthesis even more than insulin; amino acids may increase protein synthesis to an even greater extent (200% increase in anabolism).
• only the essential amino acids (of which there are 10) are required to upregulate protein synthesis.
• the addition of 35g of simple sugars to post-workout essential amino acids may further increase protein synthesis rates by 400%; note this is a very potent anabolic effect from 164 Calories!
• this anabolic concoction is even more anabolic when taken before a workout
• studies addressing outcome measures of such synergistic concoctions have failed to demonstrate increases in strength or lean body mass over 6-10 weeks; the researchers acknowledge that longer studies (up to 20 weeks) are likely required to detect a benefit.
• research on vitamin E is in disagreement regarding its ability to reduce muscle damage associated with exercise; larger doses up to 1200 International Units per day may be required.
• supplemental branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) appear to reduce muscle damage related to endurance exercise, even when plenty of BCAAs are present in the diet.
• beta-hydroxymethylbutyrate (HMB) at a dose of 3g/day is apparently most effective at reducing muscle damage in previously untrained persons.
• after years of getting no respect, L-carnitine at a dose of 3g/day shows new promise as a means of reducing pain and markers of muscle damage.

Pre-workout Supplementation

• pre-exercise carbohydrates with a low glycemic index should be ingested at 1-2 g/kg body weight one hour prior to exercise.
• glutamine attenuates the catabolic hormone cortisol when cortisol levels are very high and is especially beneficial when a diet is low in glutamine.
• phosphatidylserine appears to lower cortisol levels at 800 mg/day, but the safety of this supplement has yet to be fully elucidated over long-term use.
• preliminary research shows acetyl-L-carnitine to increase testosterone in males, and an initial dose of 2 g/day is recommended with this compound, which possesses a good safety profile.

Nutrition During Exercise

• a 5-10% solution containing 15-20 g of carbohydrates consumed during endurance activity has repeatedly been shown to increase endurance.
• athletes are using 2-5 g each  BCAAs and glutamine for the rationale previously outlined; there is no scientific evidence as yet that this is effective, but it makes sense that it would work similarly and would not need to be repeated postworkout..

Post-workout Supplementation

• consume high glycemic index foods or supplements immediately following exercise in the amount of 0.7-1.0g per kg body weight every 2 hours for 4-6 hours.
• if consuming BCAAs before or during exercise, no need for specific supplementation afterwards.
• the ideal time for creatine supplementation is immediately following a workout (5g).

Dr. Richard Kreider of Baylor University delivered a very practical lecture called “Effective Ergogenic/Nutritional Aids to Promote Muscle Gain and Fat Loss.”  Dr. Kreider is one of the most widely published scientists in the field of sports nutrition, and here is a sample of his wisdom, arranged according to his views on product effectiveness:

Apparently Effective Supplements

·        weight gain powders—pack on mass but only 30-50% of the weight gain is muscle, with the remainder as fat; carbohydrate intake for weight loss is very different than for normal training (5-8 g/kg bodyweight/day).

·        creatine—expect to gain 2-5 pounds of lean mass during 4-12 weeks of training; there are now over 500 studies examining the physiological and performance effects of creatine; a forthcoming three-year study on creatine safety by Dr. Kreider fails to show any negative health effects on a number of variables, and creatine actually decreases the incidence of musculoskeletal injury.

·        beta-hydroxy beta-methylbutyrate (HMB)—1.5-3 g per day appears to increase lean mass by 0.5-1 kg, decrease muscle damage and catabolism over 3-6 weeks of training; problem is, this appears to be true only of previously untrained subjects; the cost-to-benefit ratio of HMB is clearly inferior to creatine.

Possibly Effective Supplements

• Branched chain amino acids (BCAAs)—are anticatabolic with respect to effects on protein synthesis, muscle damage, and hormones; BCAAs are particularly useful when training at altitude; research has shown improvements in muscle mass and grip strength in just one month when BCAAs were consumed in the amount of 14 g/day.
• Essential amino acids (EAAs)—consuming 10 to 20 g of EAA both prior to and following exercise is highly anabolic with respect to protein synthesis; research findings indicate that consuming EAA and carbs immediately after strength training allowed significantly enhanced training adaptations as compared to consuming the same formula two hours post-exercise.
• Glutamine—increases cell volume, protein synthesis, and glycogen synthesis; 5 g of glutamine plus 3 g BCAAs in an enriched whey protein supplement has been shown to increase muscle mass by an extra two pounds when compared to whey protein alone.

Too Early to Tell

• Alpha-ketoglutarate—anticatabolic after surgery, but role in improving muscle gain during exercise lacking in data.
• Alpha-ketoisocaproate (KIC)—again, possibly effective in a hospital setting, but evidence in exercising people is lacking.
• Ecdysterones—are actually insect hormones that have little reputable research on effects in animals, and of course there are no data in strength-trained humans.
• Ornithine alpha-ketoglutarate (OKG)—effective in the hospital but not as impressive in the gym; one study shows a modest effect in weight-trained persons in improving strength at a dose of 10 g/day.
• Zinc/magnesium aspartate (ZMA)—one study in football players shows this compound to enhance testosterone and IGF-1 levels and consequently strength; Dr. Kreider believes these findings need additional support

Following Dr. Kreider was the final speaker, Dr. Tim Ziegenfuss, who is affiliated with Kent State University.  This tell-it-like-it-is presentation addressed banned and/or ineffective nutritional ergogenic aids.  Among Dr. Ziegenfuss’ points were the following:

• Many coaches and athletes profess “statistics be damned” because even the slightest improvement in performance--however “insignificant” it may be to a statistician—can mean the difference between winning and losing among elite athletes.
•  Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA)—testosterone precursor shown to not be effective at fat loss or muscle gain in all but one study; no studies have tested DHEA in athletes.
• Testosterone boosters—typical variations of androstenedione or androstenediol, as well as the nor- varieties have been a bust; there are no data to suggest ergogenic effects in athletes or nonathletes; the latest androgen precursors have been modified to enhance sublingual absorption and to decrease chemical breakdown by the liver.
• ZMA—one study shows an ergogenic effect, but this may explained by addressing a prior mineral deficiency.
• Avena sativa—supplement that is thought to increase free testosterone, but which is lacking supportive data
• Ephedrine—over-the-counter status varies by state; at a dose of 1 mg ephedrine/kg bodyweight and 5 mg caffeine/kg body weight, improvements occur in aerobic and anaerobic performance
• Myostatin inhibitors—substances designed to bind the myostatin protein that suppresses muscle growth; an exciting possibility, but be skeptical of such products that are presently being marketed because they have not been independently scientifically evaluated.
• Supplements should be “the icing on the cake”
• First, plan your diet out to meet energy, macronutrient (e.g., protein, carbs, fat, fiber) and micronutrient (e.g., vitamins and minerals) needs; then consider supplementation.
• Of mainstream strategies, post-workout carbohydrate/protein meals or supplements, creatine, and caffeine are reliable ergogenics.

The finale for this sports supplement extravaganza was a question and answer session with all of the panelists.  The supplement experts fielded questions on a variety of topics, with a few of the major issues as follows:

• Ephedrine and herbal equivalents—while not all panel members agreed that ephedrine or its herbal sources is the ideal fat-loss supplement for everyone, the panel seemed to concur that this class of supplements was relatively safe and effective; the speakers pointed out that there are more adverse event reports (which has created the majority of bad press for ephedrine et al.) associated with vitamin E than with ephedrine-containing supplements.
• Chocolate milk—perhaps to the surprise of many attendees, on more than one occasion chocolate milk was promoted as a great post-weighttraining beverage, especially if in a pinch.  Hey, it’s got casein and whey proteins to slow protein degradation and to boost protein anabolism, respectively.  Plus, it has simple carbs to replenish glycogen stores.
• Glycemic index (GI)—indeed, the distinction of carbohydrates based on molecular structure (e.g., simple vs. complex) is going by the way of the dinosaur in favor of the glycemic index, which is based on the physiological effects of various carbohydrates.  In agreement with conventional recommendations, the pre-workout meal about an hour before a workout should be comprised of protein and low glycemic carbs, and the postworkout meal should provide protein and high glycemic carbs.  A glycemic index search engine is now available at www.glycemicindex.com where you can plug in a food and find out its GI.
• Creatine—the shelf-life of dry creatine supplements is about 2 years.  To assist in dissolving powdered creatine, it’s OK to add creatine to a hot beverage because creatine is relatively stable under such conditions.  None of the panelists believed the popular notion (which has some scientific evidence to support it) that caffeine negates the ergogenic effects of creatine under normal circumstances.

Despite the excellent organization by moderators Drs. Antonio and Stout, one can only address so much information in a six-hour venue.  One subject that did not receive its deserved level of attention was the resurrection of casein protein as a very valuable protein supplement for building mass.  I am aware that at least some of the panel are proponents of casein, and if time had permitted casein would likely have been endorsed as the protein of choice because of its prolonged anticatabolic activity.

Another subject that did not receive much attention was that of new prohormone preparations using novel molecular tweaks to maximize bioactivity or conversion into bioactive hormones such as testosterone.  The lack of conversation in this area was a bit surprising given that Drs. Antonio and Ziegenfuss are known for their work on this topic.  I attribute this lack of discussion to the fact that the audience was largely comprised of coaches, and prohormones are banned by many sports organizations.  In addition, it is difficult for university-sponsored research to keep pace with new molecular variants of prohormones.

The ever-controversial Dr. Antonio, who has a habit of being quoted for his outspokenness on sports supplements and his unconventional views on anabolic steroids, was relatively benign.  But, his colleagues were sufficiently outspoken to compensate.

So what was the grand lesson to take home from Gambleville?  Don’t leave your nutrition and supplement program to chance!  Be deliberate and methodical; if you find time to train, you should find time to eat and supplement properly.  Read this information-packed article again and again so that you can digest and implement the nutrition strategies discussed herein.

About the Author

Dr. Greg Bradley-Popovich holds dual master's degrees in Exercise Physiology and Human Nutrition from West Virginia University as well as a Doctor of Physical Therapy degree (DPT) from Creighton University.  In 2001, Greg received the top honor in the United States for a graduating physical therapy scholar from the American Physical Therapy Association.  For his scholarly approach to strengthening and conditioning, Greg has also been recognized by the National Strength and Conditioning Association and the International Association of Resistance Trainers.  He has published dozens of popular and scholarly articles on a variety of topics, including a chapter in the new textbook Sports Supplements (available at www.lww.com).  He is the Director of Clinical Research at Northwest Spine Management, Rehabilitation, and Sports Conditioning in Portland, Oregon.