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Carbohydrate administration and exercise performance: what are the potential mechanisms involved?
Antony D Karelis1, Johneric W Smith, Dennis H Passe
1Department of Kinesiology, Université du Québec à Montréal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada. karelis.antony@uqam.ca
Sports Medicine (Auckland, N.Z.)
|August 24, 2010
Summary
Carbohydrate (CHO) intake during prolonged exercise enhances performance by potentially reducing central fatigue and maintaining muscle function. The exact mechanisms are complex and multifactorial, involving neural drive and cellular homeostasis.
Area of Science:
- Exercise Physiology
- Sports Nutrition
- Biochemistry
Background:
- Carbohydrate (CHO) administration is known to improve endurance exercise performance.
- The precise physiological mechanisms underlying this performance enhancement remain incompletely understood.
- Understanding these mechanisms is crucial for optimizing athletic training and nutrition strategies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review and synthesize current literature on the potential mechanisms by which carbohydrate administration enhances exercise performance during prolonged muscle contractions.
- To explore factors such as central fatigue, substrate utilization, muscle metabolites, and cellular integrity.
- To discuss the complexity and variability of these mechanisms across different exercise conditions.
Main Methods:
- Literature review and meta-analysis data synthesis.
- Examination of studies investigating carbohydrate ingestion during prolonged exercise in humans and animals.
- Analysis of proposed mechanisms including central fatigue, substrate oxidation, muscle glycogen sparing, and excitation-contraction coupling.
Main Results:
- CHO ingestion does not consistently reduce muscle glycogen utilization during exercise.
- A dose-dependent relationship between CHO intake and performance enhancement is not evident.
- Emerging evidence suggests reduced central fatigue and improved cellular homeostasis play significant roles.
- CHO administration may maintain muscle fiber membrane electrical properties by influencing Na+/K+ pump activity.
Conclusions:
- The performance-enhancing effects of CHO during prolonged exercise are complex and likely involve multiple interacting factors.
- Central fatigue attenuation and maintenance of cellular homeostasis appear critical.
- Further research is needed to elucidate specific mechanisms across diverse exercise protocols and CHO types.
- Understanding these mechanisms can inform strategies to combat exercise-induced fatigue and improve performance.
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