Delimiting Diets

I’ve just read a new study looking at the nutritional state of professional football players in the UK. I purposely used the word state, because that word accurately sums up the situation.

The study looked at the dietary practices of 10 players over a 7 day period during the competitive period of the year.

The researchers concluded that the players had excesses in all macronutrients (carbohydrates, protein, and lipids (fats)) and barring fibre, had adequate intakes in all micronutrients that were included in the analysis. I beg to differ.

Let’s look at a few of the points in a bit more detail.

The authors suggest that to provide energy for competition the players should increase their carbohydrate intake and lower their fat intake to bring their carbohydrate percentage up to 60-70 percent of their total energy intake. This would take their (mean) carbohydrate consumption up from 393 grams up to 421-491 grams per day. If I was working with the average player at this club, I would have set their carbohydrate intake to 387.5g give or take, so as far as overall ‘quantity’ the players seem to be on the money as it stands. Timing and quality of these Carbohydrates are where the issues lay, which I guarantee the players don’t have down.

For the players to be eating this much Carbohydrate and still not be hitting adequate fibre or in my opinion micronutrient intakes suggests that their choices of carbohydrate are somewhat out of whack, more on this in a bit.

Timing of Carbohydrate is a whole other story, that, would take up far to much space here, but again, if they are taking in the amount (which is pretty substantial) of carbohydrate and still not achieving optimal glycogen levels in muscle, then one has to assume they are not getting their timing (and type) of carbohydrate nutrition correct. This may also be indicative again of a micronutrient deficiency, inhibiting the synthesis of glycogen.

Looking at the protein, fat and micronutrient intakes together, it’s obvious to anyone who knows nutrition that these players are getting the majority of there protein intake from red meats. I love red meat, but from a nutritional standpoint it should be a minor item in the diet. Their protein is neither very anabolic/ anti-catabolic and the fatty acid profile steers the body towards lipogenesis (fat accumulation). The total protein is a little low for a sport that is based upon repeated bouts of high intensity efforts.

The micronutrient intake is very telling. As stated with the amount of macronutrients being consumed, the levels of micronutrients should be a lot higher.  I only have space to discuss two, but all, micronutrients reported were equally poor. As an example of the faulty nutrition, the sodium to potassium ratio is significant. The sodium intake of the players is over twice that of the RNI (Reference Nutrient Intake), whereas the Potassium is lower than the RNI. Food in its natural state has a ratio of sodium to potassium of 1:7, processing food reverses this in favour of sodium, resulting in a ratio of 2:1. Looking at the players’ diet, it’s obvious what these sportsmen are living on. I use the term living, I would love to use ‘thriving’, but they are restricting their potential by consciously or unconsciously providing their supercar body with supermarket fuel.

I can’t go into detail about every point, as this short article would turn into a tome. However, I will say this, if the nutritional practices illustrated by this study are indeed a reflection of the entire English Football game, then it’s understandable that we see so much inconsistent, underachieving performances that are prone to breaking under stress. These players have undeniable talent, which we often see in flashes of brilliance, but due to their woefully inadequate nutrition, these brilliant moments are erratic in their frequency.

We do have the talent in this country to be dominant on the world stage, but there are factors present in the current set-up that are not conducive to achieve this potential.

The sports nutrition demonstrated in this study is so far away from the level in many other sports, it’s not only ‘not on the same page’, it’s in another chapter, in another book, written in another language, in another library. I suggest English football starts expanding its reading.

Reference:

RUSSELL, M; PENNOCK, A. DIETARY ANALYSIS OF YOUNG PROFESSIONAL SOCCER PLAYERS FOR 1 WEEK DURING THE COMPETITIVE SEASON. Department of Sports Studies, Moulton College, Moulton, Northamptonshire, United Kingdom; Swansea City Association Football Club Ltd, Department of Youth Football, Liberty Stadium, Landore, Swansea, United Kingdom

Water Load of Nonsense

I’m sure you saw in the news today, oh boy, that Dr Margaret McCartney GP, has written a piece for the comment section in the British Medical Journal, about the futility of drinking large amounts of water and that the risk and consequences of dehydration are often overstated, amongst other spurious claims. As usual, we have Tweedle-dee on one side saying ‘‘tis’, and Tweedle-dum on the other saying ‘‘tisn’t’. The argument and opinions of both sides are not only confusing to the public, but I feel are confused themselves.

Lets have a look at, in all likelihood, the reason we (Humans) are here, that being simple water.

Every living creature on earth is mostly made of water. The saying ‘dry as a bone’ comes to mind, ‘dry’? not a chance, even your bones are a quarter water. The rest of the tissues that make you, have even higher water contents: Blood 82%; Muscles 70%; Brain 75%. Pretty much all of the chemistry that allows you to ‘be’, requires water to take place. Therefore, the most important substance in your body is water. Pure and simple, um…not quite, but we’ll get to that.

The quality of your bodily tissues, their ability to function and resist or repair damage, is almost entirely dependent on the quality of the water you consume. Quality water, however, is not so easy to find.

In the UK most of us get our drinking water either from the tap or as bottled water, we’ll come back to this in a minute. A minority of people still get their water from a well or a fresh spring, in fact one of my closest friends is very proud of the fact that his tap water is directly fed by the local spring, and he claims is as ‘pure as pure can be’. Not quite.

Although it hasn’t been put through a treatment system that may use aluminium or chloride as agents, this does not necessarily make it ‘pure’. Since well, or spring water, comes either from ground or surface water, the water will pick up whatever is in that geology. This could range from fertilisers and pesticides used on agricultural land, to toxins released by both industrial and urban dumping. You also have to factor in the microbes and parasites that go unseen and live happily in the water supply.

So if we can’t get our water from a well, or a spring, due to the above issues, what are we left with? Well, there’s always tap water.

Tap water is chemically treated to reduce the incidence of bacterial and viral infectious agents being transmitted in public drinking water. However, due to an increased burden on the system by the reasons stated for spring water, plus the aging of the water system itself, South London, will know about this from last week’s draught, the quality of the water isn’t always as high as advertised.

The use of chlorine to treat water isn’t as foolproof as it’s professed. Chlorination is unable to eliminate all of the pathogens present in water. An even bigger issue is that by-products of Chlorine and Chlorine reactions in the water can cause Cancer. Not ideal, I might suggest. There are many more chemicals and reactions that make drinking public water, not the best idea for longevity, so what’s the alternative? Bottled water? Let’s look at that.

Bottled water is a huge business, with the largest manufacturers unsurprising owned by soft drinks companies…but, the question is ‘Is it any better?’. You be the judge.

A lot of bottled water is simply tap water passed through conditioning filters such as charcoal, to remove some of the chlorine and remove some of the taste and odours present in public water. You’ve probably got one of these filters at home yourself, most bottled water companies are simply charging you for the convenience of filling up your jug.

Bottled ‘spring’ water is a different case. If it states that it is spring water, it legally has to be from a spring. However, if it’s part of the brand name, it can be tap water, processed just as the other bottled water above is.

Here’s another problem with bottled water, and it goes a lot deeper, if you follow the rabbit hole. The majority of bottles used in the drinks industry are made of recyclable plastic; the chemicals that make this possible are also known as endocrine disruptors. That is, there are chemicals in the plastic used in the food industry (ready meals, cling film etc) that massively affect the hormonal state in your body. Noticed more moobs around lately? More Overweight people? Coincidence? If there’s interest, I’ll write a larger piece on this, but, you have to let me know.

So, we can’t drink from a natural spring, a well, or from the tap. Bottled water has its own set of additional issues. Water, water, everywhere, and not a drop to drink.

The best source of water is distilled water, which can be bought from a store, or more economically, after the initial outlay is to buy a home distiller and clean your own water. Get in touch if you want any advice on what to buy.

So, now we have clean water, why is it so important to drink it, and how much?

Dehydration is an undesirable state to be in. Although the article suggested that the dangers of dehydration are overstated, I feel the Doctor has failed to understand the biochemistry. If a cell in your body, be it from your muscles or your brain or any other part is dehydrated it undergoes a number of changes that induce a process known as apoptosis. Apoptosis is a programmed mechanism of cellular death. Again, I suggest, not a desirable state to be in. The body tries to limit dehydration, by reducing your ability to perform work or function, to conserve water supplies. If you dehydrate a muscle by only 3%, it’s ability to display strength decreases by 10% and speed by 8%.

The doctor also highlighted the fallacy of the ‘eight glasses a day’ recommendation. On this note the Doctor was spot-on, there has never been an official study that recommended this amount, it was one of those things that were repeated so often it become entrenched in our psyche.

So how much water do we need to be drinking, to stay hydrated and optimise function and performance?

A typical 75kg person contains about 5 litres of water, which needs to be replaced once every 5-7 days. This works out to just under a litre per day or 66ml per kg per day. If the person is lightly exercising, they will lose about 2 litres of water, in breath, sweat and urine; this also needs to be replaced. Heavy exercise may lose up to 7 litres. Even if you do not exercise, you will still have losses of around 0.5-1 litre per day.

So for our 75kg example, on a non-exercise day they would need to consume about 1.5 litres to stay hydrated. And if lightly exercising, probably 2.5 litres.

Also remember that your food and other beverages will contribute to the pool of water, both during digestion and metabolism, so this may reduce your water needs. And please do not rely on thirst as a measure of hydration, by the time your thirst response has kicked in, you are already dehydrated.

I also have an old article I wrote about a decade ago on using water to lose fat, if there’s interest, I’ll dig it out and post it.

Sleep like a Log

‘Sleep is the best meditation.’ ~ Dalai Lama

If you are to achieve any appreciable level of health, fitness or performance, you need to focus upon three interconnecting areas. These are: nutrition, training and the most overlooked component; sleep.

To help you get a better night sleep, here is a great method and the best part, it’s free.

One of the best ways to tip the balance in favour of having a good-nights sleep is to fill out a ‘Thankful Diary’. All you need is a pad and a pen. Although you can do this on a computer or smart phone, it’s more beneficial (neurologically speaking) to use a pen and paper. Use a pad and ink that are pleasing to you, this will be different for all individuals, but it helps personalise the process.

Keep the diary by your bed, and once you’ve completed your pre-bed routine, take your diary and try to write down 10 things that you are grateful that day. These could be obvious situations of pleasant events, but as the saying ‘every cloud has a silver lining’ reminds us, even negative events can be positive, if you perceive them in the right way. Don’t worry if you can’t think of 10 things, just jot down as many as you can.

To help you focus, you can base your diary around 3 questions:-

What good to other people did you do today?
 
What good did other people do to me today?
 
What did I learn today?

Once completed, turn off your light, feel content, and enjoy a peaceful rest.

Combating Brain Damage in Fighters

One major issue in contact sports, especially in combat sports, is the potential for Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI). Around 10-20% of Professional Boxers have verifiable brain damage, and many more Professional and Amateur fighters would expand this percentage, however, they often go undiagnosed.

If you are involved in combat sports, or you work with combative athletes, you can safely assume that as your/ their career progresses, so will the degree of brain damage. This would also be relevant for contact sportspeople such as Rugby players etc.

A study came out last year that may help to protect ourselves if involved in the aforementioned sports.

The study looked at the effect of Docosahexaenoic Acid (DHA) on the presence of Beta-Amyloid Precursor Protein (a marker of nerve cell damage) after an impact acceleration injury, similar to what would occur in combat sports.

The researchers used two dosing schedules of either 10mg/kg/day, or 40/mg/day of DHA for 30 days following a traumatic impact event. The 10mg/kg/day group developed 82% less damage than the un-supplemented group. The 40mg/kg/day group fared even better and reduced their level of damage by 87%.

DHA is one of the main fatty acids in fish oil (Omega 3), usually present in the amount of 120mg per 1000mg of total oil. So for a 75kg individual to replicate the schedule, they would need to take 6 x 1000mg (6 grams) Omega 3 per day. To replicate the higher dosing would require 25 x 1000mg (25 grams) Omega 3 per day.

For many reasons, this level of supplementation should be a mainstay in your diet. But for people involved in combat sports, it could be a real godsend.

Reference:

Bailes JE, Mills JD. Docosahexaenoic acid reduces traumatic axonal injury in a rodent head injury model. J Neurotrauma. 2010 Sep;27(9):1617-24.