{"id":2555,"date":"2020-07-02T10:44:20","date_gmt":"2020-07-02T16:44:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/strengthsenseiinc.com\/?p=2555"},"modified":"2021-08-31T15:07:29","modified_gmt":"2021-08-31T21:07:29","slug":"post-exercise-nutrition-primer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/strengthsenseiinc.com\/2020\/07\/02\/post-exercise-nutrition-primer\/","title":{"rendered":"Post-Exercise Nutrition Primer"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
Maximizing the anabolic and performance effects of exercise<\/span><\/i><\/p> \u00a0<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t Mauro Di Pasquale, B.Sc..(Hons); M.D is a licensed physician in Ontario, Canada. For the past 30 years he has specialized in sports medicine and the treatment of obesity.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t There is no doubt that the timing and type of protein intake after exercise is crucial for increasing skeletal muscle protein synthesis and an overall net balance.<\/span>1<\/span> Exercise provides an adaptive response so that the body is able to make use of any nutrition supplied post exercise.\u00a0<\/span><\/p> \u00a0<\/p> Nutrient intake on its own provides a storage response so that if one is fed or receives an infusion of mixed amino acids after a fasted period, protein synthesis increases, whereas protein breakdown remains the same or decreases slightly, which is different from the response after exercise.\u00a0<\/span><\/p> \u00a0<\/p> Without nutrient intake after exercise, protein synthesis and protein breakdown are increased, but net balance does not become positive as it does after amino acid intake after fasting. Because of the exercise stimulus, when amino acids are provided after exercise protein synthesis increases more than what normally occurs after exercise or AA feeding alone, and protein breakdown remains similar to exercise without feeding. Thus, the provision of AA enhances protein synthesis and leads to a positive net protein balance and an overall increase in protein accretion.<\/span>2<\/span><\/p> \u00a0<\/p> In addition, while the increase in protein synthesis after feeding is a transient storage phenomenon, physical exercise stimulates a longer-term adaptive response. Providing nutrition after physical activity takes advantage of the anabolic signaling pathways that physical activity has initiated by providing amino acid building blocks and energy for protein synthesis.\u00a0<\/span><\/p> \u00a0<\/p> Insulin has a Jekyll and Hyde type of action, depending on the general state of the body and food availability, especially carbs. Since insulin\u2019s effects on protein, fats, and carbs can vary depending on the tissues involved and several other variables, it\u2019s important not to take the view that what happens in skeletal muscle or any other tissues universally happens in the whole body.\u00a0<\/span><\/p> \u00a0<\/p> Glycogen compensation and super compensation (after glycogen depleting exercise) after exercise requires a substantial carbohydrate load that results in a quick and large increase in glycogen levels in both liver and skeletal muscles. Once the stores are full, or even super full, the stimulus declines dramatically. However, if no carbohydrates are given post exercise, the muscle will maintain a capacity to fully compensate or super compensate glycogen until enough carbs are either available through the diet or by gluconeogenesis to fill the glycogen stores as much as possible.<\/span>3<\/span><\/p> \u00a0<\/p> Overemphasis on Post Exercise Carbohydrate Intake\u00a0<\/b><\/p> Because of the over-emphasis placed on maintaining glycogen stores to maximize exercise performance, much of the research has centered around the effects of post exercise carbs, and post-exercise carbs combined with protein,<\/span>4<\/span> and the effects these have on glucose transporters (GLUT1, GLUT2, GLUT4), glucose metabolism, including levels of hexokinase and glycogen synthase, and insulin,<\/span>5,6<\/span> there\u2019s not much out there dealing with just the use of protein and fat after exercise.<\/span><\/p> \u00a0<\/p> The usual advice is that carbs, with some protein thrown in, are a necessary part of post-exercise nutrition regardless of diet that you\u2019re following, including a low carb diet.<\/span>7,8,9,10,11<\/span> However, that\u2019s not true. In fact, the use of carbs post-training can be counterproductive, and eliminating post training carbs can have added anabolic and fat burning effects. That\u2019s because the intake of carbs after exercise blunts the post exercise insulin sensitivity. That means once muscle has loaded up on glycogen, which it does pretty quickly on carbs, insulin sensitivity decreases dramatically.\u00a0<\/span><\/p> \u00a0<\/p> This statement runs counter to present thinking and research about post-exercise nutrition. As such, let\u2019s take it step by step so that I can make my reasons for the above statements clear and easier to understand.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tDr. Mauro Di Pasquale\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/h5>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t