D.
June 18th 07, 06:46 AM
Here's a bit of interesting news from today's edition of "Sham vs.
Wham: The Health Insider" (Google for original text):
As it turns out, a bowlful of cereal and a bit of nonfat milk may work
just as effectively as specialized sports drinks in boosting recovery
after exercise. Researchers at the 54th Annual Meeting of the American
College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) told attendees at this meeting that
the benefits they discovered have been linked to the protein and
carbohydrate content of the whole-wheat cereal used in the trials,
which may aid the rebuilding of damaged tissue after exercise.
Lead researcher Lynne Kammer from the University of Texas at Austin
says "We were surprised that blood lactate was lower after cereal,
possibly due to glycogen storage," she said. "In addition, the muscle
was ready to store additional glycogen after the cereal-and-milk
regimen, even after glycogen had already been synthesized."
There is a huge convenience factor associated with sports drinks, so
it may not be possible to market a whole-wheat cereal and milk package
for this market. But, it is really interesting to many athletes that
there is no real advantage to the drink other than the convenience.
"We wanted to look at a realistic exercise scenario and test the
effectiveness of whole foods that might be acceptable for muscle
recovery," said Kammer. Here are the facts of the trial:
** The researchers recruited 12 cyclists (eight men) and asked them
to fast for 12 hours prior to a two-hour cycling exercise. After
working on the bicycle ergometer, the volunteers were given either a
whole-wheat flake cereal with skimmed milk or a sports drink
containing carbohydrate.
Both interventions were found to raise blood glucose and insulin
levels, but during the recovery phase, cereal raised insulin
significantly higher and blunted the rise in blood lactate compared
with sports drink, Kammer told attendees. The cereal group also showed
a significant advantage in protein synthesis and additional glycogen
storage potential. **
No mention was made of the specific cereal, but it's interesting to
note that this research was sponsored by a grant from Wheaties and the
General Mills Bell Institute of Health and Nutrition.
- From "Sham vs. Wham: The Health Insider"
Wham: The Health Insider" (Google for original text):
As it turns out, a bowlful of cereal and a bit of nonfat milk may work
just as effectively as specialized sports drinks in boosting recovery
after exercise. Researchers at the 54th Annual Meeting of the American
College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) told attendees at this meeting that
the benefits they discovered have been linked to the protein and
carbohydrate content of the whole-wheat cereal used in the trials,
which may aid the rebuilding of damaged tissue after exercise.
Lead researcher Lynne Kammer from the University of Texas at Austin
says "We were surprised that blood lactate was lower after cereal,
possibly due to glycogen storage," she said. "In addition, the muscle
was ready to store additional glycogen after the cereal-and-milk
regimen, even after glycogen had already been synthesized."
There is a huge convenience factor associated with sports drinks, so
it may not be possible to market a whole-wheat cereal and milk package
for this market. But, it is really interesting to many athletes that
there is no real advantage to the drink other than the convenience.
"We wanted to look at a realistic exercise scenario and test the
effectiveness of whole foods that might be acceptable for muscle
recovery," said Kammer. Here are the facts of the trial:
** The researchers recruited 12 cyclists (eight men) and asked them
to fast for 12 hours prior to a two-hour cycling exercise. After
working on the bicycle ergometer, the volunteers were given either a
whole-wheat flake cereal with skimmed milk or a sports drink
containing carbohydrate.
Both interventions were found to raise blood glucose and insulin
levels, but during the recovery phase, cereal raised insulin
significantly higher and blunted the rise in blood lactate compared
with sports drink, Kammer told attendees. The cereal group also showed
a significant advantage in protein synthesis and additional glycogen
storage potential. **
No mention was made of the specific cereal, but it's interesting to
note that this research was sponsored by a grant from Wheaties and the
General Mills Bell Institute of Health and Nutrition.
- From "Sham vs. Wham: The Health Insider"