By Laura Smith

High School Athletes need to be aware of the realities of competing under its influence

Beyond consuming coffee as part of their daily routines, many college or adult athletes are turning to caffeine as an ergogenic aid. “The prevalence of caffeine as a performance aid is something I’m seeing more and more,” says Josh Hingst, MS, RD, CSCS, USAW, Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coach and Sports Nutritionist at Florida State University.

“I don’t see student-athletes taking caffeine pills, but I do see them drinking more caffeinated beverages, especially the so-called energy drinks, before games or meets,” agrees Leah Moore Thomas, MS, RD, LD, Sports Nutritionist at Georgia Tech. “And I’ve had more athletes ask, ‘If I drink coffee before my swim meet or my race, is it going to help me?'”

The answer, according to a solid body of literature, is probably yes—but with some big caveats. Caffeine may boost performance for a college or adult athlete, depending on the student-athlete’s sport and his or her individual response to the substance. Particularly with endurance exercise, multiple studies have shown that athletes given caffeine prior to workouts in the laboratory outperform those given a placebo.

“There is a wealth of information to suggest that caffeine allows people to exercise harder and longer in aerobic events lasting 20 minutes or more,” says Lawrence Spriet, PhD, an exercise physiologist, caffeine researcher, and Professor at Canada’s University of Guelph. “Caffeine holds up as a solid performance enhancer in endurance events.”

Until recently, physiologists believed that caffeine aided performance by allowing the body to tap into fatty acid stores more quickly, thus sparing muscle glycogen to be used later in the event as the body fatigues. However, that theory has not held up in newer research. Researchers now believe the majority of caffeine’s performance effect results from simple central nervous system stimulation.

However, the real question mark comes when one attempts to translate laboratory findings to real life competition. Research studies typically put athletes through very specific physical challenges with few variables, like treadmill running or stationary cycling. “Clearly the translation from that to running a 1500-meter race is quite easy,” Spriet says. “But with sports like soccer, ice hockey, and basketball, the translation is very complicated. When you introduce all the variables that are involved with team sports, it becomes much harder to measure whether caffeine has improved an individual athlete’s performance.”

High School Athletes: Minimize Caffeine Intake

If caffeine can possibly boost performance, should athletic trainers advocate student-athletes using it? When it comes to high school student-athletes, Spriet has an unequivocal answer: absolutely not.

“I do not recommend caffeine use with developing individuals,” he says. “In fact, if it was up to me, it would be banned for athletes under 18.”

Juliano agrees. “For one thing, from a chemical standpoint, we don’t know whether caffeine affects a developing central nervous system differently from an adult central nervous system, because that research cannot be done for ethical reasons,” she says. “We know that the brain is still developing, and that caffeine affects brain neurotransmitters, but beyond that, we just don’t know.”

In addition, advocating that high school athletes use caffeine to perform better may put them at increased risk for trying other, and more dangerous, ergogenic aids. “Telling a 14- or 15-year-old athlete that caffeine supplementation is an okay idea sends a dangerous message,” says Lewin. “It opens them up to the idea of a quick fix, of taking a pill to become a better athlete. Can it lead to abuse of other performance enhancers? We don’t know for sure, but it’s certainly an issue to be aware of.”

The fact is, however, high school student-athletes are getting the message that caffeine will help them play better from other sources, so it falls to athletic trainers to offset that message with education. “We know that children and adolescents are using more caffeine than ever before,” Juliano says. “They are a huge share of the market for soda and energy drinks. For athletic trainers working with adolescents, it’s critical to educate them that caffeine is a drug, that it causes physical dependence, and that there are much better ways to achieve more on the court or field.”

It’s also important to be aware of the messages high school athletes are getting from their coaches regarding caffeine. “Ask the coaches you work with how they feel about caffeine use,” Juliano says. “Are they neutral, or are they encouraging or discouraging its use? And take that opportunity to educate coaches about the issue, because they are the ones most likely to notice if athletes are using caffeine to enhance performance, and their messages go a long way.”

This article was provided by Training and Conditioning

By Dr. Christine Rosenbloom

Athletes may sometimes feel as if their body is working against them when it comes to nutrition. The effects of deficiencies, allergies, and aging can be great. A diet that was once helping to optimize performance may now be causing performance to suffer.

But athletes should not fear. Once recognized, anything the body throws at an athlete can be handled with careful changes to their dietary regimen. It may not be easy at first, and the athlete may need to relearn how to fuel their body, but if their diet is tweaked correctly, performance will improve.

In the following case studies, three sports dietitians share how they each helped an athlete conquer a dietary issue. In all three cases, the athletes got back on track to athletic success.

Running Low on Iron

By Dr. Christine Rosenbloom

Christine Rosenbloom, PhD, RD, CSSD, is the Sports Dietitian at Georgia State University and Owner of Chris Rosenbloom Food & Nutrition Services. She is also Professor Emerita at Georgia State and was the Editor in Chief of Sports Nutrition: A Practice Manual for Professionals, 5th edition. She can be reached through her Web site at: www.chrisrosenbloom.com.

A high school cross country and track and field athlete, Miranda became a vegetarian because she read about the health benefits associated with a plant-based diet. She also hoped it would help her lose five pounds and get her to her self-determined “ideal” body weight.

However, after successful sophomore and junior seasons, Miranda was struggling in her senior year of high school. The 5,000- and 10,000-meter specialist complained of fatigue, shortness of breath during exercise, cold intolerance, and an inability to fully recover between training runs.

Miranda’s physician diagnosed her with an iron deficiency (her hemoglobin was 10.3 g/dL, hematocrit 34 percent, transferrin 371 mg/dL, and ferritin 8 ng/mL) and suggested she see a Registered Dietitian for a nutrition consultation. When I initially met with Miranda, I reviewed her complete blood count and asked her to write down everything she ate for three days.

Along with revealing a lack of iron from food choices, her food record showed she was not eating enough carbohydrate and protein to sustain her training. She did have normal menses and was taking calcium carbonate gummies (500 mg/day). I explained to her that because she was not getting enough iron, her body was not able to carry enough oxygen to her muscles (hemoglobin) or make enough oxygen reserve in muscles (myoglobin), resulting in early fatigue and lack of energy.

Iron depletion in tissues can also cause cold intolerance and reduced exercise endurance. By not eating enough carbohydrate and protein, her body was not able to provide the building blocks to make the iron-carrying proteins or replenish glycogen stores in her muscles after a workout. I recommended she do the following:

Increase calorie intake. Miranda was consuming just 1,600 calories per day, but based on her age, training volume, and frequency of competitions, a calorie range of 2,600 to 2,800 per day was much more appropriate. We started by increasing her intake to 2,100 calories a day by adding snacks between meals. After two weeks, we bumped it up to 2,350 calories by increasing the portion sizes of her meals.

Increase carbohydrate intake. Miranda was consuming 192 grams of carbohydrate per day, which equaled 3.9 grams per kilogram of her body weight. The goal was to up that to 5 g/kg, and possibly to 6 or 7 g/kg as her training increased. We added carbohydrate-rich snacks between meals to help her accomplish this goal. Her favorites were dried fruit, granola bars, yogurt, and whole grain fruit muffins.

Increase protein intake. Miranda was taking in 56 grams of protein per day, which translates to 1.1 grams per kilogram of her body weight. She needed 1.5 g/kg to provide adequate protein for endurance exercise and for hemoglobin synthesis. She added yogurt smoothies after workouts, snacked on nuts, and we identified vegetarian protein-rich options like beans, lentils, soy nuts, and veggie burgers that would fit her dietary restrictions.

Increase iron intake. This was the main area of concern for Miranda, and probably the most difficult. Her average dietary iron intake was 8.2 milligrams per day and it needed to be 15 mg/day to reach the Recommended Dietary Allowance. She was prescribed 325 milligrams of ferrous sulfate once daily for three months. But she also needed to learn how to increase iron in a vegetarian diet. One strategy was to simply eat more iron-rich plant foods. I gave her this list for ideas:

– Instant oatmeal
– Fortified breakfast cereals
– Long-grain enriched rice
– Vegetarian baked beans
– Lentils
– Soy crumbles and soy burgers
– Trail mix with raisins
– Bean burrito
– Chili with beans
– Chick peas
– Hummus
– Black beans
– Fat-free refried beans
– Clam chowder
– Lima beans.

A second strategy was to add more vitamin C (ascorbic acid) to her diet since it is a potent enhancer of iron absorption. It can change iron to a more absorbable form, giving the body up to three times more iron than when taken without vitamin C. Easy ways to add vitamin C include drinking orange juice with breakfast, adding peppers and salsa to a bean burrito, slicing strawberries into cereal, and eating a citrus fruit salad with a bowl of vegetarian bean chili.

We also talked about foods that can block iron absorption. Tea, coffee, and cocoa contain polyphenolic compounds that have some health benefits, but can block non-heme iron absorption. To get the most iron from her meals, I advised Miranda to choose beverages that don’t fight iron absorption such as water, citrus-based sparkling waters, and fruit juices. I told her to enjoy her coffee, tea, or cocoa only between meals.

Another discussion was about an “ideal” weight for a runner. Miranda was 5-foot-3 and 108 pounds, which is at the low end of the body mass index but still a healthy weight for her height and sport. We discussed that there is no “ideal” weight for an athlete and that performance is not tied to a specific body weight or body fat level. What was most important was how she was performing. She acknowledged that she was eating too little to maintain 108 pounds and that she ran better when she weighed 112 pounds.

Miranda reversed her iron deficiency anemia through supplementation and changes to her diet. She began to feel better and reported having more energy as the weeks progressed. She remained a vegetarian, but occasionally included fish in her diet and stuck with five to six small meals a day to boost calorie and nutrient intakes. Miranda was able to regain her endurance and energy and was a valuable part of the cross country and track and field teams. She is currently a college freshman and running on her university’s team.

As the Track and Field season nears completion many of you are facing your most important competitions of the season. All of the training has been completed, its now time to see the results. We are at the point in the season where we are looking for that little edge. For many athletes what to eat and when to eat it can make a difference. In the clip below Conor Holt, Head Coach of Northwood’s Mens/Womens Track and Field/Cross Country, gives advice on nutrition for race day.

The clip is from Coach Holts presentation at a recent Glazier Track and Field Coaching Clinic. For information about how to gain access to the entire presentation, as well as hundreds of other clinic presentations, click the link Glazier Clinic Vault.
The video below has sound so please make sure that your sound is turned on.

The following is a brief summary of Coach Holt’s presentation:

Pre-Race

1. Most important thing is to keep things normal. Eat foods and drink beverages that you tolerate and enjoy.

2. Carbohydrate loading is not necessary

3. What you eat two days before the race is more important than what you eat the day before.

4. Your body like routine.

5. Food=Happiness=fuel to perform well

Race Day

1. Eat breakfast – a must do item

2. Flush for gut – Drink coffee/tea or take fiber supplement

3. Eat what you are used to eating

4. For every hour before the race, you need 50g of carbohydrates.
Example: If eating two hours before, you need to take in 100g of carbohydrates.

5. The meal should include a mixture of carbohydrates and protein. This will stabilize your blood sugar.

Post Race

1. Get a combination of protein and carbohydrates within 15-30 minutes after the race. This can be solids, fluids or a combination of both. Gels, drinks, energy bars and fruit all work.

2. The goal would be to get 0.5 grams of carbohydrates per bound of body weight.
Example: A 120lb athlete would need 60 grams of carbohydrates within 15-30 minutes after the race.
This could be accomplished with and energy bar and drink.

3. After the competition eat a full meal.