Honey for athletes

“The honey was deliberately adulterated with high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) at levels of 10%, 20%, 30%, 40% and 50% (w/w). The composition of the sugar as a fingerprint was determined by HPLC for all samples The following compositional properties were determined for pure and adulterated honey: moisture, total soluble solids, nitrogen, apparent viscosity, hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF), ash, sodium, calcium, potassium, proline, refractive index and activity Diastatic – Quoted by ScienceDirect Journal:

Jonathan Horton, a member of the 2012 US Olympic gymnastics team, faced a particular challenge during his training. He suffers from a problem with his blood sugar, which makes him shake during training. His solution: honey. According to Horton, whenever he felt weak and shaky due to low blood sugar, he would drink honey to raise his blood sugar. Indoor and beach volleyball gold medalist Kerry Walsh Jennings has faith in honey. Her diet includes almond butter and honey sandwiches. She eats them especially before competitions to give her energy.[courtesy: Coxhoney]

Over the past 50 years, a significant volume of scientific research has consistently demonstrated glycogen’s critical role in optimal athletic performance. Glycogen is the body’s way of storing carbohydrates for energy at the muscle level.

Research indicates a correlation between training and racing with high muscle glycogen content and better effort capacity and overall performance.

Glycogen is the body’s predominant source of energy during moderate to high intensity exercise.

Results suggest that muscle glycogen availability may affect performance during short-term and longer-term intermittent high-intensity exercise1

(Courtesy: muscleround)

Richard Kreider, professor and department chair of health and kinesiology at Texas A&M University, conducted three studies that demonstrated how honey can improve endurance exercise capacity.

All studies showed that honey could be an alternative and improved option for endurance athletes and strength athletes to improve athletic performance.

In “Honey and Sports Nutrition: Report for the American Honey Board,” 2001, Kreider notes that it is important for athletes to maintain a consistent blood sugar level during exercise and competition. It is known that a high glycemic index can lead to spikes in blood sugar and energy. Honey has a moderate glycemic index (he measured it as 43 out of 100, where he placed white bread).

Means:

[1] Balsom PD, Gaitanos GC, Soderlund K, Ekblom B. “High-Intensity Exercise and Muscle Glycogen Availability in Humans.” Analysis Acta Physiol. 1999 April; 165 (4): 337-45.

[2] Power sports performance with honey. (2001, September 25). Retrieved on August 9, 2016, from nutraingredients USA.

[3] eat what? Food secrets of Olympic athletes. (2012, July 30). Retrieved on August 09, 2016, from abcnews