Calcium (in leafy greens and dairy) is involved in muscle contraction (in addition to the more familiar function of bone strength).

Potassium (in bananas, potatoes and a host of other vegetables & fruits) helps maintain fluid and electrolyte balance.

Beta-carotene (in orange fruits & vegetables) is important for our eyes & vision.

For many, the first thing that comes to mind when they hear the word “vitamin” is a pill.   Sadly, taking a vitamin supplement is not the best way to provide your body with the vital nutrients it needs.  It is always best to get your nutrition from foods.  Unfortunately, many Americans, even fit athletes, do not always hit the mark when it comes to well-balanced, high-nutrient-density intake.  That, coupled with the athlete’s higher nutrient needs sometimes means a supplement is necessary.  It’s best to have a dietitian assess your dietary intake to determine if a vitamin or mineral supplement will be helpful or just a waste of money for you.  (Important note: most vitamin/mineral supplements are not harmful for the body, but there are a few that can build up to toxic levels if taken in excess.)   A focus on vegetables, fruits and whole grains is the best way to get the nutrients your body requires.

Now a note about water.  While everyone understands the importance of hydration in athletic performance, succeeding at it can be a whole different story.

Here are some useful tips for making sure you stay hydrated at all times:

—have a cup or bottle by your bed and drink at least 8 ounces right when you get up
—carry water in a vessel that will not spill and set a goal to drink 5-10 ounces per waking hour
—train yourself to drink room-temp water so that you don’t limit yourself in any way from drinking at any time
—download a water-tracking app and set a goal for 0.5-1.0 ounces per pound
—do not count caffeinated beverages in with your intake; while regular caffeine consumers will likely not experience much of a diuretic effect, it’s hard to determine if there is extra fluid loss, so it’s better to exceed your needs than to end up short

Remember, it is best to be in a constant state of hydration instead of just focusing on “getting hydrated” for an event.  On the morning of your event, it’s important to start hydrating early, just like it’s important to start eating early.  It’s best to drink at least 20 ounces 3 hours before the start of the event.  It will also help to drink a bit more about 30 minutes before starting, but the amount depends on what you can tolerate without feeling full or bloated.  Also, during an event, it’s best to drink at least 16 ounces per hour, but your stomach will thank you if you space this consumption out through the hour & don’t try to drink it all at once.  All of these numbers are fairly arbitrary, as everyone “loses” fluid at different rates, but they are at least a good guide.

Janet Carter, MS, RD, LD, CPT, CLS
Dietitian/Sports NutritionistEndurance Athlete
dietjc24@yahoo.com
774-400-7566

Coming Soon: Performance Nutrition Advanced, Leg One; Maximizing Carbohydrate Intake for Peak Performance

This blog is written using the most updated scientific information available.  The author has no financial stake in anything that’s discussed, nor is she benefiting financially from writing the blog article.  In other words, you are receiving un-biased, science-based sports nutrition information from an experienced professional who is also a seasoned endurance athlete.

During the seven plus years of development, we utilized University IRB controlled four-way blinded cross over design human clinical studies to evaluate the impact of our pH and temperature responsive extended release micro-gel formulations and positive control on plasma glucose levels and exercise output. Plasma glucose concentration is generally used to evaluate the effect of carbohydrate feedings on exercise performance, and it has been long understood that carbohydrates have the potential to improve exercise performance, when the duration of the exercise exceeds 45 min, by preventing a decrease in the plasma glucose concentration during exercise.^1,2,3,4

(a) Scanning electron microscopy image of patented XRCEL® microparticles

Our research has been focused on the dynamic changes in glycemic response to exercise and carbohydrate feeding, and the impact of increasing residence time of carbohydrate at the primary uptake receptor sites, the carbohydrate “Gateways”.

The athletes we studied were normal healthy individuals who routinely participate in, or play, high intensity sports. They were recruited from a pool of high school, collegiate, semi-professional and adult amateurs who engage in routine cardiovascular/strength training at least 3 times per week for more than 2 hours per session. Athletes not meeting these criteria were excluded.

We studied the athletes, in the fasted state, at rest and under exercise load (to the point of exhaustion). Biological samples were collected by protocol to understand the relevant pharmacokinetic profiles.

The pharmacokenetic profile data for doses of equivalent caloric content, comparing our patented pH and temperature responsive extended release micro-gel formulations versus control (commercially available product), were analyzed.

The results from our blinded 4 way cross over studies, where we studied athletes under resting and under exercise load condition, demonstrate our patented pH and temperature responsive micro-gel based formulations, yielded, in the exercise arm of the study, an average of >60% increase in time to baseline, the length of time circulating glucose levels were greater than baseline, and an average >178% increase in the relative amount of circulating glucose (AUC) within that same time period, when compared to equivalent caloric doses of leading commercial carbohydrate supplements. Time to exhaustion, exercise arms only, increased on average >35%.

We also know that the world of training and competing isn’t always so tightly controlled and predictable as a clinical study so we have been allowing serious athletes to test drive the product for themselves to get a real world functional assessment of what they like and don’t like. Take a look at the testimonials page on the website for a few of the comments we have received. https://xrcel.com/blog/testimonials/

Our objective was, and continues to be, to provide athletes an improved, highly efficient fueling option so they can outlast, outthink and outperform their competition.

1. Jeukendrup AE, Mosely L, Mainwaring G, Samuels S, Perry S, Mann CH. Exogenous Carbohydrate Oxidation During Ultraendurance Exercise. J Appl Physiol. 2006;100:1134-1141.
2. Jeukendrup, AE. Carbohydrate Intake During Exercise and Performance. Nutrition. 2004;20:669-677.
3. Jentjens RLPG, Moseley L, Waring RH, Harding LK, Jeukendrup AE. Oxidation of Combined Ingestion of Glucose and Fructose During Exercise, J Appl Physiol. 2004;96:1277-1284.
4. Mitchell JB, Costill DL, Houmard JA, Fink WJ, Pascoe DD, Pearson DR. Influence of Carbohydrate Dosage on Exercise Performance and Glycogen Metabolism. J Appl. Physiol. 1989;67(5):1843-1849.

These statements have not evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

If you are an athlete, and you train hard in a variety of environmental conditions, chances are you may have experienced an upset stomach, cramping, diarrhea, or other uncomfortable GI distress at some point in your athletic career. GI distress can be caused by a number of different factors.  For these purposes we will limit discussion to those commonly associated with athletic endeavors.

Basically we are talking about pain, cramps, bloating, flatulence, and of course diarrhea, a.k.a. the runs, either in isolation or in some combination which may impact you at the most inconvenient time during your training or competitions.

The main factors that may contribute to GI distress are:

• • Blood flow to the gut
• • Type of food stuffs consumed
• • Fluid volume
• • Other ergogenic substances, e.g. caffeine
• • Temperature

Blood Flow- During exercise, we need to take into account changes in blood flow in the GI tract that occur as a mechanism to shunt blood from the gut to skeletal muscles to address the increased energy needs of the muscle tissues. It has been estimated that during exercise, blood flow in the GI tract may decrease as much as 70%, in an attempt to provide oxygen and nutrients to high consumption tissues, such as muscle.

Figures 1a & 1b depict the relative difference in blood flow, as a function of cardiac output, at rest and when exercising.

Blood Flow Distribution: Figure 1a – At Rest, Figure 1b – During Exercise

Figure 1a                                                                                         Figure 1b

Your GI system is not, without proper conditioning, well equipped to digest food and absorb fluids with a reduced blood flow, which may cause problems during exercise. Your system does however have an affinity for glucose during exercise because glucose is a key component in the production of energy. Other factors impacting blood flow are more mechanical in nature, such as body position on a bike, or seat position in a rowing shell. Compression forces on the abdominal cavity may also play a role in further impeding blood flow to the gut. So take note of your body position if you find you are experiencing GI issues.

Type of Food stuffs (Nutrition) Consumed –

What you eat and drink immediately before and during training or competition may have a direct influence on gastric tolerance. In particular, the type and concentration of carbohydrate can influence the functioning of your gut. With respect to type of carbohydrate used for energy provision and replenishment, depending on activity duration, you should try to avoid carbs that are known to be GI irritants. Fructose, or fruit sugar for example, is a sweet sugar found in many sports nutritional products. It also happens to be a well-known irritant to the stomach and intestine. Athletes with sensitive stomachs may want to avoid fructose during training or competition. Glucose on the other hand is well tolerated and will provide the most immediate source of energy. Many athletes utilize a mixture of simple and complex carbohydrates. Simple carbohydrates (e.g., glucose) will provide immediate energy, whereas complex carbohydrates (due to their slower processing / additional metabolic steps) may provide a delayed and less predictable release of energy to the body. Finding the right ratio, and timing the consumption, of simple and complex carbohydrates to meet your varying needs may be challenging. Considering; the blood flow discussion above, the additional metabolic steps required to make the fuel in complex carbs available for energy conversion, and the duration of the event, athletes may be finding themselves under fueled at the wrong time. A solution to the timing problem is to use delivery systems, such as XRCEL Athlete Fuel, that utilize only simple carbohydrates (e.g., glucose) but which are able to be “tuned” to provide both an immediate release for immediate energy needs and an extended release to continue maintenance of energy. This type
of delivery system combines the ease of the body processing simple carbohydrates with the ability to provide both immediate and sustained energy.

Regarding nutrition form and volume: because athletes will experience both a decrease in gastric blood flow and
a decrease in digestion during exercise, they should be cognizant of
the form and volume of nutrition taken in and its propensity to cause GI distress. Formulations that are easily and efficiently digested and provide the maximum amount of energy in the least volume and in a form that is less upsetting to the GI system are preferred. XRCEL^® utilizes its patented extended release delivery system and a controlled volume to help athletes find their optimal “sweet spot” in carbohydrate based nutrition.

Fluid volume – Your stomach can hold approximately 1 liter  (a little more than a quart) of fluid. Ideally, it likes to have 125-180 ml (4-6 oz.) to maintain good gut motility. Too much fluid may cause bloating and cramping, and may lead to other undesirable side effects. It will be important to know what volume your digestive system can tolerate and under what conditions so you don’t get into trouble on race or game day. Knowing your tolerance levels and hydrating with the appropriate volumes, and frequency, will be a key factor in GI function and athletic success.

Understanding how your body functions, and; what, when, and how to replenish critical nutrients and fluids is paramount to sound GI function and will be a significant contributor to your athletic performance.

Athletes need carbohydrates before, during and after performance for fuel and glycogen replenishment. An athlete’s body looks first to carbohydrates as the primary source of fuel; followed by fats and then protein. Muscles use glucose, glycogen and fatty acids for energy. When muscles are at rest, the predominant form of energy utilized is free fatty acids. With increasing intensity of exercise, the type of energy source utilization changes. At low-intensity sub-maximal exercise, muscles primarily use blood glucose and free fatty acids as energy sources. As the intensity of the exercise increases, more energy is derived from glycogen and glucose, with glycogen becoming the primary energy source.

Until X_RCEL^® was invented, athletes had to use conventional drinks and gels, that rely on multiple types of sugars, to try to increase the amount of carbohydrates their bodies could absorb. This is because the carbohydrate “gateways” become saturated and any additional available carbohydrate that might get through the “gateways” passes by, and the potential to be absorbed is drastically reduced.

X_RCEL^® overcomes these limitations with its extended release micro-gel technology. X_RCEL^®’s patented pH and temperature responsive micro gel formulation is designed specifically to aid in increasing the amount of carbohydrate being absorbed. The glucose loaded micro-gels in X_RCEL^® are specially formulated to stay near the “gateways” in your small intestine. Staying close to the “gateways” for an extended amount of time allows the gateways to take in more carbohydrate, helping to increase the amount of carbohydrate absorbed per calorie consumed (when compared to conventional sports drinks and carbohydrate supplements). This is what makes X_RCEL^® different than any other product on the market. The increased circulating levels of glucose are thereby more readily converted to ATP thus providing increased muscle output capacity and improved brain function (concentration & focus in this setting). The remainder, stored as glycogen, is reserved for future use.

A better skilled team or athlete can often times lose to a less talented competitor simply because they didn’t have the energy to keep up. At X_RCEL^® we can’t take credit for the skills, but we can significantly help improve the fueling.

X_RCEL^TM Athlete Fuel is formulated to give athletes both immediate energy and extended energy. How? X_RCEL^TM feeds your body glucose via patented micro gels. These micro gels work with your body, positioning glucose where it needs to be, at the carbohydrate uptake receptor sites, and uses your body’s pH and temperature to release glucose as your body needs it. Because glucose doesn’t need to be broken down, it can be converted immediately and directly to ATP or, if it is not needed immediately, it can be converted to glycogen to help rebuild those reserves.

Our micro-gels are based on our patented technology which utilizes food grade materials – hydroxypropyl cellulose (commonly used in whipped creams and puddings), minerals & electrolytes, and sodium alginate (made from brown kelp and typically used as a thickener in sauces and puddings) – to create self assembled, uniformly sized, pH and temperature responsive particles that contain and control the position and rate of release of glucose in the small intestine.

Our ability to control the position and rate of release helps improve the bioavailability (amount absorbed over time) of the glucose, which in turn increases the potential for conversion to ATP and thereby the output / performance potential of the athlete.

No other product has this ability, which is what makes X_RCEL^TM so unique.

Copyright 2015 New World Consumer Products, LLC