On this episode of Ask the Coaches:

* Coffee talk – cold brew, mycotoxins and more. Read Tawnee’s “full report” on coffee over at LPC (new members use code “lpc4me” to get your first month free).

* When downhill running causes heart rate to spike and can’t even hold MAF – what gives!? What to do: slow down to keep it low, or just let go up on the downhills?

* Study mention: Changes in Run Economy Following Downhill Running.

* “Downhill running induced reductions in maximal isometric strength of the knee extensors, a three- to six-fold increases in plasma creatine kinase activity (inflammation) and myoglobin concentration (muscle damage), and muscle soreness for 4 days after the downhill run. Oxygen consumption increased immediately to 3 days after downhill running. There were also increases in heart rate, minute ventilation, RER, RPE, blood lactate concentration, and stride frequency, as well as reductions in stride length and range of motion of the ankle and knee. The results suggest that changes in running form and compromised muscle function due to muscle damage contribute to the reduction in running economy for 3 days after downhill running.”

* Hydration/fuel strategy issues for a male ultrarunner–or something else going on?

* “Over the past few months I have begun to get dehydrated on my runs and seem to run out of energy earlier than i have in the past. I have started supplementing with more solid foods and upping my water intake while I run but it is difficult to digest more solid foods with the sloshing of the stomach in running versus cycling. The solid foods seem to help me run strong or with more energy for a bit, but tend to ultimately lead to stomach cramping unless I drastically slow the pace.”

* Also eats a very clean plant-based diet, has been keto and low carb.

* What to do to find the optimal fueling and hydration strategy?

* Could gut issues be at play hindering ability to process any nutrition?

* Mention of low-FODMAP diets for athletes with GI issues during training and racing.

* Listen to our podcast with Dan Lis PhD on research with low-FODMAP diets in athletes.

* Issues with MAF HR and LT being “too close” and lacking a solid lactate threshold. For a running wanting to compete in 10ks to marathon distances, what workouts to do to improve lactate threshold?

* Is there any benefit to holding a pace slightly faster than threshold or are those workouts just a total waste of time? Such as running about 20 seconds per mile below threshold pace for 5 miles?

* Since running translates nicely to the bike, If I have a run heavy training schedule, can I get away with a little less time on the bike?

* If training for shorter distance running events (5k- HM), would it be more advantageous to run most of your non-quality runs at MAF or at MAF+10 pace?

* How to know if you should add 10 bpm to your MAF–it may work, it may not. Depends!

Dana Lis, PhD, is a Registered Dietitian, researcher, lifetime athlete and has a huge knowledge base on sports nutrition for optimizing athletic performance. Dana’s been involved in current research examining gluten-free and low-FODMAP diets for athletes, especially endurance athletes, which is the focus of this episode. You can reach Dana at www.summitsportsnutrition.com or on Twitter: @dlisforrest. Intro & […]

Dana Lis, PhD, is a Registered Dietitian, researcher, lifetime athlete and has a huge knowledge base on sports nutrition for optimizing athletic performance. Dana’s been involved in current research examining gluten-free and low-FODMAP diets for athletes, especially endurance athletes, which is the focus of this episode. You can reach Dana at www.summitsportsnutrition.com or on Twitter: @dlisforrest.

Intro & Why Our Guts Are At Risk

* Dana’s background and how she got involved in this area of research.

* The research shows perhaps we need to think twice about gluten as the cause of GI issues, and perhaps look more to FODMAPs as the problem.

* FODMAPs = Fermentable Oligosaccharides, Disaccharides, Monosaccharides and Polyols.

* “Available literature suggests that it is the reduced fructan and GOS quantity in a gluten-free diet that modulates GI symptoms and not gluten itself (Gibson and Muir 2013; Gibson et al. 2015).”

* The Monash FODMAP app and online resources

* Why does endurance exercise run the risk of causing gut issues (a refresher) and can we train ourselves to have a stronger gut?

* Takes 4 to 5 days for epithelial cells (the gut) to repair after a bout of endurance exercise; but athletes train more frequently than that.

* Increased intestinal permeability from exercise may lead to excessive absorption of gluten-derived peptides in NCGS, which could lead to immune-related responses.

* Dehydration and heat further compromise intestinal integrity.

* Altered digestion of short-chain carbohydrates may augment GI symptoms triggered during exercise.

* Despite some GI-adaptions in trained individuals, splanchnic blood flow is still reduced by up to 80% at 70% V02max (Qamar & Read, 1987).

* How common are GI issues? “Gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms are common in up to 70% of endurance athletes (de Oliveira & Burini, 2009), and aside from mechanical, psychological and physiological triggers, several dietary factors are believed to influence symptoms (de Oliveira et al., 2014).”

Gluten Research on Athletes

* Takeaways from the review article: “Commercial Hype Versus Reality: Our Current Scientific Understanding of Gluten and Athletic Performance.”

* “This diet has not been shown to affect either positive or negative competitive performance or symptoms of GI health and inflammation and/or nutritional status in NCA (non-celiac athletes).”

* But, in NCA, what if a GFD (gluten-free diet) makes someone feel better even if the science says “no difference?”

* What about athletes with subclinical conditions and reports showing how gluten increases inflammation, intestinal permeability, leaky gut and so on?

* “Exploring the Popularity, Experiences, and Beliefs Surrounding Gluten-Free Diets (GFD) in Non-Celiac Athletes (NCA)” show positive outcomes with a GFD, even if the placebo effect aka “belief effect” is at play.

* 910 athletes

* 59% follow a GFD less than 50% of the time (GFD < 50).

* 41.2% follow a GFD 50–100% of the time (GFD > 50), including 18-world and/or Olympic medalists. Predominantly endurance sport athletes.

* 84% of the GFD > 50 group indicated symptom improvement with gluten removal.

* Reasons why athletes adopted this diet (self-diagnosed vs medical condition); risks of the diet; positive outcomes reported; and conclusions.

* Meanwhile Dana’s study, “No Effects of a Short-Term Gluten-Free Diet on Performance in Non-Celiac Athletes” showed no difference and no positive effects of a GFD in healthy well-trained athletes.

* How this study was conducted and outcomes.

On this episode of Ask The Coaches: Tainted supplements and safe supplementing IVs for athletes – know the rules and what’s allowed L-Carnitine? Followup from ATC 228 on sleep needs before late-night or all-night competitions; more from the research: Active Voice: Does Banking Sleep Before Sleep Deprivation Improve Physical Performance? “In each condition, subjects performed […]

On this episode of Ask The Coaches:

* Tainted supplements and safe supplementing

* IVs for athletes – know the rules and what’s allowed

* L-Carnitine?

* Followup from ATC 228 on sleep needs before late-night or all-night competitions; more from the research:

* Active Voice: Does Banking Sleep Before Sleep Deprivation Improve Physical Performance?

* “In each condition, subjects performed six nights of either EXT or HAB at home followed by an assessment of motor performance and neuromuscular function at baseline (D0) and after one night of TSD, i.e., 34–37 h of continuous wakefulness (D1).”

* “The main finding of our study is that physical performance was improved in the sleep extension condition. Indeed, the time to exhaustion (test of sustained isometric muscle contraction) was increased compared to the control condition. Altogether, the findings suggest that “banking” sleep improves motor performance in a manner mediated by perceptual and cognitive factors. The longer the exercise (endurance activity), the more beneficial sleep extension may be—especially in a particular sport competition where sleep deprivation tends to prevail, e.g., as in ultra-endurance races where sleep can be a limiting factor. We also believe that the beneficial effect of sleep extension would be accentuated in people who are chronically sleep deprived for multiple reasons.”

* Study mention; comparing high-intensity vs. aerobic training on mitochondrial development:

* Superior mitochondrial adaptations in human skeletal muscle after interval compared to continuous single-leg cycling matched for total work

* “High-intensity intervals compared to moderate-intensity continuous training in cycling elicited superior mitochondrial adaptations in human skeletal muscle despite equal total work. HIIT = 4 x 5 @ 65% max watts; aerobic = 30min @ 50% max watts.”

* Volume was the same in both conditions – aerobic training would require more volume than HIIT to get the same gains.

* Is there a way to determine which of the four triathlon race distances you’re built to perform the best in? Long course vs. short course, etc. Can you use past results to judge what distance triathlon is the strongest?

* Also factoring in what you’re able to do with training given other life obligations and how that plays into ideal distance to focus on.

* Ironman veteran taking on her first stand-alone marathon, specifically the Glacier 3000 in August in Switzerland, on a glacier and up a mountain with 1,900 meters of elevation gain.

* Should I also add leg extensions and gym workouts?

* Hiking and running combos?

* Trail running over or at MAF?

* Using a high altitude tent; when to start sleeping in that?

* Female runner having trouble with health and weight issues. Also dealing with grave’s disease, IBS, depression and taking a progesterone-only BC pill. Question on weight loss; despite decent miles and eating well weight is not budging. What to do?

* Our episode on natural healing for depression with Dr. Tamsin Lewis.

* All the focus on female amenorrhea on the podcast lately: is this really that common?

* Meanwhile,

Dr. Richard Maurer is a naturopathic physician, author, and expert in metabolic recovery and health. His 2014 book, The Blood Code, demystifies blood test results & body fat measurements to reveal the primal diet and fitness needs that lead toward health and longevity and also that correct weight problems, hypothyroid symptoms, prediabetic conditions and type 2 […]

Dr. Richard Maurer is a naturopathic physician, author, and expert in metabolic recovery and health. His 2014 book, The Blood Code, demystifies blood test results & body fat measurements to reveal the primal diet and fitness needs that lead toward health and longevity and also that correct weight problems, hypothyroid symptoms, prediabetic conditions and type 2 diabetes. he’s also a triathlete and comes from a family of endurance athletes. Get the book here.

Get out your pen and paper to take notes on this special episode:

* Richard’s story and why he chose to be a naturopathic doctor and write this book to empower us, the patient.

* The Blood Code empowers us with tools to be our own expert, use metabolic to assess our health, and prevent or reverse health issues including:

* Type 2 Diabetes

* High blood pressure

* Weight issues

* Cholesterol and lipids

* Dr. Maurer’s family history of diabetes and his personal ordeal becoming pre-diabetic, even as an athletic doctor. How he turned this around and “manages” his genetics to avoid disease.

* Getting into insulin, glucose, the lipid panel, and HbA1c.

Insulin

* We want to be insulin sensitive, but going too LCHF all the time can lead to too much insulin sensitivity, which can be a bad thing. Why this is the case.

* Read more from Dr. Maurer on why too much insulin sensitivity can be harmful as well.

* HOMA IR: Calculating insulin resistance vs. insulin sensitivity based of blood tests.

* Use the HOMA IR calculator here.

* How to fix IR.

* To clarify: What’s the deal with LCHF people or athletes still having high blood glucose even fasting? Is it genetics….stress…. IR….some or all of the above?

* On monitoring BG throughout the day

* Metabolism is burning excessively and not able to keep up with glycogen requirement))

* When to recommend LCHF diets vs. when to avoid them.

* On men and LCHF, using Dr. Maurer’s experience.

Cholesterol 

* It seems like we’re still conditioned to think we should just want to see lower cholesterol but this isn’t always true. What are the key things we should assess and consider when looping at a lipid panel?

* Can triglycerides (TG) and HDL be too low and why?

* A LCHF diet can lead to too low triglycerides/cholesterol, why?

* What Dr. Maurer considers to be ideal cholesterol numbers for men and women separately, and the answer might shock you!

* TG:HDL ratio, don’t go less than 0.5 (TG divided by HDL).

* More on the TG:HDL ratio here.

* On LDL and particle size and number.

* With conventionally “high” cholesterol, how Richard will guide a patient and make recommendations.

Supplements

* Dr. Maurer’s thoughts on using supplements for certain conditions, including BG regulation.

* Supplement as little as possible.

* What he takes.

Thyroid

* Defining thyroid conditions, in particular hypothyroid issues.

* Perhaps hypothyroid is not as bad as it sounds.

* More on Dr.

Ben Greenfield is back for another edition of Sports Nutrition: Meal Frequency Dandelion tea Is it better to have more or fewer feedings throughout the day? Can eating more often have a beneficial effect on blood markers, as long as it’s healthy and moderate portions? How does this compare to the benefits seen in intermittent fasting/LCHF […]

 

Ben Greenfield is back for another edition of Sports Nutrition:

Meal Frequency

* Dandelion tea

* Is it better to have more or fewer feedings throughout the day? Can eating more often have a beneficial effect on blood markers, as long as it’s healthy and moderate portions? How does this compare to the benefits seen in intermittent fasting/LCHF trends of late.

* JISSN position statement on meal frequency, “Increased meal frequency appears to have a positive effect on various blood markers of health, particularly LDL cholesterol, total cholesterol, and insulin.”

* Alan Aragon et al meta-analysis on meal frequency that is mentioned.

* More from Aragon.

* Slight correlation with eating more leading to weight loss (i.e. metabolic advantage).

* But are there tradeoffs to frequent feedings?

* Protein absorption – we can absorb about 30-40g max per feeding for proper protein synthesis.

* Sweet spot is 3 meals a day.

* Wired to Eat by Robb Wolf

Supplements For Strength and Endurance Competition

* What are specific supplements for an athlete trying to compete at a high level in both triathlon and strength competitions like Crossfit.

* Creatine

* HMB

* ATP

* Beta-Alanine – Listen to SN 235 for more in-depth talk on beta-alanine.

* BCAAs – such as PerfectAmino.

How Much Fat Can We Absorb in a Meal?

* Is there a general rule for the amount of fat someone can absorb in a single meal? Assuming one can consume excess fat in a meal, when does too much dietary fat have negative consequences like gut upset of fat mass gain?

* Fat oxidation during exercise can be up to 60g per hour, but a big portion come from endogenous fat.

* The speed at which fat moves through GI tract is about 2 hours (from eating to emptying).

* We can eat 1,000 calories of fat maximum (~110g), BUT it’s better to keep it at 60g fat per meal, maximum, and any more may be a stress on GI tract, uncomfortable, etc.

Carb ‘Sensitivity’ & LCHF/Keto

* Over a long period of time following a LCHF diet, does the body lose its ability to handle carbs? Are we doing harm by not eating a diet balanced in carb/fat/protein?

* On one hand, no reason to believe that low-carb affects ability to digest carbs.

* But on the other hand, maybe low-carb can affect our ability to use carbs…

* New review in the Strength and Conditioning Journal titled “A Case for and Against Ketogenic Diets in Athletes.”

* With long-term keto, glycogen levels in muscle and the liver may or may not be compromised but “the athlete will likely lack the metabolic machinery needed to fully use them as fuel sources.”

* “Although ketone bodies may serve as a substitute for CHO,

On this episode of Ask the Coaches: Tawnee’s “experiment” drinking FitVine wine the night before this recording. On reading books instead of social media, and this article. Click here for the book that Tawnee’s currently reading. The Paleo pancakes that are the bomb. Lucho gets “called out” on his eating habits (i.e. low food intake and […]