Honey for Athletes
“Honey was deliberately adulterated with high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) at levels of 10%, 20%, 30%, 40%, and 50% (w/w). Sugar composition 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 diastatic activity.” - Quoted by scienceDirect Journal:
Jonathan Horton, a member of the 2012 U.S. Olympic gymnastic team, faced a particular challenge during his training. He suffers from a problem with his blood sugars, which causes him to become shaky during workouts. His solution: honey. According to Horton, whenever he would feel weak and shaky from low blood sugar, he would take honey to boost his blood sugar. Kerry Walsh Jennings, a gold medalist in indoor and beach volleyball, swears by honey. Her diet includes almond butter and honey sandwiches. She eats them especially before competitions to give her energy.[courtesy: Coxhoney]
During the past 50 years, a significant volume of scientific research has consistently shown the critical role of glycogen for optimalathletic performance. Glycogen is how the body stores carbohydrates for energy at the muscular level.
Research indicates a correlation between training and competing with high muscle glycogen content and improved exertion capacity and overall performance.
Glycogen is the body’s predominant source of energy during moderate- to high-intensity exertion
Results suggest that muscle glycogen availability can affect performance during both short-term and more prolonged high-intensity intermittent exercise1
(Courtesy: muscleround)
Richard Kreider, Professor and Department Head, Health and Kinesiology at Texas A&M University, conducted three studies that showed how honey can improve endurance exercise capacity.
All studies demonstrated that honey could be an alternative, improved option for endurance athletes and strength athletes, for improving athletic performance.
In “Honey and Sports nutrition: Report for the American Honey Board”, 2001, Kreider highlights that it is important for athletes to maintain a consistent blood-sugar level throughout their exercise and competition. It is known that a high-glycemic index can cause 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).
Resources:
[1] Balsom PD, Gaitanos GC, Soderlund K, Ekblom B. “High-intensity exercise and muscle glycogen availability in humans.” Acta Physiol Scand. 1999 Apr;165(4):337-45.
[2] Boost athletic performance with honey. (2001, September 25). Retrieved August 09, 2016, from nutraingredients USA
[3] They Eat What? Food Secrets of Olympic Athletes. (2012, July 30). Retrieved August 09, 2016, from abcnews
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