Effects of an overnight high-carbohydrate meal on muscle glycogen after rapid weight loss in male collegiate wrestlers

Abstract

Background Severe rapid weight loss (RWL) induces a decrease in muscle glycogen (mGly). Nevertheless, adequate carbohydrate intake after RWL has not been reported to optimize muscle glycogen following a weigh-in the evening until a wrestling tournament morning. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of an overnight high-carbohydrate recovery meal of 7.1 g kg−1 following RWL on mGly concentration. Methods Ten male elite wrestlers lost 6% of their body mass within 53 h and then subsequently ate three meals, within 5 h, containing total of 7.1 g kg−1 of carbohydrates. mGly was measured by 13C-magnetic resonance spectroscopy before (BL) and after RWL (R0) at 2 h (R2), 4 h (R4), and 13 h (R13) after initiating the meal. Body composition, muscle cross-sectional area, and blood and urine samples were collected at BL, R0, and R13. Results Body mass decreased by 4.6 ± 0.6 kg (p < 0.05) and did not recover to BL levels in R13 (− 1.7 ± 0.6 kg, p < 0.05). Likewise, mGly by 36.5% ± 10.0% (p < 0.05) and then did not reach BL levels by R13 (p < 0.05). Conclusion A high-carbohydrate meal of 7.1 g kg−1 after 6% RWL was not sufficient to recover mGly during a 13 h recovery phase. Participating in high-intensity wrestling matches with an mGly concentration below normal levels is maybe undesirable.

Weight regain, body composition, and metabolic responses to weight loss in weight cycling athletes: A systematic review and meta‐analyses

“…Five cohorts were studied in 13 different articles, but the data presented in each paper complement each other. [39][40][41][42][50][51][52][53][54][55][56][57][58] Among the 69 studies that assessed quantitative BW, 37 studies were not included in the metaanalyses considering following criteria in this order: (i) data were missing for pre-WL, WL, and/or WG time point (N = 20) 3,4,40,52,[56][57][58][59][60][61][62][63][64][65][66][67][68][69][70][71] ; (ii) the articles were subgroups of a global cohort described in another article (N = 5) 40,42,50,54,55 ; (iii) the sample size was unclear (N = 1) 44 ; (iv) the calculation of the relative WG was unclear (from pre-WL or WL) (N = 2) 72,73 ; (v) the duration between pre-WL and WL time points was unclear (e.g., pre-and mid-season) (N = 4) [74][75][76][77] ; (vi) SD was missing (N = 1) 14 ; (vii) not enough studies had collected data in soldiers with a very specific ranger training (N = 3)…”

“…Then, seven studies were included in meta-analyses thanks to raw data sent by the authors, conducting 32 the total number of studies included in the meta-analyses. 2,[11][12][13]16,38,39,41,43,53,[78][79][80][81][83][84][85][86][87][88][89][90][91][92][93][94][95][96][97][98][99][100]…”

“…Eighty percent to 97% of the combat sports and powerlifting competitors were engaged in rapid weight loss (RWL) 4,12,44,96 and seemed to involve more extreme WL methods than bodybuilding 15 or fitness athletes 39,42,54,55 interventional studies and can decline to less than 3 days for interventional studies. 41,50,95,103 Among the eight articles with apparent statistics, 40,43,53,56,85,87,88,92 a significant loss in FM (%) was observed in five groups 40,43,53,87,88 ( p < 0.05), and one of them noticed a significant increase after 14 days of WL (p < 0.05). 92 Moreover, a significant decrease in FFM (kg) ( p < 0.05) was found in 8 38,40,41,43,53,85,87,93 out of 10 articles with apparent statistics.…”

“…41,50,95,103 Among the eight articles with apparent statistics, 40,43,53,56,85,87,88,92 a significant loss in FM (%) was observed in five groups 40,43,53,87,88 ( p < 0.05), and one of them noticed a significant increase after 14 days of WL (p < 0.05). 92 Moreover, a significant decrease in FFM (kg) ( p < 0.05) was found in 8 38,40,41,43,53,85,87,93 out of 10 articles with apparent statistics. 38,40,41,43,50,53,85,87,88,93 WL versus WG…”

“…33 Successive WL and WG, also observed among soldiers, [34][35][36][37] are recognized to alter the athletes' physical performance and metabolism, 23 even if the results remain equivocal regarding the longer-term residual impact. Indeed, while physical, psychological, and metabolic profiles have been restored after WG (back to pre-WL values) by some authors, [38][39][40][41][42] others have shown that such alterations might persist despite post-diet BW recovery. 35,37,40,43,44 Given the plethora of articles on WL and WG in athletes and the diversity of dieting and recovery methods employed by athletes in different sports categories, it seems essential to comprehensively identify and then synthesize the available evidence using systematic and meta-analytic approaches.…”