Gastrointestinal Discomfort during Intermittent High-Intensity Exercise: Effect of Carbohydrate–Electrolyte Beverage

Abstract

This study investigated whether different beverage carbohydrate concentration and osmolality would provoke gastrointestinal (GI) discomfort during intermittent, high-intensity exercise. Thirty-six adult and adolescent athletes were tested on separate days in a double-blind, randomized trial of 6 % and 8 % carbohydrate-electrolytes (CHO-E) beverages during four 12-min quarters (Q) of circuit training that included intermittent sprints, lateral hops, shuttle runs, and vertical jumps. GI discomfort and fatigue surveys were completed before the first Q and immediately after each Q. All ratings of GI discomfort were modest throughout the study. The cumulative index for GI discomfort, however, was greater for the 8 % CHO-E beverage than for the 6 % CHO-E beverage at Q3 and Q4 (P < 0.05). Averaging across all 4 quarters, the 8 % CHO-E treatment produced significantly higher mean ratings of stomach upset and side ache. In conclusion, higher CHO concentration and osmolality in an ingested beverage provokes stomach upset and side ache.

Efeitos do exercício físico sobre o trato gastrintestinal

“…Estes são divididos em sintomas superiores (vômitos, náuseas e pirose retroesternal -azia) e inferiores (diarréia, cólica abdominal, perda de apetite, sangramento, aceleração dos movimentos intestinais e vontade de defecar) (6,(12)(13)(14)(15)(16)(17) . A etiologia dos sintomas gastrintestinais durante o exercício é multifatorial e inclui a redução do fluxo sanguíneo intestinal, a liberação de hormônios gastrintestinais (11,(18)(19)(20)(21)(22)(23)(24) , o estresse mecânico sobre o TGI (25,26) , a desidratação (27)(28)(29) , os fatores psicológicos (30) , a idade (31,32) , o sexo (13,22,31,32) , a dieta (22,23,33,34) e o nível de treinamento do indivíduo (23) . Comentaremos a seguir as principais causas para o desenvolvimento de sintomas gastrintestinais em praticantes de exercícios de longa duração.…”

“…Quanto à dieta, a ingestão de altas quantidades de suco de laranja, comidas gordurosas, proteína, vitamina C, bebidas hipertônicas de carboidratos, alimentos ricos em fibras e grandes refeições antes de competição predispõem à manifestação de sintomas gastrintestinais (22,23,33) . Muito embora existam relatos que o consumo de cafeína antes do exercício possa aumentar a queixa de sintomas gastrintestinais, Van Nieuwenhoven et al (34) recentemente mostraram que as queixas dos sintomas gastrintestinais foram maiores em atletas que consumiram solução de carboidratos durante o exercício em comparação com a ingestão de água.…”

Are Splanchnic Hemodynamics Related to the Development of Gastrointestinal Symptoms in Ironman Triathletes? A Prospective Cohort Study

“…10 From these reviews, it seems that reduced blood flow to the intestine during exercise may be one of the more likely pathophysiological mechanisms for the development of GI symptoms during exercise. 9,10 Although studies have shown that significant physiological changes in splanchnic blood flow occur in response to an acute exercise bout, [11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19] there are, to our knowledge, no studies that (1) have investigated the effects of prolonged endurance exercise on splanchnic hemodynamics and (2) specifically linked the development of GI symptoms during prolonged endurance exercise to alterations in splanchnic hemodynamics.…”

Beverage carbohydrate concentration influences the intermittent endurance capacity of adolescent team games players during prolonged intermittent running

“…Manipulating CHO exo intake could be achieved by ingesting different volumes of a 6% solution; however, ingesting larger volumes may lead to gastrointestinal distress (Shi et al 2004). Furthermore, this practice would not translate well to actual field-based team games, where there are limited opportunities to drink during matches (Clarke et al 2008).…”

“…Furthermore, this practice would not translate well to actual field-based team games, where there are limited opportunities to drink during matches (Clarke et al 2008). Manipulating the [CHO] of the ingested solution may also increase the risk of gastrointestinal distress (Shi et al 2004), but the minimal understanding of CHO tolerance during team games in adolescents, along with the absence of any CHO intake guidelines, provides a rationale for using different [CHO].…”