EFFECT OF CARBOHYDRATE INGESTION SUBSEQUENT TO CARBOHYDRATE SUPERCOMPENSATION ON ENDURANCE PERFORMANCE

This investigation determined whether carbohydrate ingestion during pr olonged moderate-intensity exercise enhanced endurance performance whe n the exercise was preceded by carbohydrate supercompensation. Seven m ale trained cyclists performed two trials at an initial power output c orresponding to 71 +/- 1% of their peak oxygen consumption. During the trials, subjects ingested either a 6% glucose/sucrose (C) solution or an equal volume of artificially flavored and sweetened placebo (P) ev ery 20 min throughout exercise. Both C and P were preceded by a 6-day carbohydrate supercompensation procedure in which subjects undertook a depletion-taper exercise sequence in conjunction with a moderate- and high-carbohydrate diet regimen. Statistical analysis of time to exhau stion, plasma glucose concentration, carbohydrate oxidation rate, fat oxidation rate, and plasma glycerol concentration indicated that in sp ite of a carbohydrate supercompensation procedure administered prior t o exercise, carbohydrate ingestion during exercise can exert an additi onal ergogenic effect by preventing a decline in blood glucose levels and maintaining carbohydrate oxidation during the later stages of mode rate-intensity exercise.