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Review
. 2017 Aug 29:14:33.
doi: 10.1186/s12970-017-0189-4. eCollection 2017.

International society of sports nutrition position stand: nutrient timing

Affiliations
Review

International society of sports nutrition position stand: nutrient timing

Chad M Kerksick et al. J Int Soc Sports Nutr. .

Abstract

The International Society of Sports Nutrition (ISSN) provides an objective and critical review regarding the timing of macronutrients in reference to healthy, exercising adults and in particular highly trained individuals on exercise performance and body composition. The following points summarize the position of the ISSN:Nutrient timing incorporates the use of methodical planning and eating of whole foods, fortified foods and dietary supplements. The timing of energy intake and the ratio of certain ingested macronutrients may enhance recovery and tissue repair, augment muscle protein synthesis (MPS), and improve mood states following high-volume or intense exercise.Endogenous glycogen stores are maximized by following a high-carbohydrate diet (8-12 g of carbohydrate/kg/day [g/kg/day]); moreover, these stores are depleted most by high volume exercise.If rapid restoration of glycogen is required (< 4 h of recovery time) then the following strategies should be considered:aggressive carbohydrate refeeding (1.2 g/kg/h) with a preference towards carbohydrate sources that have a high (> 70) glycemic indexthe addition of caffeine (3-8 mg/kg)combining carbohydrates (0.8 g/kg/h) with protein (0.2-0.4 g/kg/h) Extended (> 60 min) bouts of high intensity (> 70% VO2max) exercise challenge fuel supply and fluid regulation, thus carbohydrate should be consumed at a rate of ~30-60 g of carbohydrate/h in a 6-8% carbohydrate-electrolyte solution (6-12 fluid ounces) every 10-15 min throughout the entire exercise bout, particularly in those exercise bouts that span beyond 70 min. When carbohydrate delivery is inadequate, adding protein may help increase performance, ameliorate muscle damage, promote euglycemia and facilitate glycogen re-synthesis.Carbohydrate ingestion throughout resistance exercise (e.g., 3-6 sets of 8-12 repetition maximum [RM] using multiple exercises targeting all major muscle groups) has been shown to promote euglycemia and higher glycogen stores. Consuming carbohydrate solely or in combination with protein during resistance exercise increases muscle glycogen stores, ameliorates muscle damage, and facilitates greater acute and chronic training adaptations.Meeting the total daily intake of protein, preferably with evenly spaced protein feedings (approximately every 3 h during the day), should be viewed as a primary area of emphasis for exercising individuals.Ingestion of essential amino acids (EAA; approximately 10 g)either in free form or as part of a protein bolus of approximately 20-40 g has been shown to maximally stimulate muscle protein synthesis (MPS).Pre- and/or post-exercise nutritional interventions (carbohydrate + protein or protein alone) may operate as an effective strategy to support increases in strength and improvements in body composition. However, the size and timing of a pre-exercise meal may impact the extent to which post-exercise protein feeding is required.Post-exercise ingestion (immediately to 2-h post) of high-quality protein sources stimulates robust increases in MPS.In non-exercising scenarios, changing the frequency of meals has shown limited impact on weight loss and body composition, with stronger evidence to indicate meal frequency can favorably improve appetite and satiety. More research is needed to determine the influence of combining an exercise program with altered meal frequencies on weight loss and body composition with preliminary research indicating a potential benefit.Ingesting a 20-40 g protein dose (0.25-0.40 g/kg body mass/dose) of a high-quality source every three to 4 h appears to most favorably affect MPS rates when compared to other dietary patterns and is associated with improved body composition and performance outcomes.Consuming casein protein (~ 30-40 g) prior to sleep can acutely increase MPS and metabolic rate throughout the night without influencing lipolysis.

Keywords: Exercise; Macronutrients; Micronutrients; Nutrients; Nutrition; Performance; Position stand; Timing.

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Conflict of interest statement

Ethics approval and consent to participate

This paper was reviewed by the International Society of Sports Nutrition Research Committee and represents the official position of the Society.

Consent for publication

Not applicable.

Competing interests

CMK consults with and receives external funding from companies who sell supplemental protein, has received remuneration from companies for delivering scientific presentations at conferences and writes online, print and other media on topics related to exercise, nutrition and protein for related companies. Has served as an expert witness and provided testimonies related to exercise, supplementation, and nutrition.

BJS has no conflicts to report.

SMA has received grants to evaluate the efficacy of dietary supplements and has previously served on scientific advisory boards for a sports nutrition company.

JRS has received grants to evaluate the efficacy of dietary supplements and has previously served on scientific advisory boards for a sports nutrition companies.

BIC writes and is compensated for various media outlets on topics related to sports nutrition and fitness; has received funding for research related to dietary supplements; serves on an advisory board for a sports nutrition company and is compensated in product donations.

CDW has received external funding from supplement companies to do research, served on multiple advisory boards for supplement companies, and has served as a consultant, advisor, and spokesperson for various nutrition companies.

LT has received external funding to evaluate the efficacy of dietary supplements and has previously served in a consulting role for sports nutrition companies.

DSK works for a contract research organization that does conduct clinical trials for dietary supplement and pharmaceutical companies.

ASR has received grants to evaluate the efficacy of dietary supplements and serves on the scientific advisory board for sports nutrition companies.

RBK has received externally-funded grants from industry to conduct research on protein and protein containing supplements, serves as a scientific and legal consultant, and is a university approved scientific advisor for Nutrabolt.

DSW has received grants to evaluate the efficacy of dietary supplements, serves on a scientific advisory board for a sports nutrition company, and as scientific consultant, and has received remuneration from a company for delivering scientific presentations at conferences.

PJA consults with and receives external funding from nutrition supplement companies; has received remuneration from health and wellness companies for presenting at conferences; serves as an advisory board member of governing organizations in healthcare and nutrition supplement companies; serves as a paid consultant to the nutrition supplement industry; serves as Founder and CEO of PRISE LLC a health and wellness consultant company that owns the GenioFit App.

TAV has received grants to evaluate the efficacy of dietary supplements.

MJO is on the advisory board for Dymatize Nutrition and has received external funding from companies who sell nutritional supplements.

RW serves as Chief Science Officer for Post Active Nutrition, St Louis MO.

MG has received external funding and nutritional product from companies who sell protein supplements and has received remuneration from companies for presenting scientific based nutritional supplement and exercise research at professional conferences.

TNZ has received external funding from companies who sell protein supplements, has received remuneration from companies for delivering scientific presentations at conferences, and authors online articles related to exercise, nutrition and protein. He has also served as an expert witness and provided testimonies related to exercise, supplementation and nutrition.

AAA has no conflicts to report.

JA is the CEO and co-founder of the ISSN. The ISSN is supported in part by grants from raw good suppliers and branded companies.

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