Disaccharides can be found in foods like table sugar, milk and a few sports drinks. This type of carbohydrate can be broken down in minutes, meaning that the energy gained could be used straight away. This is perfect for something like a rest between tennis sets, half time during football, or as a drink stored on the boat while in a sailing race. The fact that it can be quickly absorbed means that it can be quickly used in the sports that the athlete is about to play. This energy is essential as it helps give the athlete more energy. This then increase their level of playing and enables them to reach their top potential, giving the player the overall result they want.
Monosaccharides can be found in foods like milk, honey, fruits and some sports drinks. This type of carbohydrate is essential to sports as it can be taken into the body during the sports and can provide the body with energy without breaking it down. The energy that the food or drink contains can be absorbed and used by working muscles within minutes. As monosaccharides don’t have to be broken down in the body, it means that the body doesn’t have to supply the stomach with valuable energy to break it down. The energy is therefore dedicated to the working muscles. Monosaccharides are a valuable source of energy during sports as they give us a quick and efficient boost of energy without requiring that much energy.
Larger polysaccharides require the body to break down these long chains in order to be used as energy. It isn’t recommended that a sports athlete intakes these during sports, however they can intake these an hour before exercise in order to give it time to be broken down into monosaccharide. They can also consume them after sports. Disaccharides are made from two monosaccharide molecules. They also require the body to break them down. Although the process of breaking them down is only small, it is still not recommended that an athlete consumes them during sport. They are best used an hour before the exercise or sports event, so they can be quickly broken down and used. Monosaccharides are the smallest of the carbohydrates and are composed of a single sugar molecule. An athlete is able to take these in during sports as the body doesn’t need to break them down. They can be absorbed straight into the blood. This structure is perfect for consuming during sport as it can be quickly absorbed without the body having to supply energy in order to break it down. This means that the energy saved from breaking the carbohydrate down can be used to increase the athlete’s performance.
Protein
Proteins are essential within the body. They help to produce new cells within the body, they help to repair damaged tissue and they help the body to grow. The great majority of the body uses proteins to build the structure it needs. Every part of the body requires proteins in one way or another even enzymes and hormones are made from proteins. Proteins are essential to sport as some sports may result in an injury, having high levels of protein in the diet enables the athlete to repair the damaged tissue. Sports people need a higher level of protein as the body needs to repair and grow however people in the UK consume more protein than they need. So sports people don’t really have to increase the amount of protein they usually eat. Proteins are used to build muscle within the body. During weight training the muscle being worked on becomes ripped. Having a suitable level of protein in the diet allows the body to repair and build the muscle and make it stronger. It can therefore be seen that proteins help make up and build muscle and are essential to sport.
The body requires 20 amino acids that help to build up structures within the body. All 20 amino acids are vital, yet not all of these amino acids can be produced in the body. Eight can not be made in the body and have to be consumed. There are two types of protein that we can eat. Complete protein are foods such as Chicken, dairy products, fish, eggs, pork and other meats that contain all the amino acids we need. The other type of protein is incomplete proteins these are found in foods such as grains, seeds, nuts and vegetables. Incomplete proteins only contain a handful of the amino acids we need in our diet. We need both complete and incomplete proteins in our diet if we are to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Proteins take time in the body to be broken down or digested into the amino acids. Foods containing protein shouldn’t be consumed during sports as they aren’t beneficial. They aren’t beneficial as they can’t be broken down properly. They body isn’t able to digest food such as protein as the body is to busy supplying energy to the working muscles. Consuming protein before sports is also not recommended as it is not that affective. However it is recommended that the athlete consumes protein after sports because this is when it is most needed. It allows the body to repair any damage and build up muscle that might have been damaged during the sport.
Having this balanced diet is essential for sports athletes. If they don’t have the right balance in their diet then their body can’t produce the structures it needs. The consequences are that the cells won’t be able to be produced as fast and healing the body will take longer. A balanced diet of protein is therefore essential to meet the demands of sport.
In this assignment, I will look at each nutrient individually. I will firstly analyse their functions and how they relate to sport. I will secondly analyse their source and how this also relates to sport. I will finally relate the structure of proteins to their function within the human body with respect to sport and exercise.
Lipids
Lipids are otherwise known as fats. Aswell as carbohydrates fats are used in the body as a source of energy. Fats are also essential for growth. Sports players have to have an acceptable level of fat although to much can be damaging towards the athletes health however, different athletes have to have different levels of fat depending on their chosen sport. Fats are stored in a number of various places within the body. Fats can be stored in the yellow marrow, found within the ends of the long bones. Fats are also found in a thin layer underneath the skin and surrounding some of the organs within the body. The layer of fat surrouding the body also acts as a layer of insulation to keep heat in.
Water
http://www.eatwell.gov.uk/healthydiet/foodforsport/sportnexercise/
