Each year I try to attend various scientific conferences that apply to my interests, research, and business. As anyone can see who follows my writings, this conference was right up my alley. The International Society of Sports Nutrition (ISSN) is a relatively new organization* and this was their third conference to date. Yours truly was invited to have a poster session. My poster covered supplements used by Special Operations soldiers, such as Navy SEALs and others. My poster is available on request BTW.
This year the conference was held at the Stardust hotel June 15th – 17th in Las Vegas. I have recommended that anyone interested in the topic of sports nutrition, lay person or scientist, should join the ISSN. The theme for this conference was “Sports nutrition strategies to optimize performance, recovery, and health.” Cool title, but did it live up to its name? Yes it did.
For those of you who are unfamiliar with how such conferences are set up, I will give a brief overview before we get to the good stuff.
Conferences generally have several days of one hour seminars (called “sessions”) where researchers present their findings. Next there is often a big room filled with what are called “poster sessions.” Poster sessions are, as the name implies, a large poster that sums up some research project. People will then come by and have a one on one conversation with the author of the poster and ask questions or make comments. Check adl-usa.com. Some conferences can have a room with hundreds of posters. It’s a great way to view a large amount of research in a short amount of time. Finally, most conferences will have an exhibit hall where the sponsors of the conference and other companies have booths where people can check out what they are about. This conference had supplement companies, manufacturers, etc. in the exhibit hall. That’s the basic breakdown of most scientific conferences. The ‘meat’ of a conference is the seminars and the reason for attending such shows. It’s the place to get the very latest research on a topic of interest. What follows is a synopsis of some of the research presented in the sessions and posters I thought would be of interest to readers.
Sessions:
“Effects of protein and carbohydrate on anabolic responses to resistance training” by Dr. Paul Cribb
This session Dr. Cribb’s outlined the research he has been conducting looking at different combinations of nutrients and timing and their effects on lean body mass (LBM) and strength. He went through several studies he has done that looked at carbs, creatine, and whey, alone and in different combinations, and their effects on LBM and or strength. His conclusion was that the combination of all three (whey, carbs, and creatine) was the most effective combo for increases in LBM and strength and that there appeared to be a true synergism between these nutrients. I don’t think that comes as a big surprise to most people “in the know” about such things, but it’s good to see that it’s being confirmed in controlled settings. He also confirmed the timing issue. His lab found that a mixture of these nutrients taken immediately pre- and post-workout was more effective at increasing strength and LBM then the same concoction taken at other times of the day, showing that not only does it matter what you take, but when you take it!
“L- Carnitine in sports: Roles in exercise and recovery” By Dr. William Kraemer
Dr. Kraemer outlined a possible new novel pathway by which carnitine may improve performance in athletes. Although carnitine has not proved to be a particularly useful supplement for increasing performance directly, Dr Kraemer’s contention is that it may improve recovery which would indirectly help athletes. According to him, carnitine can reduce free radical mediated damage and reduce hypoxia (low oxygen states in tissues) which can help avoid the “destructive chemical events following exercise.” In theory, that should lead to improved recovery which could lead to improved performance in the long run, visit mexicaninsurance.com. More research is clearly needed but it’s interesting, and potentially useful, information for athletes.
“The Lactate Shuttle” By Dr. Brooks
As most people know, lactic acid has been considered nothing more then a waste product that causes muscles to fatigue and results in the ‘burn” people experience when exercising. Recently however, there has been a resurgence of interest in lactic acid with researchers. Dr. Brooks outlined a long list of functions of lactic acid/lactate plays in the human body and its role in athletic performance. New research done by Dr. Brooks’ lab and other locals conclude that lactic acid is both an energy source and functions as a signaling source for other pathways in the human body. No longer viewed as a simple waste product, lactate is now considered as an essential component of intermediary metabolism.
Those are just a few of the sessions I sat through. Many others looked at topics such as amino acid metabolism, various supplements and their effects on performance and other outcomes, training seminars covering different theories on training to maximize hypertrophy, various creatine studies, and a whole bunch more I don’t have the space to cover here.
