FOR DECADES, ATHLETES HAVE BEEN A TARGET for companies selling everything from banned substances to several worthless nutritional products with the hope they will make the diference between winning and losing. At the expense of being misled, athletes have sufered irreparable damage from steroids and hormones as well as the side efects experienced from stimulants and tainted dietary supplements. In addition, the tremendous stress of strenuous exercise and its contribution to oxidative stress, inflammation, fatigue, muscle damage and transient immune suppression sets the stage for viewing the athlete in a very diferent way. In THE MISLED ATHLETE, renowned nutritionist Carl Germano, RD, CNS, CDN and his team present a new look at the athlete as a patient and provide a comprehensive plan for addressing the multiple nutritional needs of the athlete beyond excess protein, stimulants and steroids. Germano discusses the link between the stressor of exercise and the importance of proper recovery through diet manipulation, efective training techniques, and the use of legitimate nutritional supplements. THE MISLED ATHLETE gives insight into how the foods athletes eat, which training techniques they use, and how the consumption of certain safe nutritional supplements can successfully address the ravages of intense activity, assist the athlete to recuperate better and help prepare for the next battle.

The MISLED ATHLETE

Effective Nutritional and Training Strategies Without The Need For Steroids, Stimulants and Banned SubstancesBy CARL GERMANO

iUniverse, Inc.

Copyright © 2011 Carl Germano
All right reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-4502-9051-7

Contents

Foreword by Joe Theismann...................................................................................................xiChapter 1 Introduction - The Athlete As Patient............................................................................1Chapter 2 The Exercise-Immune Connection - A Dual Edged Sword..............................................................5Chapter 3 Exercise and Oxidative Stress: How Free Radicals Break You Down..................................................18Chapter 4 Exercise, Fatigue and Energy Production..........................................................................28Chapter 5 Exercise and Muscle Breakdown....................................................................................38Chapter 6 Dietary Manipulation: Challenges & Health Concerns...............................................................49Chapter 7 Hydration: Water & Electrolytes - The Underrated Nutrients.......................................................68Chapter 8 Steroids/Precursor Hormones/Banned Substances: Playing Russian Roulette With Your Body...........................82Chapter 9 Effective Training Methods to Build Strength: Eliminating the need for Steroids and Hormones.....................100Chapter 10 Effective Training Methods to Build Endurance: Eliminating the need for Stimulants..............................117References..................................................................................................................127

Chapter One

Introduction – The Athlete As Patient

When my son asked my opinion about a sports supplement recommended to him on a popular internet forum, it was a question I had dreaded for some time and the impetus for writing this book. Knowing that he and all young athletes are the target of unscrupulous marketing about the next "hot" product to make them stronger, faster and bigger, I knew it was going to be difficult undoing the brainwashing and misinformation that goes with certain sports nutrition supplement companies. And I'm not alone in my concerns. The Food and Drug Administration and the United States Anti-Doping Association regularly monitor and find products being sold as a sports supplement to contain banned substances. A recent study tested 600 supplement products from around the world for substances that were not listed on the label and are banned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association and U.S. Olympic Committee. Twenty-eight percent of the supplements tested in the United States and fourteen percent of supplements tested outside the United States had banned substances in them with no disclosure on the label. This is quite unfortunate since the legitimate dietary supplement companies are overshadowed by the unscrupulous and deceptive ones.

Marketing hype, coupled with the intense pressure to excel by parents and coaches, has led to increased use of unproven or banned substances by novice and professional athletes alike. An informal survey by a former U.S. Olympic Committee physician showed that more than 50% of elite athletes would be willing to take an illegal substance if it would guarantee them a gold medal, even if they knew that taking the substance would be fatal in a year! While legitimate organizations and websites presenting accurate information about sports nutrition exist, they are also overshadowed by the marketing hype of unsubstantiated claims. The allure of gaining the competitive edge has led professional athletes, varsity teams, and even the weekend warrior, to experiment with everything from unproven nutritional strategies, such as excess protein consumption to the more deleterious anabolic steroids.

There is a clear distinction between what is represented in muscle magazines and the reality of what the body can achieve naturally. That distinction is what this book attempts to convey. If you think that eating large amounts of protein, swallowing hormone analogs or, worse yet, experimenting with steroids is a sustainable approach to physical strength and performance then read this book very carefully as you have been grossly misled. It is my hope and intention that this book will help you view the athlete very differently than how you have done so in the past. My mantra is simple - if you recover better from the stress of exercise, you will perform better! An obvious, yet frequently overlooked concept. Optimal performance is only achievable if athletes are able to recover from the stress that exercise imposes on the body.

An in-depth review of the scientific concepts presented here may be found in texts and research studies for more detailed exploration. I have collected and tied it all together to outline a new view of the athlete. Numerous clinical studies have been published on the various hormonal, immune, and cardiovascular effects of strenuous activity on the human body. In many regards, those effects are similar to the same processes that occur during certain diseases such as in immuno-compromised conditions. Therefore, to address the multiple nutritional needs of the athlete, the athlete must be viewed as a patient. My clinical experience with oncology patients has taught me the apparent similarities between these two different "patient" populations. That is, muscle wasting, fatigue, oxidative stress, inflammation and immune suppression are common symptoms found in cancer patients as well as in athletes during prolonged strenuous activity (extended periods at 80% – 90% of your maximal heart rate) or in overtraining states. This book will cover the effects of exercise and how best to address them with diet, proper supplementation, and effective training techniques. In addition, the subject of banned substances and the dangers of steroids and precursor hormones will be addressed.

The Stress of Exercise

Intense exercise is one of the greatest sources of physical stress that athletes deliberately subject themselves to on a regular basis. Increased metabolism, heart rate, blood pressure, oxygen consumption, hormonal and even free-radical production are normal and transient responses of the body to physical stress. Remove the stress (i.e. exercise) and the body quickly shifts into recovery mode. Thus, the body adapts and becomes stronger. It is only during recovery that the body becomes stronger and capable of facing the next physical challenge. It is a thin line between proper training and overtraining that every competitive athlete walks and the consequences of hampered performance and injury that can result. Overtraining, a condition when the volume and intensity of an individual's exercise exceeds their capacity to recover quickly enough, and restrictive eating can exacerbate the physiological stress placed upon the athlete's body. Symptoms are physical (inflammation, reduced immune function, persistent fatigue, elevated heart rate, decreased muscular strength, tissue breakdown and weight loss), and psychological (irritability, loss of motivation and enthusiasm). Inflammatory markers and free radicals contribute further to muscle breakdown and impede recovery. Female athletes must take additional care to also avoid the "female athlete triad" (characterized by low bone density, amenorrhea and low caloric intake). Chapters two through five examine the physiological effects...