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This content is authored by Registered Nutritionist Dr Anna Wittekind BSc Nutrition & Dietetics, MSc Sports Science (Fitness & Health), PhD Sports Science, RNutr.
Sugars and sports performance
The 2024 Olympics and Paralympics take place in Paris this summer. The games this year will see nearly 15,000 athletes competing for medals across 50 different sports. By the time the athletes reach the Olympic village, most of the training will have been done and the athletes will be focusing on their final preparations. This will include what and when to eat and drink, to be able to perform at their best. In this article, Registered Nutritionist Dr Anna Wittekind considers whether, and to what extent, sugars might feature in these final preparations.
How and why do carbohydrates, including sugars, fuel sports performance?
Many sports, such as sprinting, tennis or football, rely on performing an activity or skill as quickly as possible, which requires the fast production of energy. One of the fastest fuels we use to provide energy is carbohydrate – mostly in the form of glucose (1). Carbohydrates come from starchy foods (e.g. bread, pasta, rice, and vegetables) and sugars. Sugars come from foods which naturally contain sugars, such as fruits and vegetables and dairy products, and from added sugars such as sucrose (table sugar) or sugars added by manufacturers to foods and drinks. We store carbohydrate in our muscles and liver as glycogen. This glycogen can be called upon to provide energy (glucose) when we need it, and to maintain blood glucose levels. However, these stores are limited and so in longer duration sports, such as field-based team sports (football, hockey) as well as long-distance cycling, marathon running and triathlons, athletes can benefit from taking on board carbohydrate during exercise - that’s if the rules and features of the sport allow for taking in fuel during the event. This carbohydrate can help substitute for, or supplement, our limited internal stores. Once these internal stores run low, we have to rely more on using fat for energy, which can only provide energy at a slower rate.