9 April, 2019

Carbohydrate consumption improves physical performance

The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) approved on March 13 that carbohydrate consumption contributes to the improvement of physical performance during high intensity and high duration exercises, based on a scientific study that the Specialized Nutrition Europe (SNE) presented to the panel of dietary products, nutrition and allergies (NDA) of the EFSA.

The study shows that carbohydrate solutions, which contain a mixture of glucose and fructose, sucrose and/or maltodextrins, improve the physical performance of the adult, healthy and trained population that performs an activity at 65% dVO2max (maximum oxygen consumption) and at least for 60 minutes.

The EFSA notes that the consumption of carbohydrate solutions should be between 30 and 60 grams of carbohydrates per hour, and up to 90 grams if fructose constitutes a third of the carbohydrate mixture.

Although the EFSA verdict has been favorable to declare carbohydrate-based sports food supplements as healthy, we must wait for the European Commission to assess the study and accept the healthy statement, or health claim, of these supplements for publication in the Official Journal of the European Union (DOUE). The SNE together with the EU Specialty Food Ingredients, the European Plant Protein Association (EUVEPRO) and Food Supplements Europe recognize the need for European food regulations to provide adequate and safe information to athletes.

Among the aspects that they consider to be specified in sports foods, we highlight the instructions to guarantee a safe and appropriate use of the products, as well as, inform about the quality of the ingredients.

This is a great step so that companies specialized in sports nutrition can guarantee the quality of their products and respond clearly to the particular needs of each athlete, generating greater credibility and confidence.

The statement of the president of the SNE, Udo Herz, after the EFSA verdict, has reinforced the importance of this recognition and the importance of sports supplements for athletes “The SNE is grateful that the EFSA once again ratifies the Healthy benefits of sports nutrition for athletes. During intense physical activity, athletes tend to have nutritional deficiencies, including deficiency in carbohydrate stores due to fatigue produced during exercise. Sports nutrition has an essential role in providing the necessary nutrients during intense physical activity. The healthy declaration of food is essential to help athletes identify if the products respond to the nutritional needs they demand ”