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Athletes are quietly becoming another risk group for dental caries. They fuel their enormous energy demands with high-carb sports energy bars washed down with sugars-loaded fluid replacement beverages.
Mouth bacteria love carbohydrates, too!
Follow carbs with a xylitol gum or candy to keep teeth in top shape.
Athletes thrive on a diet that would be deleterious to sedentary individuals. More calories, high glycemic carbohydrates and added sugars are necessary to meet energy demands and replenish exercise-depleted glycogen.
Just before and during exercise high-glycemic drinks are often used. Low-glycemic sugars such as xylitol are not recommended because they could delay water absorption. Tiny amounts of xylitol in chewing gum or mints are no problem. In the few hours immediately following exertion, glycogen is most efficiently replenished with high-glycemic carbohydrates such as glucose, maltodextrin, and sucrose. Small amounts of xylitol added to this mix help to keep the secondary energy and glycogen-generating, protein-building pathways active.
Between exercise sessions it is desirable to maintain steady blood sugar and insulin levels. Moderate-glycemic foods such as pasta, whole grain breads, and fruits are popular. Xylitol is useful for between meal treats to maintain a steady trickle of energy. Unabsorbed xylitol acts like dietary fiber, helping to maintain healthy gut function. Partial bacterial fermentation here produces volatile short chain fatty acids, which are utilized along existing insulin-independent energy pathways.
An important added bonus of xylitol metabolism is the activation of the glutathione antioxidant system, which helps to squelch free radicals generated by heavy exercise, thereby reducing oxidative damage to muscle and blood cells.
Strength athletes (football players, bodybuilders, etc.) searching for alternatives to steroids are particularly intrigued by xylitol. Even thin runners want to avoid the emaciated" look caused by upper body protein being burned for fuel. Developing lean muscle mass involves increasing anabolism (buildup) while minimizing catabolism (breakdown) of muscle protein. These are well-documented xylitol effects in conditions of stress and trauma (See section on intravenous nutrition). It is not known yet how well these finding will translate for athletes, or how much xylitol to use, but the possibilities look promising.
The huge new area for xylitol research is going to be in sports nutrition. Already there is a steady rumble of rumors about xylitol gaining favor among bodybuilders.
Xylitol has many appealing features. It's low glycemic index and mostly insulin-independent metabolism makes it ideal for maintaining steady blood sugar and insulin levels. This may help promote muscle building (anabolism). Through its use with severely traumatized patients, xylitol has been shown to have a muscle sparing effect (anti-catabolism). Xylitol is a precursor to key antioxidants which minimize free-radical damage generated by severe exercise.
Because xylitol is efficiently and steadily converted to glucose (energy) and glycogen (storage) it may be particularly useful when coupled with other carbohydrates for recovery after heavy exercise. Likewise it may be valuable for carbohydrate loading (supercompensating) by packing glycogen after a depletion phase.
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