One of your first signs of low blood sugar is loss of concentration, accompanied by cravings for more carbohydrates and loss of energy. Thus with an excessively high carbohydrate diet, you can create a never-ending cycle of FAT storing, condemning yourself to an early and untimely death.

Unfortunately, the body has a limited capacity to store carbohydrates in the form of glycogen, but a virtually unlimited capacity to convert them to body fat. In most people, insulin does its job very well; the high carbohydrate diet you are on means that you are unable to access stored body fat for energy as long as insulin levels remain high. Worse yet, high insulin makes you store fat. That's why there are a lot of people over 30 who can't keep off that 5 to 15 (or more) pounds no matter how hard they work out.

Recently, researchers have been looking closely at the connection between blood sugar, hormones, and the balance of macronutrients (protein, carbohydrate and fat) in the diet. What they have found is that the balance of these nutrients has a profound effect on the levels of insulin, and other hormones, such as glucagon, which mobilize stored glycogen and body fat for energy. By ensuring adequate protein, carbohydrate, and quality dietary fat at each meal, athletes can raise the level of glucagon and set the body up to better access body fat for energy. The result is steadier, long term energy; better concentration and focus, and most important of all for heavily training athletes, faster recovery.

This new information is not just a mad scientist's hypothesis -- an eight week research study at Pepperdine University published in the January '94 issue of Sports Medicine, Training, and Rehabilitation has reached a similar conclusion: a lower carbohydrate diet may have significant performance benefits for athletes as well as raise levels of HDL, the "good" cholesterol.

In the Pepperdine study, two groups of trained runners were tested. Runners on a balanced 40-30-30 diet showed a 7.5% improvement in the last 5k over their pace in the first 20 km. Those on the high carbohydrate diet achieved only a 2.1% improvement over their initial pace.

Treadmill testing and blood analysis of the runners at 5 km intervals during the run indicated that athletes on a 40-30-30 nutrition program received a higher proportion of their energy from fat. Many experts now believe that better utilization of fat spares muscle glycogen, thereby improving endurance and the ability to "kick" at the end of a race. They also believe that higher protein diets will lead to faster recovery from training and competition. 

The runners in the study indicated a strong preference for the higher protein formula in terms of appetite control and
perceived energy levels. The 40-30-30 formula's are being used by many professional, world class, and Olympic athletes in a number of sports ranging from swimming to power lifting.

A remarkable finding of the study is that runners on a 40-30-30 formula raised their HDL levels by an average of 13.5 points over those on the high carbohydrate diet. This result was not totally unexpected; some experts believe that higher HDL levels result from the lower levels of insulin when carbohydrate intake is reduced.

Just what is the right balance of macronutrients to get off the yo-yo cycle and take advantage of that stored fat for steady energy? 

Research at Boston University College of Medicine showed that this 40-30-30 composition was the right one for most people to maximize their glucagon to insulin "set point". And he points out, quality dietary fat is a crucial component of your diet. Not only does dietary fat provide our only sources of essential fatty acids essential for proper functioning of the immune and cellular system in the body, fat also retards the entry of carbohydrates into the system, further lowering the levels of insulin and improving the insulin -glucagon set point.

"Balancing your dietary protein, carbohydrate and fat can have a profound effect on your athletic performance and general energy levels. By better accessing body fat, you can reduce excess body fat easily and without hunger; improve your energy levels for training; improve concentration; and dramatically improve your recovery rates."

According to Sanchez, higher levels of glucagon stimulate production and utilization of human growth hormone (HGH), thereby improving muscle growth and repair. In sports such as body building, distance running, cycling, and triathlon, in which performance is strongly related to recovery from training, a balanced diet can dramatically improve performance. 

Ann Louise Gentleman, former director of nutrition at the Pritikin Institute (Nathan Pritikin was the guru behind the high carbo - low fat diet followed by many athletes today), and author of Beyond Pritikin and Super Nutrition For Women, states:

"I tend to have hypoglycemia, and the first time I tried the PR bar, I was amazed by how fast I picked up and how long my energy lasted. I've seen first hand the problems that high carbohydrate/low fat diets can cause with my patients:

1. weight gain

2. fatigue

3. blood sugar abnormalities like hypoglycemia, hyperglycemia and pre-diabetic conditions.

Every athlete must check out the "Train the Brain" Breakthrough exercise programs.

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