High-Quality Carbohydrates and Physical Performance

Numerous studies conducted over the past 40 to 50 years have consistently pointed to carbohydrate as the primary macronutrient for sustaining and improving physical performance. In recent years, however, with the advent of techniques that better allow scientists to measure the metabolism of key nutrients such as proteins/ amino acids, and studies on alternative feeding regimens such as ketogenic diets and periodized nutrition, our knowledge of sports nutrition principles has expanded at the same time that a consensus on what constitutes the most appropriate diet for an active person has been clouded. The Alliance for Potato Research and Education (APRE) convened a panel of experts to discuss the latest science on the macronutrient needs for physical activity. Athletes and other physically active people are always searching for an edgeY a new technique, a training regimen, or an article of clothing that might help them shave minutes or seconds off their personal best time, lead to strength gains necessary to compete at a higher level, or hasten recovery after a difficult training bout. Among the most often-cited and frequently misunderstood ergogenic aids that athletes use to enhance performance is their diet. Over the past few decades, athletes and the people who train them have become more aware than ever of the link between physical performance and nutrition. Now, most trained athletes can recite their macronutrient and micronutrient intakes almost as adeptly as they discuss their training techniques, with eating regimens such as the ketogenic diet, periodized nutrition (or nutritional training), and training low a regular part of locker room discussion.