Supporting a uK SucceSS Story: The impacT of - Research Councils ...
Supporting a uK SucceSS Story: The impacT of - Research Councils ...
Supporting a uK SucceSS Story: The impacT of - Research Councils ...
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Health and Wellbeing:<br />
Performance<br />
It might sound a little far fetched, but<br />
researchers at the University <strong>of</strong> Northumbria,<br />
in partnership with a PhD student at St Mary’s<br />
University College, have found that cherries<br />
can help improve the performance <strong>of</strong> marathon<br />
runners. <strong>The</strong> researchers asked 20 marathon<br />
runners to drink either a cherry blend juice or a<br />
placebo drink twice a day for five days before<br />
taking part in the London Marathon and for two<br />
days afterwards. <strong>The</strong> findings indicated that<br />
the group who drank the cherry juice recovered<br />
their strength more rapidly than the other group<br />
over the 48-hour period following the marathon.<br />
<strong>The</strong> researchers concluded that cherry juice<br />
appears to aid recovery following strenuous<br />
exercise by increasing total antioxidative<br />
capacity, reducing inflammation and oxidative<br />
stress and therefore helping the body recover<br />
muscle function.<br />
Another researcher from Sheffield Hallam<br />
University has found that caffeine combined<br />
with carbohydrate could be used to help<br />
athletes perform better on the field. Mayur<br />
Ranchordas, a senior lecturer and performance<br />
nutritionist conducted studies on footballers<br />
using caffeine and carbohydrates combined in<br />
a drink. Along with improvements in endurance<br />
caused by ingesting carbohydrate, the athletes’<br />
skill level improved after taking caffeine and<br />
carbohydrate together. He said: “<strong>The</strong>re is already<br />
plenty <strong>of</strong> research that shows that caffeine and<br />
carbohydrate improve endurance, but this study<br />
shows that there is also a positive effect on skill<br />
and performance. We found that the combination<br />
<strong>of</strong> carbohydrate and caffeine allowed players<br />
to sustain higher work intensity for the sprints,<br />
as well as improving shooting accuracy and<br />
dribbling during simulated soccer activity. <strong>The</strong>se<br />
findings suggest that, for athletes competing<br />
in team sports where endurance and skill are<br />
important factors, ingesting a carbohydrate and<br />
caffeine drink, as opposed to just a carbohydrate<br />
drink, may significantly enhance performance.”<br />
New research that took place at the University <strong>of</strong><br />
Central Lancashire looked at the use <strong>of</strong> calcium<br />
supplements by elite athletes and whether this<br />
has an impact on performance. Calcium is the<br />
most abundant mineral in the human body and<br />
is needed for healthy bones and also some<br />
critical biological functions including nerve<br />
impulses, muscle contraction, cell adhesiveness,<br />
mitosis, and blood clotting. Although still in<br />
its early stages, this research has found that<br />
calcium can have an effect on metabolism,<br />
fatigue and vascular tone and therefore increase<br />
the efficiency <strong>of</strong> an athlete’s body. <strong>The</strong> use <strong>of</strong><br />
calcium as a performance enhancing supplement<br />
still requires more research, but early findings<br />
indicate that it can play a role in performance<br />
enhancement for endurance events.<br />
Training techniques<br />
Most people know, whether they are elite athletes or not, that it is important to<br />
warm up properly before exercising or taking part in sport to help prevent muscle<br />
cramps or other injuries. A group <strong>of</strong> researchers from Aberystwyth University,<br />
the University <strong>of</strong> Brighton and the University <strong>of</strong> Exeter have been looking at new<br />
ways <strong>of</strong> warming up that can actually help improve an athlete’s performance. <strong>The</strong><br />
team have studied warm up techniques that involve doing high-intensity exercise,<br />
known as “priming”, before the main exercise session or race. Priming increases<br />
24<br />
SECTION two : Health and Wellbeing