Posted Aug 24, 2011
Endurance athletes are obsessive about nutrition — not to lose weight but to improve performance. Those in the know follow Runner’s World editor-at-large Amby Burfoot’s Twitter feed: @exerscience. Take our quiz based on recent studies he has retweeted.
1. A study of the effects of zinc and selenium supplements in cyclists, published in the Biological Trace Elements Journal, showed what type of change in resting testosterone and lactate levels after four weeks of use?
a) No significant change
b) 14 percent increase in serum testosterone levels
c) 1.5 percent increase in plasma lactate
2. Some athletes believe quercetin, a plant-derived flavonoid, can improve endurance by reducing inflammation. A study, published in the International Journal of Sports Nutrition Exercise Metabolism, of runners who either ingested four quercetin chews or four placebo chews before exercise showed what?
a) Quercetin chewers’ bloodwork showed nearly twice the reduction of inflammation compared to placebo chewers.
b) Quercetin chewers actually had slightly higher inflammation levels.
c) No significant difference in the two groups.
3. True or false: The spice curcumin does not help treat inflammatory arthritis and tendinitis, according to researcher at the University of Nottingham in Great Britain and Ludwig-Maxmillians University in Munich, Germany.
4. The flavonol epicatechin, most commonly found in cocoa (chocolate, anyone?), was found to increase fatigue resistance and oxygen capacity in lab mice exercising on treadmills, according to a study in the Journal of Physiology. How much more did the epicatechin-fed mice improve on the treadmill compared to the placebo mice?
a) .01 percent improvement
b) 20 percent
c) 37 percent
5. Runners need to store glycogen in their muscles for endurance. In a study published in the British Journal of Nutrition, subjects who augmented their post-workout recovery meal with the supplement hydroxycitrate (HCA) saw what type of increase in glycogen synthesis into their muscles?
a) no increase
b) a twofold increase
c) a threefold increase
ANSWERS: 1: a; 2: c; 3: false (results showed that curcumin prevents the molecule interleukins from promoting inflammation); 4: b; 5: a.
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