LYCOS RETRIEVER 
Carbohydrate: Total Carbohydrate
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Sugars: Also listed under Total Carbohydrate on food labels, sugars are found in most foods. However, the Nutrition Facts label doesn't make the distinction between natural sugars and added sugars. Natural sugars are found in many foods, including fruit and dairy products. Snack foods, candy, and soda often have large amounts of added sugars. To find out if a food has added sugar, you need to look at the ingredient list for sugar, corn syrup or sweetener, dextrose, fructose, honey, or molasses, to name just a few. Avoid products that have sugar or other sweeteners high on the ingredient list.
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Carbohydrate loading: Depletion of muscle glycogen can cause a decrease in exercise energy output. The use of CHO loading to maximize muscle glycogen stores at the beginning of exercise or competition could be beneficial for student athletes who participate in continuous exercise for more than 90-120 minutes (Wilkinson and Liebman, 1997). The classic method of CHO loading recommended by Bergstrom et. al., (1967), includes glycogen depletion from a long low intensity workout, followed by loading. The student athlete should eat a CHO rich diet (pasta, potatoes, bread other grains or starchy vegetables) in which 90% of the total k/cal are from CHO, for 2-3 days to allow the muscles to become saturated. This involves CHO intakes of 500 to 600 g per meal. The classic method of loading occurs when the student athlete depletes the muscle reserves of glycogen by engaging in a strenuous workout (endurance runners, a 2-3 hour steady run) and then eats a very restricted, low CHO diet for 3 days, followed by a CHO loading phase of 2-3 days in which a very high CHO diet, in which more than 90% of total k/cal are consumed from CHO.
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Carbohydrate which is fermented stimulates the growth of bacteria in the large gut. This is a generalized effect which leads to an increase in the total number of bacteria or biomass. When bacterial growth occurs, the microflora synthesize protein actively from preformed amino acids and peptides as well as some de-novo synthesis using ammonia as the source of nitrogen. The additional biomass is excreted in feces and is one of the mechanisms whereby carbohydrate influences bowel habit. The increased biomass excretion is accompanied by increased nitrogen excretion. The efficiency of conversion of carbohydrate to biomass is determined principally by the type of substrate, the rate of breakdown and the transit time through the large intestine (68).
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With the help of a Registered Dietitian, a person with diabetes can determine the amount of carbohydrate that should be eaten per day and at each meal and snack. The total amount of carbohydrate needed daily is based on a person’s calorie needs- carbohydrate should comprise 50 to 60 percent of the day’s calorie intake. For consistent blood glucose levels, the amount of carbohydrate eaten should be spread throughout the day; this will allow for a relatively even release of glucose into the blood from meal to meal and from day to day. For example, a person who needs about 1800 calories a day would need about 225 to 270 grams of carbohydrate a day, distributed evenly among the person’s meals and snacks. The total number of meals and snacks and their timing throughout the day can differ for each person, based on his or her nutritional needs, lifestyle, and the action and timing of medications.
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Although the individual components of dietary carbohydrate are readily identifiable, there is some confusion as to what comprises total carbohydrate as reported in food tables. Two principal measures of total carbohydrate are used, firstly, that derived by "difference" and secondly the direct measurement of the individual components which are then combined to give a total. Calculating carbohydrates by "difference" has been used since the turn of the century. The protein, fat, ash and moisture content of a food are determined, subtracted from the total weight of the food and the remainder, or "difference", is considered to be carbohydrate. There are... a number of problems with this approach to total carbohydrate analysis in that the "by difference" figure includes a number of non-carbohydrate components such as lignin, organic acids, tannins, waxes, and some Maillard products. In addition to this error, it combines all of the analytical errors from the other analyses.
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Dietary carbohydrate increases the amount of CHO available to the working muscles. When the levels of CHO are reduced exercise intensity and length of activity decrease, and fatigue rapidly increases. Costill (1988) recommended that athletes ingest 9-10 grams CHO/kg of body weight per day to restore and maintain muscle glycogen levels. Student athletes should consume a diet in which at least 60% of the total energy is supplied by carbohydrate (Costill, 1993). Pre-exercise carbohydrate loading has been shown to improve performance (Sherman, 1995).
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