[Conde Koma]

Noob question: why do we want to slow down the digestion of fats, proteins, vitamins?

[TheRuss]

Originally Posted by Conde Koma

Noob question: why do we want to slow down the digestion of fats, proteins, vitamins?

It's situational.
-If stuff in your digestive tract is in too much of a hurry (think diarrhea, for example), you don't have a chance to absorb it before it's gone.
-If, on the other hand, stuff in your digestive tract is readily digestible but not stored by your body (whey or hydrolyzed protein, for example), it'll get absorbed, processed and excreted in fairly short order.

In short, I want to be providing my body with food to keep it in an anabolic state even when I'm asleep and thus not stuffing my face. I suspect that a slow protein (casein, from milk protein) + fats (slow digestion) + soluble fiber (slow absorption) = a nice slow, steady flow of nutrients overnight.

[Conde Koma]

Hmm. Does this same principle apply to giving you a steady source of energy during activity like a race or a fight? I hear about people carbo-loading to achieve the same effect, is this just a different way of doing it?

[TheRuss]

Originally Posted by Conde Koma

Hmm. Does this same principle apply to giving you a steady source of energy during activity like a race or a fight?

Not exactly.

Fights and most races are short and intense enough that you're running off of energy you've already absorbed (typically muscular/liver glycogen). In the case of marathons and long bike races, you'll see people taking sports drinks, carb gels, etc. while on the hoof, but those are actually designed to get out of your digestive tract and into your bloodstream as quickly as possible (with the expectation that you'll have another once it's depleted).

This is because the other effects of having stuff in your digestive tract during exertion ranges from "I don't really notice it" to "oh man, I just shat/puked/peed myself" depending on the volume, location and constitution of it.

Originally Posted by Conde Koma

I hear about people carbo-loading to achieve the same effect, is this just a different way of doing it?

I am deeply suspicious of carb-loading before an event. As far as I'm concerned, the best time to carb load is immediately after exertion to hit the sharpest glycogen depletion-overcompensation slope. Sure, top up before an event, but much like training, you should have done the hard work before the day of.

[TheRuss]

Originally Posted by Jack Rusher

Aside: On the topic of diet and inflammation, I've noted bizarrely powerful effects from (of all things) adding three tablespoons of flax oil/day to my diet.

So as I may (or may not) have mentioned earlier, I've been mixing ~20g of flaxseed oil into my pre-bed shakes (along with olive oil, guar gum and milk protein isolate). Obviously I haven't been doing any training to speak of that would require anti-inflammatory effects, but...

Originally Posted by TheRuss

my left ulnar nerve's three times the size of my right one right now.

... the symptoms associated with this (weakness and numbness in my left ring and pinky finger) seem to be significantly lessened the next day after taking said flaxseed oil. Could be placebo or wishful thinking (and I can't imagine what I'd have to do to get a follow-up ultrasound), but I'll take what I can get.

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Question: Does anyone here know much about the risk of head trauma in collegiate wrestling? This paper (PDF, p.156) seems to indicate it's about as risky as cheerleading in that regard. Anecdotal evidence is welcome.

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Also, who wants to be my study buddy for introductory organic chemistry?