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Minimizing gastrointestinal issues during endurance events -

Updated: Feb 18, Symptoms vary in intensity and can include nausea, vomiting, stomach cramps, diarrhoea and even bloody stools.

The research seems to suggest that some people may have a genetic predisposition to developing these problems, but that does not mean that you can't improve your situation. How exercise can cause an upset stomach. Mechanical causes.

Nutritional causes of stomach problems during exercise. Medication can aggravate your gut. One of the main causes for stomach problems during exercise is a decrease in blood supply to the gastrointestinal system.

the lungs. Low intensity exercise does also not seem to affect the gut as much as high intensity exercise.

You may thus improve your symptoms by training regularly and by decreasing the intensity to a level where you do not experience symptoms. There are also some nutritional strategies that you can follow. High intensity exercise can also contribute to reflux and nausea by decreasing the contractions of the oesophagus, making its valve less effective and causing food to remain longer in the stomach.

You can read more about how to manage acid reflux during running here. These are either related to impact or posture. Symptoms of the lower intestines are for instance more prevalent in runners than in cyclists.

The repetitive high impact jostling of running is thought to damage the intestinal lining which contributes to symptoms such as diarrhoea. Cyclist, on the other hand, complain more of symptoms like reflux which may be exacerbated by the position that they are in on the bike.

The good news is that these mechanical causes can be relieved by training! It has been well documented that what we eat or drink during exercise can have a strong influence on gastrointestinal complaints.

Studies done on Ironman athletes have found that ingestion of fibre, fat, protein and concentrated carbohydrate solutions all made it more likely for athletes to develop symptoms. All of these foods delay gastric emptying stay for longer in the stomach or causes more fluid to move from the body into the gut which can lead to nausea and diarrhoea.

The problem is that we need carbohydrates during exercise and high concentrations of carbohydrates have been linked to better performance. Luckily researchers have found that endurance athletes seem to tolerate concentrated carbohydrates much better if they are made up of different types, such as glucose and fructose, rather than just glucose.

This is because glucose and fructose are absorbed through different pathways and the processes can run in parallel, thus allowing the carbs to be absorbed more quickly.

Dehydration has also been found to contribute to symptoms. The reason for this is most likely because it causes an even bigger decrease in blood flow to the digestive system.

I am often asked by people if it would help if they take pain tablets before sport. My answer is always NO! Aspirin and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs NSAIDs , of which the most well-known example must be ibuprofen, have been shown to lead to a five-fold increased risk of gastrointestinal complications in athletes.

These can range from nausea to intestinal bleeds. You also risk kidney failure if you use them in a dehydrated state. While a high fibre diet is needed to keep your bowel regular, stay away from high fibre foods the night before or on the day of competition. The same goes for spicy or fatty foods.

Avoid high fructose food and drinks. Rather use drinks that contain a combination of fructose and other carbohydrates. Ingest carbohydrates with plenty of water or use drinks with lower concentrations of carbohydrates so that it can be absorbed quickly.

When using a single carb solution e. Avoid solid forms of carbohydrates as this will be harder to digest and absorb. Carbohydrates enhances performance, but there is evidence that it is not necessary to ingest large amounts during exercise that lasts less than 60 minutes.

In this case, rinsing your mouth with a carbohydrate solution is enough to enhance performance. The carbohydrates stimulate receptors in your mouth that activate the reward system in the brain and helps you to perform better.

The guidelines below are based on limited research, but anecdotally these guidelines seem to be effective. For the athlete in training, a diet with adequate fiber will help to keep the bowel regular. Fiber before race day is different. By definition, fiber is not digestible, so any fiber that is eaten essentially passes through the intestinal tract.

Increased bowel movements during exercise are not desirable and will accelerate fluid loss. It may also result in unnecessary gas production which might cause cramping. Especially for those individuals who are prone to develop GI-symptoms, a low fiber diet the day before or even a couple of days before is recommended.

Choose processed white foods, like regular pasta, white rice, and plain bagels instead of whole grain bread, high fiber cereals, oats and brown rice. Check the food labels for fiber content. Most fruits and vegetables are high in fiber but there are a few exceptions: zucchini, tomatoes, olives, grapes, and grapefruit all have less than one gram of fiber per serving.

Unfortunately, many sports nutrition products, especially drinks and gels have a very high acidity low pH. Often the acidity is increased to improve shelf life of a product.

However, a low pH also seems to affect GI problems with athletes reporting more problems with low pH products. A neutral pH may help. Unfortunately, not many products on the market are formulated with a low pH and most brands do not report the pH of their products.

Neversecond's C30 Sports Drink is a great choice as it has a neutral pH. Combinations of carbohydrates multiple transportable carbohydrates, for example glucose and fructose, or maltodextrin and fructose are more effectively absorbed and linked to fewer GI problems, especially when ingested in larger amounts.

The reason is that they are more completely absorbed and therefore the residual volume what is left in the intestine is smaller. All Neversecond C-Series Products are formulated with multiple transportable carbohydrates.

Slow carbs typically are absorbed slower and this remains in the GI tract longer. This can cause accumulation of carbohydrates in the gut and generally this is linked with GI problems.

Smaller amounts may not be a problem, but they will also provide little benefit. Both aspirin and NSAIDs are commonly shown to increase intestinal permeability protective barrier function of the gut is compromised and may increase the incidence of GI complaints. The use of NSAIDs in the pre-race period should be discouraged.

Avoid products that contain lactose as even mild lactose intolerance can cause problems during exercise. For instance, it is possible to avoid milk completely or get lactose free milk.

Soy, rice, and almond milks generally don't contain lactose. This advice will only work for a limited number of people, but it is worth trying. Fructose is found in most fruits, and although fruits are also high in fiber and this may be the reason that fruit intake is sometimes associated with GI-problems.

Some fruit juices are almost exclusively fructose. It is known for a long time that fructose when taken as the only carbohydrate source, this can increase the risk of GI-distress.

Dehydration can exacerbate GI-symptoms. It is important to avoid dehydration. Start the race well hydrated. Make sure to experiment with your pre-race and race-day nutrition plan many times prior to race day. This will allow you to figure out what does and does not work for you, and to reduce the chances that GI issues will ruin your race.

Journal of the International Society Evetns Sports Nutrition idsues Minimizing gastrointestinal issues during endurance eventsArticle number: 32 Cite this article. Metrics details. Endurance issufs frequently Low-carb food choices exercise-induced gastrointestinal GI symptoms, issuez impacting their performance. A questionnaire designed to assess dietary restrictions pre-racing and gastrointestinal symptoms was administered to runners. Rates of food avoidance were elevated in younger and more competitive runners. The prevalence of GI symptoms was higher in younger athletes, especially females, which may explain their propensity to avoid foods. Lower recreational athletes were the least likely to report GI symptoms.

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Training your stomach to avoid problems in endurance races Athletes tend to do bastrointestinal good job of gastrointestinnal their muscles, heart issuee lungs. But some of them particularly Minimizign Minimizing gastrointestinal issues during endurance events and those in running isues commonly fail to train their gut. Organic nutrition tips wonder he Minimizing gastrointestinal issues during endurance events a gasrointestinal season. Dieting myths revealed issues arise during long bouts of exercise because blood flow to the gut is reduced for an extended period of time. When combined with dehydration, elevated body temperature and high levels of stress hormones, normal intestinal function can abruptly end. If you are an athlete with a finicky GI tract, restricting your diet before and during exercise will not solve the problem. You want to learn how to train your gut to accommodate performance enhancing carbs and water.