Is carbohydrate the only fuel used by sports persons?
Carbohydrates, proteins and fats are the sources of fuel undergoing various changes during physical exercise. Type of diet, training, intensity and duration of exercise, are the determinants of fuel type used by muscle during exercise. Body makes use of glucose and glycogen (stored form of carbohydrate) during high intensity activities like football, basketball, soccer and swimming whereas fat reserves are used in moderate and low intensity exercise such as jogging, hiking, aerobics, gymnastics and walking. Reliance on fat as fuel is more in a long duration activity as well as in a trained person. Diets high in carbohydrates and fats lead to greater usage of these fuels but the net performance decreases on a high fat diet.
