Short report
Carbohydrate mouth rinse: does it improve endurance exercise performance?
Author affiliations
Laboratory of Applied Nutrition and Metabolism, Department of Biodynamics of Human Movement, School of Physical Education and Sports, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
Citation and License
Nutrition Journal 2010, 9:33 doi:10.1186/1475-2891-9-33
Published: 27 August 2010Abstract
It is well known that carbohydrate (CHO) supplementation can improve performance in endurance exercises through several mechanisms such as maintenance of glycemia and sparing endogenous glycogen as well as the possibility of a central nervous-system action. Some studies have emerged in recent years in order to test the hypothesis of ergogenic action via central nervous system. Recent studies have demonstrated that CHO mouth rinse can lead to improved performance of cyclists, and this may be associated with the activation of brain areas linked to motivation and reward. These findings have already been replicated in other endurance modalities, such as running. This alternative seems to be an attractive nutritional tool to improve endurance exercise performance.
