Carbohydrate sports nutrition timing in elite athletes: A brief review study

In recent years, the use of carbohydrates to improve athletic performance among sports communities has attracted the attention of researchers. Maintaining carbohydrate stores is essential for strenuous or prolonged physical activity. Therefore, based on nutritional guidelines, it has been determined that carbohydrates should be consumed in liquid form, considering the intensity and duration of sports activities. Therefore, by reviewing previous articles, the present study offers suggestions for consuming carbohydrates during sports competitions.

To review articles from search engines Direct, PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, Springer, Google Scholar and SID, articles from 1990 to 2020 were searched and entered using related keywords. In addition, the sources of the extracted articles were searched manually.

Loading carbohydrates per kilogram of body weight before exercise can improve performance. It seems that for physical activity, less than 1 hour, 15 to 60 grams of carbohydrates per kilogram of body weight, and physical activity, more than 2 hours, 30 to 60 grams of carbohydrates per kilogram of body weight.

Finally, in this study, it was found that carbohydrate strategies are very useful during competition, but it is recommended to consume carbohydrates in accordance with individual principles and the nature of sports competition.