Conclusions of This Study

What the scientists deduced from their results.

The results of this study indicate drinking the glucose solution during strenuous exercise delayed fatigue by an additional hour when compared to the trial in which a placebo drink was consumed. In addition, it was found that, contrary to earlier belief, muscle glycogen was not the source of the additional carbohydrates needed to offset fatigue by an additional hour. Rather, other sources of carbohydrates, capable of undergoing carbohydrate oxidation, were made available. Blood glucose is thought to have replaced a significant amount of the carbohydrates, which are obtained from muscle glycogen under normal conditions.

This conclusion is supported by the fact that when the glucose solution was taken, an additional source of carbohydrates was provided. This additional source supplemented the concentration of plasma glucose in the athletes. Due to the additional supply of carbohydrates, the rate at which the carbohydrates were oxidized by the athletes remained constant. However, when a placebo drink was consumed, a decline in the rate of carbohydrate oxidation occurred. Results of the study indicate that the blood glucose level also declined during the long period of strenuous exercise. As a result, glucose consumption in the leg was not able to increase at the rate needed to maintain stamina and, eventually, fatigue occurred.