Dr.Med., Professor E.A. Gavrilova¹
Dr. Hab., Professor O.A. Churganov¹
PhD Yu.V. Yakovlev²
PhD P.K. Kuznetsov^3
1North-Western State Medical University named after I.I. Mechnikov, St. Petersburg, Russia
²Budyonny Military Academy of Communications, St. Petersburg
³North-Western Institute of Management, St. Petersburg

Keywords: sports, athletes, ice hockey, biologically active additives.

Background. It is common knowledge nowadays that competitive progress in modern ice hockey may be facilitated when the coaching teams are competent in the sport-specific dieting issues, with a special role played by modern dietary supplements with biologically active additives for the physical progress and performance enhancement purposes.

Objective of the study was to analyze benefits of modern biologically active additives for energy generation mechanisms in the ice hockey sport.

Methods and structure of the study. We analyzed for the purposes of the study the relevant study reports on modern ice hockey, diets, nutraceuticals and biologically active additives including those in the Еlibrary.ru and Pubmed databases.

Results and discussion. Generally the energy supply mechanisms in ice hockey are dominated by muscle ATP, muscle creatine phosphate, blood glucose and muscle/ liver glycogen. Individual performance and teamwork on the whole heavily depends on how timely and efficient the intake or bodily synthesis of the agents with high ergogenic values is.

Muscle ATP driven energy supply mechanism normally takes a few seconds for mobilizing. It was in 2014 that R. Jager et al. [5] found the universal ergogenic effect of a 12-week high ATP intake course (400 mg/ day), with the skeletal muscle strength and power tested to grow by above 30%. In 2012-2016, a series of randomly sampled double blind, placebo-/ controlled dieting studies of the ergogenic effects of a few ATP supplements (enteric Peak ATP and ATP-Long agents) found the combination of ATP with hydroxymethyl butyrate (HMB, an organic acid produced as a result of amino acid leucine disintegration) being most beneficial for energizing purposes [1]. The combination of HMB (3 g/ day) with ATP (400 mg/ day) was tested of synergizing effect on the skeletal muscle strength growth due to the endogenous ATP synthesis going even under extreme physical stress.

Alactate energy supply mechanism is mobilized in the maximal power zone to last for 20s at most. This energy generation mechanism is secured mostly by the creatine phosphate based ATP production, with the process productivity dependent on the creatine phosphate level in muscles. Creatine was tested with an ergogenic effect on ice hockey players [6] apparently due to its benefits for neuromuscular functionality and contribution to the muscle glycogen resource by the glucose transporting protein GLUT4.

Aerobic glycolytic energy generation mechanism may be ranked number one for ice hockey. Individual glycolytic resource largely depends of the carbohydrate reserves in the form of glycogen in muscles and liver and free glucose in the blood. This is the reason why athletes are recommended high-carbohydrate diets with carbohydrates making up to up to 8-13g per kg of body mass with an emphasis on complex carbohydrates (vegetables, grains, bread, pasta, cereals, rice and legumes) to keep the glycemic index within the optimal range.

Active athletes need their glycogen depots being replenished after trainings and competitions. Thus they are recommended, within the so-called "carbohydrate window" (at most 30 minutes upon completion of a match), taking at least 1g of carbohydrates per kg of body mass with banana, baked potatoes, dried fruits, smoothies, etc.; since 60% of glycogen needs to be replenished within the first two hours after training or match, otherwise (when it takes the whole day or more), the rehabilitation sand fitness rebuilding processes may be stalled.

Instant carbohydrate compensations in trainings and competitions (by carbohydrate-rich soda drinks) make it possible to offset the energy costs on the run, improve performance and restore glycogen depots. Thus the American College of Sports Medicine recommends diets of 0.7g of carbohydrates per kg of body mass per hour when training or competing in the form of glucose-electrolyte drinks (6-8% solutions) to keep up the blood glucose levels and prevent dehydration and potential immunosuppressive effects [7].

Modern ice hockey players are known to widely use stimulants. Thus R.T. Bents and E. Marsh [2] reported 51.8% of the ice hockey sample surveyed making resort to stimulants prior to a match. J. Coso et al. [3] found 3 mg of caffeine per kg of body mass to significantly improve the ice skating speed and intensity with the relevant benefits for competitive performance.

The glycolytic energy supply mechanism is critical for the individual ability to cope with the lactic acid accumulation and the relevant adverse effects. Dietary supplements with leucine, glutamine, BCAAs, magnesium, thiamine, biotin and lipoic acid effectively prevent accumulation of lactic acid in the anaerobic glycolysis by converting pyruvate into agents with no suppression effects on the energy generation (alanine, oxaloacetic acid, acetyl CoA).

The efforts to limit the lactate accumulation shall be complemented by the initiatives to remove the produced lactate and thereby prevent lactic acidosis in trainings and competitions. These initiatives may be facilitated by such dietary supplements as beta-alanine (1.6-3.2g) and carnosine (beta-alanine-L-histidine, 4-6.5g). These biologically active additives not only mitigate acidosis, but also improve the contractility and elasticity of muscle fibers by stimulating the collagen formation and thereby delaying muscle fatigue.

Aspartic amino acid (aspartate) not only suppresses acidosis but also encourages synthesis of ATP, testosterone, somatotropin and insulin-like growth factor. This dietary supplement is recommended in precompetitive period since it increases the individual anabolic potential and contributes to the ATP synthesis. For the lactate removal purposes, 3g of this biologically active additive shall be taken 30-60 minutes prior to a match.

Aerobic glycolysis is launched only 30s after starting a physical work to peak after the 50s point. This time is needed for pyruvate to convert into Acetyl-CoA that goes through the Krebs cycle reactions to produce 38 ATP molecules. Intake of succinic acid (succinate) as a dietary supplement of 0.03g per 1 kg of body mass per day (straight after a lunch) enhances the cellular respiration and aerobic glycolysis. For prophylactics, up to 300 mg per day of the biologically active additives may be taken for 1-2 months. Coenzyme Q10 (60-100 mg) is known to have the same effect on aerobic glycolysis. It is essential for the ATP synthesis efficiency, with 95% of the whole cellular energy known to be generated with a contribution from coenzyme Q10.

Vitamin D3 is of special benefits for application in ice hockey for energy supply and performance enhancement purposes [4, 9] as has been demonstrated by the recent study reports. It was found to increase the maximal oxygen consumption and muscle strength, reduce muscle inflammation and stimulate testosterone production, with enhancement of the energy generation mechanisms in hockey players. It should be noted that 23 studies that sampled 2,313 athletes on the whole found 56% (44% to 67%) of the total sample and 40% of the ice hockey subsample having vitamin D3 deficiencies [9].

One of the studies mentions that since 2007 the Chicago Blackhawks (a professional US ice hockey club) players were taking 5,000 IU vitamin D3 per day [12]; and it took only 2 years for the club to make progress from the last place on the scoreboard to the Stanley Cup title. None of their competitors was taking vitamin D3 until 2008. Nowadays athletes are recommended 1000 IU of vitamin D3 on a daily basis [4, 9].

Conclusion. Energy supply mechanisms and performance in modern ice hockey largely depend on diets on the whole and dietary supplements in particular with the biochemical response encouragement effects of the latter.

References

1. Albert F.J., Morente-Sánchez J., Ortega F.B. et al. Usefulness of β-hydroxy-β-methylbutyrate (hmb) supplementation in different sports: an update and practical implications. Nutr Hosp. 2015. V.32. no.1. pp.20-33.
2. Farrokhyar F., Tabasinejad R., Dao D. Prevalence of vitamin D inadequacy in athletes: a systematic-review and meta-analysis. Sports Medicine. 2015. V.3. no. 45. pp. 365-378.
3. Jager R.,   Roberts M.D.,  Lowery R.P. Oral adenosine-50-triphosphate (ATP) administration improves blood flow following exercise in animals and humans. J.Int.Soc.SportsNutr.  2014. pp.11-28.
4. Jones A.M.,  Atter T., Georg K.P. Oral creatine supplementation improves multiple sprint performance in elite ice-hockey players. J. Sports Med Phys Fitness. V.3. no.39. pp.189-196.
5. Kreider R.B., Wilborn C.D., Taylor L. ISSN exercise & sport nutrition review: research and recommendations. J. Intern. Soc. Sports Nutr. 2010. No.7. P. 7-50.
6. Orysiak J., Mazur-Rozycka J., Fitzgerald J. Vitamin D status and its relation to exercise performance and iron status in young ice hockey players. PLoS One.  2018. V.4. no.13.

Corresponding author: yakovlevspb@mail.ru

Abstract

Objective of the study was to analyze benefits of modern biologically active additives for energy generation mechanisms in the ice hockey sport.

Methods and structure of the study. We conducted a systematic review of the scientific research on the keywords: hockey, nutrition, sports nutrition, nutraceuticals, biologically active additives in two electronic databases Еlibrary.ru and Pubmed.

Results and conclusions. The review considered the biochemical features of energy supply of ice hockey players. We analyzed the process of renewal of the main sources of energy before, during, and after the game: ATP, creatine phosphate in the muscles, glycogen in the muscles and liver using biologically active additives. A review of the activities on the acceleration of metabolism of the substances that restrict energy supply in ice hockey is included.

The authors note that the combination of ATP with hydroxymethyl butyrate is the most effective way to increase the level of ATP in the muscles with a high level of evidence. It is shown that creatine has an ergonomic effect on ice hockey players. The effects of creatine are associated with its positive impact on the neuromuscular function and the increase of glycogen in the muscles due to the protein (glucose transporter GLUT4) expression of the glucose-carrying protein.

Supplementation for the purpose of emergency compensation of carbohydrates during the training and competitive activities (carb mineral drinks) gives an opportunity to replenish the energy consumption as early as in the course of the game, improves a number of performance indicators, and replenishes glycogen depot levels.

The consumption by ice hockey players of the biologically active additives containing leucine, glutamine, BCAA, magnesium, thiamine, biotin, and lipoic acid inhibits the accumulation of lactic acid in the body. The lactat acid acidosis levels can be reduced by taking such biologically active additives as beta-alanine and carnosine (beta-alanine-L-histidine). When an athlete ingests amber acid (succinate) in the form of biologically active additives, his cellular respiration is increased and aerobic glycolysis is stimulated.