The Very Good Question Section

This is a new section consisting of some very good questions and their answers as fielded by the ISSA technical support team over the past two weeks. ENJOY!


Could you please make a recommendation with regard to the number of carbo calories/grams that can be manipulated without causing unwanted effects?

That is a fine question. The truth is, there is no exact numbers I can give you for carbohydrates before one would experience unwanted effects. There are many things to consider: One, if the calories are from complex carbohydrates, more can be consumed without fat storage than if the calories came from simple sugars. This is one reason why we always eat as much of our carbs from complex sources as possible. Two, If the person exercises frequently, more carbohydrate calories will be burned as fuel, and thus more can be consumed without unwanted effects. The more one exercises, the more carbs they will need for fuel. Remember that carbohydrates are the body's preferred energy source. Three, if the person is in better physical condition, they will have a higher glycogen storage capacity and can thus consume and store more carbohydrates without any conversion to fat than could an out of shape individual. Four, GENETICS! Some people have an incredible ability to stay lean and a huge capacity for exercise. Even though a person like this may have some carbohydrates being converted to fat in the body, these fatty acids will be burned for fuel long before they make to the body's fat storage depots. These are those people who can truly eat about anything they want and always look and feel great.

All things considered, the range is going to be as low as 50% of calories from carbs, up to probably 75-80% for endurance athletes in great shape, training near every day, eating all complex carbs, and no sugar carbs. It is up to you to evaluate your own situation, and decide on an amount that will give you all the carbohydrates that you need, but not any extra.

I've heard so many different purposes of creatine. What is its main purpose? Does it actually store water in the muscle like some believe?

With so much rhetoric and misinformation regarding the efficacy of creatine, and supplements in general, it is hard to distinguish fact from fiction. Creatine monohydrate supplementation appears to result in an increased ability to maintain power output during high-intensity exercise, and increase the rate of PCr resynthesis during the recovery phase. A reduction in the accumulation of plasma lactate, ammonia, and hypoxanthine which is indicative of an alteration in energy metabolism and an attenuation of ATP degradation, which basically means that ATP turnover rates are much easier to sustain. Also, an increase in body mass accompanies ingestion of creatine monohydrate. Muscle is already 70-75% water, so appropriate water consumption is more important than creatine consumption. Evidence linking cellular volume with regulation of metabolic control has been linked to creatine use as well. Since creatine is an osmotically active substance, an increase in intra cellular creatine may very likely induce cell swelling. I would recommend doing additional research through our CEU course on creatine, which can be found in our members' section of the www.issaonline.com page.

How many grams of protein can the stomach consume during one meal? I read a book that stated about 30 grams of protein for each meal is all the stomach can absorb at one time.

The body (stomach) will absorb about as much protein as one can ingest. It will not stop digesting at 30 grams like many people say. All the amino acids consumed will make it into the blood. The limiting factor is that any excess amino acids not needed for tissue repair will either be converted into other nutrients, or lost in the urine. How much of the aminos consumed that end up as lean tissue will depend on genetics, age, training and overall diet, but is not limited by the stomach's ability to break down protein.

What are the four "main muscle fiber types"? It appears that there are only three types listed on page 45 of the issued course book. I see Type I, Type IIa, and Type IIb. What is the fourth type?

The fourth type is called the type 11c. If you have our newest (black-covered) book, it will be discussed in Unit 2 of the text. If you have any of our white-covered texts, you must watch the video to get the information on this fiber type. The info will be under the topic of "fiber fusion" because this is the method of formation of this fiber type. Keep in mind that the existence of this fourth muscle fiber type is only a theory. In any college course, only the type 1, type 11a, and type 11b will be presented.