Percentage of fat the athlete’s diet
Fat is a fundamental source of energy for the body. Importantly, fat provides approximately nine calories per gram which makes it a dense macronutrient. In strenuous athletic activities that last for about 6 hours, fats can offer about 60 to 70 percent of the energy required (Clifford & Maloney, 2011). Fats consumption in a diet of an athlete should be less than 30% of calories. Since athletes need a lot of energy, it is good to retain their fat intake at sufficient levels. However, depending on the activity, the athlete can decide to keep their fat intake at a minimum of 30% of daily calories (Economos, Bortz, and Nelson, 1993). Keeping an adequate intake of fats is essential to realizing nutritional requirements of vital fatty acids. Athletes who want to achieve or keep low body weights may tend to employ fats restriction. Nevertheless, this aspect may impact their performance adversely. While sufficient fat consumption is essential, the proposal that argues that a high-fat improves athletic performance is a speculation that is not supported by scientific studies. Notably, the right percentage of fats in an athlete’s diet helps them to perform better and even avoid complications of high fats in the diet.
Use of fat as an alternative energy source for athletes
Athletes mainly rely on carbohydrates as a source of energy while in action. However, after exercising for some hours, the carbohydrates resources may be depleted. In such a case, the athlete requires the next available source of energy which is fat. An advantage of fats is that they produce more energy than carbohydrates, 9 kcal versus 4 kcal (Ophardt, 2003). However, it is not easy to utilize fats as a source of energy since they must first be broken into glycerols and fatty acid.
Breakdown of lipid to ATP
The primary processes of lipid breakdown happen in the Fatty Acid Oxidation to create ATP (Ophardt, 2003). The breakdown of fats to ATP molecules proceeds through various steps. First, the lipids undergo hydrolysis to generate glycerols and fatty acid. The glycerol is promptly converted into DHAP in glycolysis. This process is reversible, and the products can be converted back into lipids (Ophardt, 2003). Hydroxyacetone produced from glycerol can be converted into other products. The DHA can be transformed into pyruvic acid and generate energy in the glycolysis process. Additionally, the DHA can be utilized in gluconeogenesis to make G-6-P for glucose or glycogen. The fatty acid is oxidized to AcCoA. Then the AcCoA is finally turned into ATP + CO2 + H2O utilizing the citric acid cycle (Ophardt, 2003).
Storage of fat in the athlete
The human body stores about 50K to 60K kcal of energy in the form of fats (Olive, 2014). Excess fats are stored as triglycerides in the body tissues specifically the adipose tissue. Other fats are stored in the muscles fibers. Athletes access fats from the muscles since they require producing energy for exercising. Ideally, the fats stored in the muscles inform of intramuscular triglycerides are equivalent to approximately 2 to 3 thousand kcal (Olive, 2014).
If fats are readily available
Even though fats some fats are stored in muscles, they are not readily accessible for use by athletes as a source of energy. Importantly, unlike carbohydrates that can be quickly used as energy source, fats must be broken down to the constituent components and then converted into ATP. Fats offer an efficient method for storing energy for use when other sources are depleted. They are also essential component of biological membranes (Berg, Tymoczko, and Stryer, 2002). Hence, fats have other functions in the body and should not be readily available as a source of energy to the athlete.
How the primary ATP production affects the suggested fat consumption
The main forms of ATP generation lower the recommended fat intake. Notably, athletes cannot consume high carbohydrate and high fat diet at the same time. Hence, the athlete maintains a high intake of carbohydrates and low consumption of fats. Also, this aspect attributes to the fact that fats are not always used during athlete activities since they serve as energy reservoir for emergencies.
References
Berg, J. M., Tymoczko, J. L., & Stryer, L. (2002). Biochemistry. 5th edition. New York: W H Freeman.
Clifford, J., & Maloney, K. (2011). Nutrition for the athlete - 9.362. Retrieved August 31, 2016, from <http://extension.colostate.edu/topic-areas/nutrition-food-safety-health/nutrition-for-the-athlete-9-362/>
Economos, C. D., Bortz, S. S., & Nelson, M. E. (1993). Nutritional practices of elite athletes. Sports Medicine, 16(6), 381–399.
Olive, L. (2014). Fat as fuel: What value are medium-chain triglycerides as an energy source for endurance athletes? Retrieved August 31, 2016, from <http://www.pponline.co.uk/encyc/0158.htm>
Ophardt, C. E. (2003). Virtual chembook. El mhurst College.
