AUTHOR=Scrivin Rachel , Costa Ricardo J. S. , Pelly Fiona , Lis Dana , Slater Gary 

TITLE=Carbohydrate knowledge, beliefs, and intended practices, of endurance athletes who report exercise-associated gastrointestinal symptoms

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Nutrition

VOLUME=10

YEAR=2023

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/nutrition/articles/10.3389/fnut.2023.1133022

DOI=10.3389/fnut.2023.1133022

ISSN=2296-861X

ABSTRACT=<p>This study aimed to explore carbohydrate (CHO) knowledge, beliefs, and intended practices of endurance athletes who experience exercise-associated gastrointestinal symptoms (Ex-GIS) compared to those without Ex-GIS. A validated online questionnaire was completed by endurance athletes (<italic>n</italic> = 201) participating in &gt;60 min of exercise that present with Ex-GIS (<italic>n</italic> = 137) or without (<italic>n</italic> = 64). Descriptive statistics were used for parametric and non-parametric data with appropriate significance tests. Associations between categorical data were assessed by Chi-square analysis, and post-hoc Bonferroni tests were applied when significant. A content analysis of open-ended responses was grouped into themes, and quantitative statistics were applied. Participants included runners (<italic>n =</italic> 114, 57%), triathletes (<italic>n</italic> = 43, 21%) and non-running sports (<italic>n</italic> = 44, 21%) who participate in recreational competitive (<italic>n</italic> = 74, 37%), recreational non-competitive (<italic>n</italic> = 64, 32%), or competitive regional, national, or international levels (<italic>n</italic> = 63, 31%). Athletes correctly categorized CHO (<italic>x̄</italic> = 92–95%) and non-CHO (<italic>x̄</italic> = 88–90%) food and drink sources. On a Likert scale of 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree) athletes typically agree or strongly agree that consuming CHO around key training sessions and competitions enhances athletic performance [median = 4 (IQR, 4–5)], and they intend to consume more CHO around exercise [median = 3 (IQR, 2–3)]. No differences in beliefs and intentions were found among athletes with or without Ex-GIS. To enhance athletic performance, most endurance athletes intend to consume more CHO around exercise. Adequate knowledge of CHO-containing food sources was apparent; however, specific CHO ingestion practices remain to be verified.</p>