ABSTRACT
When it comes to nutrients, things are constantly on the move: Waves of proteins, carbohydrates, fats, micronutrients and water flood our digestive tracts after a meal, leading to substantial changes in circulating levels of amino acids, carbohydrates, lipids and micronutrients. ese fluxes in nutrients alter homeostasis. However, our cells and organ systems have evolved a number of integrated mechanisms that allow for the partitioning and storage of glucose as glycogen, the use of amino acids to synthesize new proteins and the processing of lipids either into triglyceride stores or cell membranes. For this system to function, nutrients and storage molecules must be sensed both in the blood and within tissues. Some of these nutrient-sensing mechanisms overlap with the mechanisms by which we adapt to exercise. erefore, there is the potential to exploit nutrient provision in terms of meal timing and meal composition to augment exercise adaptations and optimize performance gains. In the first section of this chapter we will discuss some examples of how nutrients are sensed and how this sensing directs nutrients to cells that are nutrient depleted or have an elevated nutrient demand.
