ABSTRACT
An almost limitless number of possible combinations of ergogenic aids is imaginable. The availability of specific nutrient combinations has grown to the point where over a hundred brands have between one and several dozen products marketed specifically for exercise and sports applications. Product sophistication continues to outpace any possibility of definitive testing, much less of preliminary studies. The demand for new products is fueled by the willingness of the public to try products that are usually untested and based on hypothetical mechanisms. Another category of combinations of nutritional ergogenic aids is dietary manipulation of macronutrient compositions to accentuate certain hormone levels, which, in turn, will affect exercise metabolism. A comprehensive and simple diet program incorporating everyday foods is based on the relationship between insulin and glucagon, levels of which can be influenced by food intake. Glucagon is a mobilization hormone that produces glucose from glycogen and fatty acids from stored body fat. Exercise inhibits insulin secretion and stimulates glucagon secretion.
