Because ergogenic aids are such a hot topic AND I just attended two presentations dealing with this subject this months nutrition articale will be on...you guessed it...ergogenic aids!  I will describe in some detail the ergogenic aids which seem to actually work and I will simply list the ones that are not currently recommended.

It never hurts to remind ourselfs what "ergogenic aid" means.  An ergogenic aid is defined as 'any substance, technique, or device, that is used to enhance sports performance.' They can be classified as nutritional (creatine, carbo loading), psycological (mental training), pharmacological  (steriods), physiological (blood doping) and mechanical (aerodynamic
bike).  The following ergogenic aids are ones which have a growing body of research behind them and appear to enhance performance with minimal side effects.

Carbohydrate loading:
This technique has been used for many years.  It used to consist of an elaborate scheme of heavy exercise with a low carbohydrate intake followed by an exercise taper with tons of carbohydrate in the diet.  Most research indicates that this technique, while effective, is probably not necessary to achieve full glycogen stores.  As long as you can get enough
carbohydrates in your training diet (not a problem for most athletes!) your muscles will replenish the glycogen sufficiently.  How much carbs should you eat?  The recommendations are 3.2-4.5 grams of carbohydrate per pound body weight per day.  Note: try and consume about 50-100 grams of carbohydrate within two hours after a cometition or training session -
this is when your muscles are especially good at synthesizing glycogen.

Creatine:
Research indicates that creatine is probably best at enhancing performance of short, repetitive, high intensity sports / events.  It does this by increasing the synthesis of phosphocreatine in the muscle thereby increasing ATP synthesis.  The typical dosage has been 20 -30 grams per day over 4-5 days and a maintenance dose of 5 grams a day after.  There is
new research, however, indicating that dosages based on body weight may be beneficial (for example .3 g/kg/day for 4-5 days then .03 gm/kg/day as maintenance). Side effects include weight gain of about 1-4 pounds, muscle cramps which usually subside with ater consumption, and gastrointestinal distress.  Long term side effects are not yet known (something to consider when contemplating usage).  Because of the weight gain, creatine is not recommended for endurance athletes.  Note: absorption of creatine may be enhanced when taken with a carbohydrate source and may decreased when taken with caffeine.

Sodium Biarbonate:
Like creatine, sodium bicarbonate only enhances performance in short, intense events.  Sodium bicarbonate works by acting as a buffer to lactic acid which accumulates in the body with high intensity exercise.  A study showing an increase in performance used 6 male middle distance runners. They took .3 gm/kg baking soda one hour before running an 800 meter time trial.  Their times significantly decreased by about three seconds (the placebo group improved by one second).  A significant side effect of sodium bicarbonate is GI distress.  This is a user beware situation and this product should not be used during competition unless experimented with first in practice (actually, this goes for all ergogenic aids!)

HMB:
HMB (betahydroxymethylbutarate) is a breakdown product of the amino acid leucine.  The research on this product is limited, but what we do have looks promising.  HMB may enhance recovery by decreasing exercise induced muscle breakdown.  Enhanced recovery can mean more effective training and an increase in lean body mass.

There are several ergogenic aids which are popular, but the research does
not indicate that they are effective, and some can even have dangerous
side effects and are therefore not recommended.  These include the
following:

 - chromium picolinate
 - carnitine
 - ephedra
 - pyruvate
 - DHEA