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Building a Better Jock
Can Science Create a Stronger, Faster Olympian?
Some Say Yes; Others Disagree
By MARC LALLANILLA
Aug. 13, 2004
— In the Mexico City Olympics of 1968, Bob Beamon stunned the athletic world
when he shattered the record for the men's long jump. Leaping over 29 feet, he beat the former record by almost 2 feet —
so far that the officials' measuring rail didn't even extend that distance.
What unlocks these record-setting performances? For many coaches and
athletes, the answer seems to be science, in the form of nutrition, physiology and materials technology.
But is the reliance on new scientific innovations stealing the soul
of athletic competition?
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| Bob Beamon lept into the record books with his 1968 Olympic long jump. (AP Photo) |
What
athletes eat and drink — the super-foods precisely engineered to address their nutrient needs — is one of the
ways that science lends a helping hand.
"We have foods now that are specifically designed for athletes," says
Ron Pfeiffer, professor of kinesiology at Boise State University in Idaho and co-director of its Center for Orthopedic and
Biomechanics Research.
"Elite athletes aren't the kinds of people you'll see walking down
the street next to you," Pfeiffer adds. "They have different nutritional needs. Their diets are carefully monitored for things
like muscle glycogen and liver glycogen levels."
Some companies have excelled at devising sports drinks and other products
that address athletes' fluid-replacement and carbohydrate needs. But are these super-foods creating super-athletes?
Pfeiffer, like most others in sports science, doesn't think so. "There's
no real magic to it," he says, though he doesn't think anyone is likely to return to the diets of a generation ago.
"I didn't know a protein from a hockey puck when I went to the Olympic
trials for speed skating in 1968 and 1972," Pfeiffer says.
For the full story, go to ABC News
What's the Buzz on Energy Drinks for Kids?
Some Critics Call Caffeine Drinks for Children Risky
By MARC LALLANILLA
Sept. 26, 2005 — There's nothing new in marketing products
to children, even products intended for adults. But doctors are concerned that a new sports drink containing caffeine and
other substances, marketed to children as young as 4 years old, may have gone too far.
Spark, a product aimed at adults and teens manufactured by Advocare of Carrollton,
Texas, contains 120 milligrams of caffeine — roughly the same amount as a cup of coffee — as well as 200 mg of
taurine and 50 mg of gamma-aminobutyric acid, a compound with stimulant properties.
These ingredients are usually found in energy drinks and sports beverages intended
for elite athletes.
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KickStart Spark, a related product specifically marketed for children 4 years and older, contains even more gamma-aminobutyric
acid (100 mg), 200 mg of taurine and 60 mg of caffeine.
"This is shameful marketing," said Madelyn H. Fernstrom, associate professor and director of the University of Pittsburgh
Medical Center Weight Management Center. "Under the guise of 'good health,' this is a promotion of caffeine consumption, which
will likely have a biological effect on most children who consume it, since their intake is low."
For the full story, go to ABC News
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| (Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images) |
Team Psychology Can Contribute to Assaults
'Groupthink' Often Overrides Individual Morals
By MARC LALLANILLA
April 20, 2006 — Athletes and officials at Duke University who find themselves embroiled in
that lacrosse team's sexual assault scandal have plenty of company.
In recent years, colleges across the country have found themselves caught in several high profile cases of alleged rape
or sexual assault by one or more members of a sports team.
To be sure, the vast majority of college athletes are never accused of any wrongdoing, and many observers describe sports
as a potent character-building experience. But critics claim there are too many reports of serious misconduct by student athletes.
Details vary from one situation to the next, but many critics see the powerful influence that a team has over individual
morals as a common theme running through each case. Many of these episodes of sexual assault don't involve individual aggressors,
but small bands of athletes acting as a group.
Mitch Abrams, a sports psychologist and consultant, argued that groups like college-level sports teams often have their
own identities, beliefs and codes. This leads to what he called "groupthink," where individual initiative is quashed by the
collective values of the group.
"There's a group dynamic that suppresses the individual point-of-view," Abrams said. "There has to be increased team identity."
But left unchecked, he said, these group values can easily override a young person's sense of right and wrong.
"You might have a bunch of guys who have a great [individual] moral code," Abrams said. "But inside a culture where there's
groupthink that supports exploitation of women, mass consumption of alcohol that will impair judgment, and a feeling that
they're above the law — there will be members who engage in bad behavior."
For the full story, go to ABC News
Sports Drinks: Who Needs Them?
Doctors Question Added Calories and Sugar Most Consumers Don't Need
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By MARC LALLANILLA
April 19, 2005 — Most supermarkets and convenience
stores are well stocked with neon-colored sports drinks and vitamin-fortified "designer water."
These bottled drinks promise to give the drinker energy and vitality —
some even advertise vague rewards like "balance," "focus" and stress relief.
But does the average consumer derive any real benefit from the sports drinks
that Americans spent over $5.4 billion on last year?
Water, Water Everywhere
"It's a marketing
gimmick, pure and simple," said Keith-Thomas Ayoob, nutritionist at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York.
Most health experts agree that sports drinks have electrolytes and sodium
that are beneficial to professional athletes and marathoners, but have little value to the average user.
"There's a certain appeal in drinking what Olympic athletes drink," Ayoob
said, "but it should be just water if you're doing 10 minutes on a treadmill."
And because many enhanced waters contain only small amounts of essential
nutrients, Ayoob advises consumers to look elsewhere for nutrition.
"That's what we have food for," said Ayoob.
For the full story, go to ABC News
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