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For more than 20 years, athletes were told to avoid sugary meals within three hours of a competition. In 1977, researchers found that eating sugar within three hours of exercising caused blood sugar levels to shoot sky high and then to fall to low levels.
Eating sugar causes blood sugar levels to rise. Your pancreas responds by releasing large amounts of insulin which remain in your bloodstream when you start to exercise.
The insulin already in your bloodstream plus muscles drawing large amounts of sugar from your bloodstream can cause your blood sugar to drop to very low levels. Since 99 percent of the energy for your brain comes from blood sugar, it was felt that your brain would suffer from lack of an energy source and you would feel terribly tired and pass out.
Low blood sugar levels cause tiredness and passing out, but athletes are able to tolerate extremely low blood sugar levels during competitions without even slowing down.
More recent research has shown that eating sugar prior to competition can enhance performance. The extra calories are there to continue fuelling your muscles. You should eat one to five hours prior to competition and you can eat sugary foods. Your only concern is that your stomach should be relatively empty when you start to exercise, so some athletes avoid fatty foods that stay in the stomach for a longer time. Easily-digestible pre-event foods include fruits and fruit juices, breakfast cereals with skim milk, muffins, bagels and so forth.
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