A turkey leg could be an athlete’s secret weapon to winning Olympic gold. British researchers believe that eating turkey could increase an athlete’s performance by as much as 20 percent which could mean the difference between a gold medal and finishing last.
Scientists at the University of Chichester’s School of Sport, Exercise & Health say that turkey breast contains one of the highest concentrations of two muscle-building dipeptides – anserine and carnosine. Foods containing the dipeptides are broken down in the body into beta-alanine and histidine. While our systems contain plenty of histidine, beta-alanine is only present in small amounts, and beta-alanine counteracts the acidity that causes muscle fatigue.
Athletes who were given 800mg beta-alanine supplements increased their muscle concentrations by 40 percent and improved their cycling ability by 13 percent. The supplements were the equivalent to 145 grams of turkey meat. Other sporting events researchers believe are likely to gain include rowing, speed skating and some distance running.
Whales and prawns are other rich sources of the muscle-enhancing chemicals. “Whale meat is not exactly available, or desirable in the UK,” said Chichester professor Roger Harris, “and you would have to eat an unpalatable amount of prawns, which are themselves high in cholesterol, to achieve the same results.”
Beta-alanine also has implications for non-athletes, including the elderly, whose bodies produce less beta-alanine as they age, and anyone who wants to remain active.
“The exciting thing is,” said research leader Glenys Jones, “I believe we are nowhere near the top. In fact, I suspect if we raise the dietary intake of beta-alanine to 250-300 grams of turkey a day for six to twelve months we will see a progressive rise in the values of a possible 80 percent increase in muscle concentrations and further performance improvements.”
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