Chemistry in sports
Tonight is the Opening Ceremony for the 2012 Summer
Olympics in London. As we cheer on the incredible athletes from around the
globe, it’s amazing to think about all the advances chemistry has enabled in
sports at the Olympic level and beyond.
Many types of sports equipment rely heavily on
chemistry to help athletes reach peak performance—and provide critical safety
and protective functions along the way. Whether it’s a tennis ball or baseball
bat, elite athletes from around the world depend on the products of chemistry.
Polyurethanes
Polyurethanes,
a kind of plastic, will play an important role this summer as they are
frequently found in running and other athletic shoes, making them more
resilient. In addition, polyurethane is found in a wide variety of popular
sporting equipment, such as soccer balls, binders on running tracks and judo
mats.
A number of styles of sport flooring and pour-in-place
track surfaces use polyurethanes, as well. These equipment necessities
alongside such items as surfboard, roller blades, bowling balls and spandex
apparel are all made possible in part due to polyurethane innovations.
Nanotechnology
Nanotechnology
is also changing the way we play sports.
For instance, nanotechnology used in golf balls can
greatly improve performance by reducing hooks and slices. Tennis racquets
manufactured with nanomaterials become stiffer and lighter, giving athletes
faster returns and more powerful serves. And for the javelin throw or archery,
rosin bags, which are derived from pine chemicals and also used by pitchers in
baseball and softball, provide a strong grip.
Polycarbonate
Chemistry also helps sports equipment meet modern day
needs. Polycarbonate,
a strong, shatter-resistant plastic, can also be found in protective sports
equipment.
Polycarbonate is often used in riding and biking
helmets, helping protect riders competing in equestrian and cycling
competitions. Polycarbonate sunglasses and protective visors, which provide
optical clarity as well as shatter-resistance, are worn by runners and rowers,
just to name a few. Polycarbonate lenses can also be found in swim goggles.
The impact of innovative chemistry is not confined to
summer sports. Plastics can be vital to the performance and safety of winter
athletes, like skiers and snowboarders. Plastic products’ unique combination of
lightness, durability, strength and flexibility make ski boots, snowboards, and
knee braces help meet high-performance demands.
Sports medicine
Sports medicine or sport medicine is an interdisciplinary subspecialty of medicine which deals with the
treatment and preventive care of athletes, both amateur and professional. The team includes
specialty physicians and surgeons, athletic trainers, physical therapists, coaches, other personnel, and, of
course, the athlete.
History
The origins
of Sports Medicine lie in 5th century BC ancient Greece and ancient Rome where physical education was a necessary aspect of youth – training
and athletic contests first became a part of everyday life during these times.
However, it was not until in 1928
at the Olympics in St. Moritz, when a committee came together to plan
the First International Congress of Sports Medicine , that the term itself was
coined. In the 5th century, however, the care of athletes was primarily the responsibility of
specialists. They were trainer-coaches and were considered to be experts on diet,
physical therapy, and hygiene as well as on sport-specific techniques.
The first use of therapeutic exercise is credited to Herodicus , who is thought
to have been one of Hippocrates' teachers. Until the 2nd century AD, when
the first "team doctor", Galen,
was appointed to the gladiators, the physician only became involved if there was an injury. Whether or not there was good
communication or rapport between the trainer-coaches and the team physician
back then is a matter of speculation. What is clear however, is that from its
beginnings, Sport Medicine has been multidisciplinary with the obligation not
only to treat injuries but also to instruct and prepare athletes. This link
with physical education has remained in place throughout its evolution.
Sports
Medicine has always been difficult to define because it is not a single
specialty, but an area that involves health care professionals , researchers and educators from a wide variety of disciplines. Its
function is not only curative and rehabilitative, but also preventative, which
may actually be the most important one of all. Despite this wide scope, there
has been a tendency for many to assume that sport-related problems are by
default musculoskeletal and that Sports Medicine is an orthopaedic specialty. There is much more to Sports
Medicine than just musculoskeletal diagnosis and treatment. Illness or injury
in sport can be caused by many factors – from environmental to physiological and psychological. Consequently, Sports Medicine can
encompass an array of specialties - cardiology, orthopaedic surgery, biomechanics, traumatology, etc. For example, heat, cold or altitude
during training and competition can alter performance or may even be life
threatening. What about the female triad of disordered eating, menstrual and
bone density problems, and the pregnant or the aging athlete? In addition, the
management of dermatological and endocrinological diseases and other such problems in the
athlete demands expertise and sport-specific knowledge. The use of supplements, pharmacological or otherwise, and the
topics of doping control and gender verification present complex moral,
legal and health-related difficulties. Then there are the
particular problems associated with international sporting events, such as the
effects of travel, acclimatization and the attempt to balance an athlete's
participation and her or his health. Much of this represents new fields of study
where extensive clinical and basic science research is burgeoning. Finally,
prevention is an area of increasingly specialized knowledge, interest and
expertise.
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The Chemistry of Insulin
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Insulin is a polypeptide
hormone that promotes glucose utilization, protein synthesis and the
formation and storage of lipids. Produced by specialized endocrine cells of
the pancreas called the islets of Langerhans, insulin was discovered in 1921
by two Canadian researchers, Dr Frederick Banting and his medical assistant
Charles Best.
Insulin is crucial to the transport of glucose and amino acids into muscle cells. Properly managed by the right diet, insulin is the athlete's best friend as it plays an enormous role in muscle hypertrophy (growth). With the support of human growth hormone (hGH), it has a direct effect on the production of somatomedins in the liver. Somatomedins are called insulin like growth factors or more commonly IGF. For this reason insulin has earned the reputation of an anabolic hormone. However, insulin is a two-edged sword. It is also the hormone of feasting and plenty and depending on what is eaten and when, insulin functions as a brilliant fat storage hormone. Our ability to respond to insulin is called insulin tolerance. The more tolerance a person has for insulin, the more insulin it takes to get a response. A low tolerance to insulin is preferable, as excessive insulin production is associated with obesity, high cholesterol, high triglycerides, hypertension, vascular disease, fatigue and adult-onset type II diabetes. Many overweight individuals have excess insulin in their blood due to excessive stimulation of the pancreas. This condition is called hyperinsulinemia. The hallmark of Syndrome X is resistance to insulin, which many experts claim is caused by eating too many processed high-carbohydrate foods. This common North American dietary practice in turn causes an excess build-up of glucose in the blood resulting in the production of free-radicals. Syndrome X, coined in 1988 by Dr. Gerald Reaven, a Stanford University endocrinologist, is defined by a cluster of related symptoms that always includes insulin resistance and one or more of the following conditions; abnormal blood fats, elevated uric acid, reduced HDL, increased oxidized LDL particles, overweight and high blood pressure. Insulin resistance involves the release by the pancreas of more insulin than the target cells in the body can handle. Excess carbohydrate intake in the form of sugar, bread, pasta, bagels, chips, cookies, breakfast cereals, etcﾅ cause blood glucose levels to rise excessively, and in response, the pancreas releases more and more insulin. Eventually, the cell receptors of muscle and vital organs become saturated, non-responsive and may even shut down. Then, glucose and insulin begin to accumulate to toxic levels in the bloodstream, becoming agents of hostility and damage. Clotting factors are activated and advanced glycation end products (AGEs) begin to form. It is estimated that as many as 25-30% of North American adults have Syndrome X. Sleep deprivation depresses growth hormone release, slows muscle and strength gains and negatively influences immune function. Insomnia and sleep deprivation also cause insulin resistance, which promotes intra-abdominal obesity. This translates to that dreaded spare tire around the gut, which happens to be the most dangerous region to store excess bodyfat in terms of disease risk for the body, especially heart disease. Ideally, we don't want to constantly flood the body with high-glycemic, low fiber, low water volume carbohydrates such as sugar and white flour, as this causes insulin to spike. It's much better to consume carbohydrates that are metabolized slowly and that release their sugars over a longer period of time. Consuming low-glycemic carbs in smaller portions keeps glucose and insulin closer to a normal fasting baseline for a good anabolic effect, not too high or too low. Insulin suppression reduces testosterone levels, impairs strength and limits performance, whereas high levels increase risk of disease and obesity. Nutrients that optimize insulin activity, improve its sensitivity and protect it and the pancreas from oxidative damage include B6, niacin, magnesium, chromium, vanadium, alpha-lipoic acid, vitamin C and the omega-3 fatty acids, including alpha-linolenic acid, eicosapentanoic acid (EPA) and decosahexanoic acid (DHA). Insulin has a direct effect on the metabolism and storage of fat. For instance, insulin accelerates the transport of glucose from the blood into cells and the conversion of glucose into fatty acids. This is called lipogenesis. Insulin has a greater half-life than glucose, so any insulin left circulating in the blood after it has completed its work is also converted into fat. And the effect is even more reliable if by genetic predisposition you have a slow metabolic rate and spend most of your free or work time seated. If levels of insulin climb too high, which can happen simply by eating a large meal or a meal dominated by carbs such as bread, rice or pasta, a simultaneous increase in the enzymes lipoprotein lipase and acetyl-CoA carboxylase occurs. Both of these enzymes facilitate the transport of fatty acids into fat cells. High insulin levels activate lipoprotein lipase and increase its activity. Lipoprotein lipase promotes the removal of triglycerides from the bloodstream and encourages their deposition in adipocytes or fat cells. Insulin also inhibits the action of hormone-sensitive lipase which breaks down stored fats for use as energy. So anytime you catch yourself eyeing a muffin or a slice of bread, focus for a moment in advance of the indulgence. Think of what effect it will have on your blood chemistry and body composition. Remember, insulin inhibits the mobilization of stored fat. If insulin levels are continuously sustained above baseline throughout the day, enzymes like lipoprotein lipase can suppress the oxidation of fatty acids, even while consuming a negative calorie intake combined with exercise. This is called an anti-lipolytic effect. While the caloric profile of food is a factor in weight management, the chemistry of food is more important to understand. The irony of this is that few people really get this concept or even think about it. And for those that do, I call it "Getting the Connection". Once you get the connection you can control your body composition like flicking a light switch on or off! You can design a diet that fits you personally like a glove. However, knowing is not enough, to get the results most of us want means you have to do the work and eat with discipline, purpose and foresight. The field must be plowed before the seed can be planted and the crops harvested. The work always precedes the benefit. |
BY:- Debismita Pushilal
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