Validation of the athletic mental energy scale for Chinese school-age adolescents

Mental energy is an important factor in many domains, including athletic performance. The athletic mental energy scale (AMES) is one of the established tools available to measure athletes' perceived mental energy state. To date, there is no validated questionnaire to assess athletic mental energy for Chinese adolescents. Therefore, purpose of this study was to validate a Chinese version of AMES (C-AMES) among the Chinese adolescents in Lanzhou, Gansu Province, China. We sampled 729 adolescents aged 14 to 18 in five middle schools in Lanzhou City, Gansu Province, China to complete the revised C-AMES. Data were analyzed for factor structure validity by performing CFA. The results showed that the fit index was acceptable (RMSEA = 0.050, CFI = 0.962, TLI = 0.951), and a six-factor model containing 18 C-AMES items had good measurement properties for athletic mental energy. We suggest future study may use C-AMES to examine the relationship between athletes' mental energy and athletic performance and sporting behavior.

Oligomalt, a New Slowly Digestible Carbohydrate, Reduces Post-Prandial Glucose and Insulin Trajectories Compared to Maltodextrin across Different Population Characteristics: Double-Blind Randomized Controlled Trials in Healthy Individuals, People with Obesity, and People with Type 2 Diabetes

We assessed the glucometabolic effects of oligomalt, a novel fully slowly digestible carbohydrate, compared with maltodextrin, in cross-over randomized controlled trials (NCT05058144; NCT05963594) involving healthy volunteers (HV), people with overweight or obesity (PwO), and people with type 2 diabetes (T2D). We tested 33 g and/or 50 g of oligomalt/maltodextrin, which were dissolved in 300 mL of water and consumed after fasting in the morning. The primary exploratory endpoint was the incremental area under the curve (iAUC) for postprandial glucose, assessed by frequent blood sampling over 3 h. Insulin levels were also assessed. In the HV cohort, a 4 h hydrogen breath test was performed with 15 g of inulin as a positive control. Analysis was performed by a mixed model. Oligomalt elicited a lower post-prandial glucose response compared to maltodextrin in HV (50 g, n = 15 [7 women], mean age/BMI 31 years/22.6 kg/m2), in PwO (33 g and 50 g, n = 26 [10 women], age/BMI 44 years/29.9 kg/m2, mean HbA1c 5.3%), and in people with T2D (50 g, n = 22 [13 women], age/BMI 61 years/31.8 kg/m2, HbA1c 7.4%), with significant reductions observed in PwO and T2D for the 0-1 h window (HV: -19% [p = 0.149]/PwO33g-38% [p = 0.0002]/PwO50g-28% [p = 0.0027]/T2D-38% [p < 0.0001]; the 0-2 h window (HV: -17% [p = 0.311]/PwO33g-34% [p = 0.0057]/PwO50g-21% [p = 0.0415]/T2D-37% [p < 0.0001]), and the 0-3 h window (HV: -15% [p = 0.386]/PwO33g-30% [p = 0.0213]/PwO50g0-19% [p = 0.0686]/T2D-37% [p = 0.0001]). The post-prandial insulin response was significantly lower, by 38-60%, across all populations, dose, and time points, with oligomalt. In HV, the breath-hydrogen pattern was comparable between oligomalt and maltodextrin, but increased significantly with inulin. These data support the glucometabolic advantages of oligomalt over maltodextrin, hence confirming it as a healthier carbohydrate, and underscoring its full digestibility. This therefore opens up the possibility for the incorporation of oligomalt in relevant food products/matrices.

Influence of mental energy on volleyball competition performance: a field test

Athletic mental energy is a newly emerging research topic in sport science. However, whether it can predict objective performance in competition remains unexplored. Thus, the purpose of this study was to examine the predictability of mental energy on volleyball competition performance. We recruited 81 male volleyball players (Mage = 21.11 years ± SD = 1.81) who participated in the last 16 remaining teams in a college volleyball tournament. We assessed participants' mental energy the night before the competition and collected their competition performance over the next 3 days. We used six indices of the Volleyball Information System (VIS) developed by the International Volleyball Federation (FIVB) to examine its associations with mental energy. All six factors of mental energy -motivation, tirelessness, calm, vigor, confidence, and concentration correlated with volleyball competition performance. Further, a hierarchical regression found mental energy predicted volleyball receivers' performance (R² = .23). The findings advance our knowledge of mental energy and objective performance in competition. We suggest that future studies may examine the effects of mental energy on different sports with different performance indices.

Activation of gastrointestinal ileal brake response with dietary slowly digestible carbohydrates, with no observed effect on subjective appetite, in an acute randomized, double-blind, crossover trial

PURPOSE

To test the hypothesis that oral ingestion of slowly digestible carbohydrates (SDCs) that reach the ileum triggers the ileal brake as indicated by delayed gastric emptying, reduced glycemic response, and decreased subjective appetite.

METHODS

The study was a five-arm, randomized, double-blind, crossover trial with a 1-week washout period between treatments (n = 20; 9 females, 11 males). Five treatments consisted of three SDC ingredients [raw corn starch, isomaltooligosaccharide (IMO), sucromalt], and an IMO/sucromalt combination, shown in vitro to have slow and extended digestion profiles, and a rapidly digestible carbohydrate control (maltodextrin). Carbohydrates (26 g) were incorporated into yogurt [300 g total; carbohydrate (~ 77 g), fat (~ 0.2 g), and protein (~ 9 g)] with closely matched energy content (346 kcal) and viscosity (~ 30,000 cP). Outcomes were measured in a 4 h postprandial period.

RESULTS

Mean gastric half-emptying times were moderately though significantly increased for the raw corn starch and IMO treatments (P < 0.05), but they could be sub-divided into larger effect responder (n = 11) and non-responder groups (n = 9). Longer time for glycemic response to return to baseline was associated with increased gastric half-emptying time in an exploratory subset of data removing gastric half-emptying times > 3.5 h (P = 0.02). No significant differences in appetite ratings were observed.

CONCLUSION

SDCs caused slower gastric emptying rate through activation of the ileal brake, as closely matched semi-solid yogurts were used and only rate of carbohydrate digestion differed. Extending glycemic response through consumption of SDCs was associated with triggering the ileal brake.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03630445, August 2018, retrospectively registered.

Diet and sleep health: a scoping review of intervention studies in adults

BACKGROUND

Recent research has demonstrated an association between dietary intake and sleep health that can influence chronic disease risk factors. A scoping review of research studies investigating dietary intake and sleep was undertaken to determine the extent and scope of research in laboratory-based, free-living and mixed settings. Additionally, this review determines how well subpopulations and geographical locations are represented and the methodologies used to assess outcome measures.

METHODS

Five online databases were used to identify papers published between 1970 and 2017. Included studies were those conducted in adults and reported both outcomes of interest: (i) sleep health, including sleep restriction and sleep hygiene and (ii) dietary outcomes, including altered nutrients, dietary patterns and supplements.

RESULTS

In total, 129 publications were included with the majority being dietary interventions investigating sleep outcomes (n = 109) with fewer being sleep interventions investigating and reporting dietary outcomes (n = 20). Dietary interventions were most often carried out in free-living environments, in contrast to sleep interventions that were most often carried out in laboratory-based environments. The majority of dietary interventions investigated use of a supplement (n = 66 studies), which was predominantly caffeine (n = 49). Sleep interventions investigated sleep duration only, with the majority (n = 17) investigating the effect of partial sleep restriction under 5.5 h per night on dietary intake, while three studies investigating total sleep deprivation.

CONCLUSIONS

Investigating broader aspects of dietary such as overall diet quality and dietary patterns and other components of sleep health such as quality,  timing and sleep hygiene are important aspects for future research.

A Pilot Exploratory Proteomics Investigation of Mental Fatigue and Mental Energy

Fatigue is a common and poorly understood problem that impacts approximately 45% of the United States (US) population. Fatigue has also been associated with fatigue-related driving accidents, school absences, decline in school performance and negative health outcomes. Fatigue has been linked to many diseases and is consistently underreported in medical care. Despite these high financial and societal costs, fatigue is a poorly understood problem and there is no consensus on how to measure fatigue. Proteomics is one of the most unbiased approach to measure differences in the protein levels from various biological fluids in two conditions, i.e. before and after mental exercise, aka fatigue. There are, however, challenges associated with such analyses: proteomics experiments are usually expensive and time consuming and also require a large number of participants. Here, we performed a proteomics experiment of three (pre- and post-fatigue) samples and also three matched controls (pre- and post-non-fatigue). We found no particular protein that has significant changes in fatigue sample upon treatment. We did note a potential association between changes in mental energy and Annexin A1. However, the study has value simply because it is an extra study in the field of fatigue, but also allows other to correlate our results with their results.

Measuring Athletic Mental Energy (AME): Instrument Development and Validation

Although considerable research indicates that mental energy is an important factor in many domains, including athletic performance (Cook and Davis, 2006), athletic mental energy (AME) has never been conceptualized and measured. Therefore, the aim of this study was to conceptualize and develop a reliable and valid instrument to assess AME. In Study 1, a focus group interview established the initial framework of AME. Study 2 used a survey to collect athletes' experiences of AME and develop a scale draft titled “Athletic Mental Energy Scale (AMES).” In Study 3, we examined the psychometric properties and the underlying structure of AMES via item analysis, internal consistency, and exploratory factor analysis (EFA). In Study 4, we used confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) to examine AMES's factorial validity; and examined concurrent and discriminant validity by examining correlations with athletes' life stress, positive state of mind, and burnout. In study 5, we examined the measurement invariance of the 6-factor, 18-item AMES with Taiwanese and Malaysian samples. Study 6 examined the predictive validity by comparing AMES scores of successful and unsuccessful martial artists. Across these phases, results showed a 6-factor, 18-item AMES had adequate content validity, factorial structure, nomological validity, discriminant validity, predictive validity, measurement invariance, and reliability. We suggest future studies may use AMES to examine its relationships with athletes' cognition, affect, and performance. The application of AMES in sport psychology was also discussed.

The Effects of Carbohydrates, in Isolation and Combined with Caffeine, on Cognitive Performance and Mood-Current Evidence and Future Directions

This review examines the effects of carbohydrates, delivered individually and in combination with caffeine, on a range of cognitive domains and subjective mood. There is evidence for beneficial effects of glucose at a dose of 25 g on episodic memory, but exploration of dose effects has not been systematic and the effects on other cognitive domains is not known. Factors contributing to the differential sensitivity to glucose facilitation include age, task difficulty/demand, task domain, and glucoregulatory control. There is modest evidence to suggest modulating glycemic response may impact cognitive function. The evidence presented in this review identifies dose ranges of glucose and caffeine which improve cognition, but fails to find convincing consistent synergistic effects of combining caffeine and glucose. Whilst combining glucose and caffeine has been shown to facilitate cognitive performance and mood compared to placebo or glucose alone, the relative contribution of caffeine and glucose to the observed effects is difficult to ascertain, due to the paucity of studies that have appropriately compared the effects of these ingredients combined and in isolation. This review identifies a number of methodological challenges which need to be considered in the design of future hypothesis driven research in this area.

Mitochondrial capacity, muscle endurance, and low energy in friedreich ataxia

INTRODUCTION

In this study we noninvasively evaluated skeletal muscle mitochondrial capacity, muscle-specific endurance, and energy/fatigue feelings in persons with Friedreich ataxia (FRDA) and able-bodied controls (AB).

METHODS

Forearm mitochondrial capacity was measured in FRDA (n = 16) and AB (n = 10) study participants using the rate of recovery of oxygen consumption after electrical stimulation with near-infrared spectroscopy. Mechanomyography (MMG) assessed muscle endurance after electrical stimulation for 3 minutes at 2 Hz, 4 Hz, and 6 Hz. Validated scales assessed disease severity and energy/fatigue feelings.

RESULTS

Groups did not differ in mitochondrial capacity (FRDA and AB: 1.8 ± 0.3 L/min). The difference in muscle endurance at 6 Hz was lower by 19.2% in the FRDA group (group effect: P < 0.001). Feelings of physical energy were 34% lower in FRDA group. In FDRA muscle, endurance was positively related to mitochondrial capacity (r = 0.59, P = 0.03), and disease severity was negatively related to mitochondrial capacity (r = -0.55, P = 0.04) and muscle endurance (r = -0.60, P = 0.01).

CONCLUSION

Non-invasive measures of skeletal muscle mitochondrial capacity and muscle-specific endurance are useful in monitoring FRDA. Muscle Nerve 56: 773-779, 2017.

Muscle strengthening exercises during pregnancy are associated with increased energy and reduced fatigue

INTRODUCTION

Physical inactivity likely contributes to fatigue and low energy during pregnancy but whether acute resistance exercise attenuates these symptoms is unknown.

METHODS

Twenty-six women performed six low-to-moderate intensity resistance exercises twice per week from weeks 23 to 35 of pregnancy and measurements were made before and after each workout using the Mental and Physical State Energy and Fatigue Scales.

RESULTS

Acute resistance exercise usually increased perceived physical and mental energy (92% to 96% of workouts, respectively). These increases did not differ significantly across the 24 exercise sessions for feelings of physical energy or mental energy, even after adjusting for variations in attendance (median = 22/24 workouts). Acute resistance exercise usually decreased perceived physical and mental fatigue (79% to 88% of workouts, respectively), and ANCOVA showed these decreases did not differ significantly across the 24 exercise sessions for feelings of physical fatigue or mental fatigue even after adjusting for variations in attendance.

DISCUSSION

The results suggest acute, low-to-moderate intensity muscle strengthening exercise during pregnancy is effective for transiently improving feelings of energy and fatigue.

Carbohydrate use and reduction in number of balance beam falls: implications for mental and physical fatigue

BACKGROUND

Artistic Gymnastics is a sport where athletes are frequently fatigued. One element that might influence this aspect is carbohydrate, an important energy substrate for the muscles and the CNS. Our goal was to investigate the influence of fatigue over artistic gymnastics athlete's performance and the effects of a carbohydrate supplementation on their performance.

METHODS

We evaluated 15 athletes divided in 2 groups (control and fatigue) from 12 to 14 years old in two different experimental days. On the first day (water day), they did 5 sets of exercises on the balance beam (experimental protocol) ingesting only water, CG (control group) warmed up before the experimental protocol and FG (fatigue group) did a fatigue circuit, warm up exercises and then the experimental protocol. On the second day (carbohydrate day), we used the same protocol but CG ingested a sugar free flavored juice and FG ingested a 20% concentration maltodextrin solution before the protocol on the balance beam.

RESULTS

We observed a greater number of falls from the balance beam from the FG on the first day (5.40 ± 1.14 FG vs 3.33 ± 1.37 CG; p = 0.024) and a decrease in the number of falls on the second day (2.29 ± 1.25 FG water day vs 5.40 ± 1.14 FG carbohydrate day; p = 0.0013). Carbohydrate solution was able to supply muscle demands and improve the athlete's focus showed by the reduced number of falls.