Just beef won’t make you run like Bolt
NEW DELHI: Bharatiya Janata Party parliamentarian Udit Raj has triggered an intriguing debate, whether beef, or lack of it,inthedietof most Indian athletes, is to be blamed for the poor showing at the Rio Olympics.
Raj tweeted on Monday: “(sic) usain bolt of jamaica was poor and trainer advised him to eat beef both the times and he scored 9 gold medals in Olympic.”
Diet is an important part of an athlete’s training. But not all Indian athletes are non-vegetarian, so HT asked experts whether a vegetarian diet put our athlete at a disadvantage.
BOLT SCIENCE
Dr Ashok Ahuja, former head of the department of medicine at the Sports Authority of India centre in Patiala says: “Red meat alone can’t make every sprinter run like Bolt. It’s the training that makes the difference. Looking at Bolt, you can fathom his kinetic advantage in terms of height-weight ratio (Bolt is 1.95 metres tall and weighs 94kg). His stride length is 2.44m and completes the 100m with 41-42 strides.”
“Scientists have looked into the genetics of Jamaican sprinters trying to understand their dominance,” adds Ahuja. “The first gene associated with powerful sprinting is the angiotensin-converting enzyme, or ACE. If you have a particular variant of this gene (known as the “D allele”) you are likely to have a larger than average heart capable of pumping highly oxygenated blood to muscles quicker than the average human.
“That also gives your body a better response to training. In people of West African origin, the frequency of the variant is slightly higher than in those of European and Japanese origin. In Jamaica, it’s a little higher than in West Africa,” explains Ahuja.
“This small effect may be amplified by the ACTN3 gene. This encodes instructions to create a protein called alpha-actinin-3, which helps muscles generate strong, repetitive contractions. Like the ACE gene, it comes in different types. The desirable variant for a sprinter is known as 577RR. While only 70% of US international-standard athletes have the desirable variant, 75% of Jamaicans have it whether they are athletes or not. That gives Jamaica another edge.”
“Red meat has high protein and iron content, but there are other sources of protein and iron to supplement the diet. It all depends on the individual,” says Ahuja.
International grappler Amit Dhankar says: “Generally, when we travel it becomes a challenge to stick to Indian food. So I have fish and chicken which is easily available within India as well other places where we travel.”
Satyapal Singh, a Dronacharya Award winner for coaching paraathletes, said he doesn’t prescribe any particular diet. “Athletes shouldn’t be forced to eat something which they don’t like.”