Military combat movements and exercises: is there a role for adopting sports nutrition carbohydrate recommendations during exercise?

Abstract

The daily energy requirements for specialist military troops can reach 5000 kcal during training and wartime deployment. Maintaining energy balance is important for health and physical and mental performance in this population, who can effectively be considered as high-performance endurance athletes. In the sporting world, a balanced diet consisting of 50-60% carbohydrate (CHO), 20-25% protein and 25-30% fat is recommended for these athletes. CHO intake is regarded as a key dietary constituent, as this substrate provides the sole fuel source during high-intensity exercise. However, achieving such high CHO intake rates can be challenging for military personnel, especially in the field. In sports nutrition, athletes commonly use dietary CHO supplements to reduce this deficit. There may be lessons and insight from nutrition and metabolism in sport that could provide Royal Marines, Medical Officers and other embedded medical professionals with strategies to increase CHO intake during intense training or combat situations. This review will highlight the exercise demands of infantry soldiering, will suggest supplementary strategies to increase CHO intake, in addition to dietary intake, and will describe the metabolic effects of CHO ingestion during prolonged activity in the context of military exercise.