Issue 149
Sports nutritionist Freddy Brown, who has worked with Great Britain's Olympic squads, boxers and MMA fighters, looks at the best ways to refuel your brain after sparring.
The debate over combat sports, protection and head injury has raged for decades. Some argue the smaller gloves, more acute impacts and lacerations seen in MMA will cause a fight to stop earlier, essentially protecting fighters from the chronic, repeated impacts suffered typically by boxers wearing larger gloves.
The same argument can be made for wearing head guards, or getting rid of gloves completely. However, it is difficult to argue against the fact that taking kicks, punches, elbows and knees to the head will have a negative impact on the brain.
Although MMA is a relatively young sport, and the data on head injury, trauma and the long-term consequences of combat doesn’t yet exist, a fighter should do all they can to minimize the impact of daily wear and tear, whether this be ensuring proper hydration or limiting sparring with head shots.
Nutrition also has a role to play in protecting, and repairing, from head trauma. Many studies on fighters have shown an increased, sustained release of markers of cellular damage from brain cells after a single bout of sparring.
‘Dementia pugilistica’ is essentially Alzheimer’s disease brought on by brain trauma. Many markers of Alzheimer’s, like pathological protein-tangles in the brain, as the possession of specific high-risk genes are also associated with traumatic brain injury in boxers.
Chronic traumatic brain injury is frequently associated with increased levels of oxidative stress, as well as greater levels of inflammation – the body’s natural defense against trauma and infection.
Inflammation can, however, get out of hand, and become a problem in its own right. Therefore, nutritional strategies to reduce inflammation and oxidative stress in the brain may help limit this damage.
REHYDRATE YOUR FATE
Some fighters have to ‘sweat out’ at the last minute to make weight and reduce carbohydrates for weight loss. If you are left with no option, then at least ensure you recover with a higher carb meal after your last sessions prior to sparring. In addition, never dry out during sparring sessions. If you’ve had to lose water before weigh-ins, drink 1.5 times what you sweat, adding electrolytes and carbs.
THE BASICS: FUELING AND HYDRATION
The main nutritional areas to consider when eating for brain-health are hydration and adequate carbohydrate fueling.
The muscles’ high-octane fuel, known as glycogen, also has an important role to play in the brain, signaling a high energy state and preventing a catabolic, inflammatory environment from nullifying your neurons.
Carbohydrate will signal to your body that you are fed, and generally reduces that inflammatory, catabolic state following training. This reduces the relative proportions of catabolic/inflammatory hormones (e.g. cortisol/adrenaline) compared to anabolic ones (e.g. insulin/ testosterone).
Carbohydrate is also the brain’s sole fuel, so is essential for keeping sharp, and avoiding taking unnecessary shots.
Staying hydrated is also essential for protecting the brain. An MRI imaging study showed that dehydrating 6.6lb (modest by the standards of many MMA fighters) can reduce the volume of fluid around the brain by as much as 30%. If you are cutting weight and reducing your carb intake, ensure your sessions are well fueled. Stay hydrated throughout training, as ‘sweating out’ will only lose water, not fat.
