s3/e43 Gut Health for Runners with Kylee Van Horn, RND (@flynutrition3)
Nov 16, 2023
auto_awesome
Sports dietitian Kylee Van Horn discusses gut health for runners, including supporting good gut health, the gut microbiome, signals for training balance, nutritional training, signs of poor gut health, and more. Kylee Van Horn is an endurance sports dietitian and founder of Flynutrition.
Good gut health is crucial for endurance athletes as it affects their overall performance, including the absorption of micronutrients and tolerance of fuel and fluids.
Evaluating gut health involves assessing the functioning of the gastrointestinal system, the balance of bacteria in the microbiome, and the presence of inflammation, all of which impact an athlete's ability to properly absorb and utilize nutrients.
Addressing common gut health issues such as nausea, vomiting, stomach pain, and bloating can significantly improve an athlete's performance and overall well-being.
Deep dives
Importance of Gut Health for Endurance Athletes
Gut health is essential for endurance athletes as it affects their overall performance. Good gut health allows for better absorption of micronutrients, tolerance of fuel and fluids, and proper functioning of the gastrointestinal system. Gut health is crucial because it impacts an athlete's ability to function optimally. Issues such as stomach pain, diarrhea, gas, and bloating can disrupt training and races. Endurance athletes often experience gut health problems like nausea, vomiting, urgency, and stomach pain. Chronic low ferritin levels, which affect iron stores, can also be related to gut health. It is important to address gut health issues and seek guidance from professionals with expertise in nutrition and gastrointestinal health.
Understanding Gut Health
Gut health refers to the functioning of the gastrointestinal system and the balance of bacteria in the microbiome. Gut health is determined by factors such as stomach pain, diarrhea, gas, and bloating. It involves examining the functioning of the gastrointestinal system during and outside of training. The evaluation includes the composition of bacteria in the gut, intestinal lining integrity, and the presence of inflammation. Gut health affects an athlete's ability to properly absorb and utilize nutrients as well as tolerate various foods and fluids. By understanding gut health, athletes can address issues and seek solutions to optimize their performance and well-being.
Common Gut Health Issues in Endurance Athletes
Endurance athletes often face gut health issues such as nausea, vomiting, urgency, stomach pain, bloating, and excessive gas during exercise. These symptoms can occur during training and races, affecting an athlete's performance and overall experience. In some cases, gut health issues may be related to chronic low ferritin levels, leading to iron deficiency. It is important for athletes to identify and address these common gut health issues to improve their performance and overall well-being.
Factors Affecting Gut Health in Athletes
Multiple factors can impact gut health in athletes. Under-fueling, which occurs when athletes do not consume enough nutrition to support their training and races, can lead to gut health issues. Chronic low ferritin levels may also contribute to gut health problems. Antibiotic usage, gastrointestinal motility issues, and structural abnormalities can affect the balance of bacteria in the gut. Additionally, dehydration, electrolyte imbalances, and poor dietary diversity can impact gut health. Athletes should consider these factors and work with professionals to optimize their gut health for better performance.
Training the Gut for Improved Nutritional Tolerance
Training the gut is essential for athletes to improve their ability to tolerate and utilize nutrients during exercise. Nutritional training involves gradually increasing fueling before and during workouts. Athletes can start with small amounts of carbohydrates and fluids and gradually increase consumption based on their tolerance and performance. The process allows the gut to adapt and utilize fuel more efficiently. It is important to focus on hydration, electrolyte balance, and diverse carbohydrate sources during training. By training the gut, athletes can optimize their nutritional tolerance and enhance their performance.
Is there anything worse than needing an emergency bathroom stop on a run... except for needing TWO? What about when our poor gut health interferes with our ability to absorb important micronutrients or tolerate the fuel we need to power our long runs and races? Sports dietitian Kylee Van Horn, RD (@flynutrition3) is here to talk all about gut health for runners! Including...
What IS "good gut health" in general and how can we support it?
Our gut microbiome
Can changes in our gut health signal when our training balance is appropriate vs inappropriate?
How does "nutritional training" work to help us handle more fuel & fluids?
Signs your gut health isn't great (& what to do)
And more!
Kylee Van Horn, RDN is an endurance sports dietitian, who takes a balanced, sustainable approach to fuel the every day up to the elite athlete. Her mission is to separate facts from fads in the nutrition space and work to provide easy nutrition solutions to help improve health and performance. Today, Kylee is the founder and owner of her sports nutrition business Flynutrition, which helps runners, triathletes, and skiers to learn not only the ‘why’ but the ‘how’ behind fueling for performance. She also is a freelance writer for Trail Runner Magazine, Women's Running Magazine, and Outside Online. Beyond her work in sports nutrition, Kylee can be found running peaks near Aspen, CO with her three Australian shepherds and ultra-endurance husband, Sean.
Get the Snipd podcast app
Unlock the knowledge in podcasts with the podcast player of the future.
AI-powered podcast player
Listen to all your favourite podcasts with AI-powered features
Discover highlights
Listen to the best highlights from the podcasts you love and dive into the full episode
Save any moment
Hear something you like? Tap your headphones to save it with AI-generated key takeaways
Share & Export
Send highlights to Twitter, WhatsApp or export them to Notion, Readwise & more
AI-powered podcast player
Listen to all your favourite podcasts with AI-powered features
Discover highlights
Listen to the best highlights from the podcasts you love and dive into the full episode