Health Fitness

Carbs and racing pigeons

It is the time of year when we can relight the stove at night. That is the wood stove or fireplace instead of the central heating system. Cozy, those dancing flames in the living room. To light the fireplace first I have to gather some logs, turn on lights easily and it burns quickly. Then we add larger pieces of hardwood. Sometimes these large pieces of wood won’t even fit on the stove. Reluctantly I put on my coat to go out chopping and cutting these large chunks into smaller pieces. When cut to size it will fit on the stove.

In reality, our bodies are a kind of stove that keeps us warm. Firewood can be made up of carbohydrates, proteins, or fats. Above all, carbohydrates are fast-acting fuels. They can be compared to the wood we use to light the fireplace. Carbohydrates are sugars that originate in large amounts in plants. They are produced during the photosynthesis process. Human or animal bodies can only burn monosaccharides. These are found in glucose (grape sugar), fructose (fruit sugar), ribose (sugar made up of 5 carbon atoms) and galactose (made up of glucose and part of lactose).

In addition to heat, these sugars also provide nourishment for the brain. Without this glucose syrup, our beloved pigeons cannot survive. Fuels are divided into two groups. We will start with the firewood.

Monosaccharides(dextrose and fructose)

Glucose is also known as dextrose or grape sugar. Monosaccharides

they are the simplest carbohydrates. These are again divided into different groups. It is important to us to know that they provide the most direct fuel for heat and fuel for muscle activity (the alpha-1, 4 bonds). There are also sugars that are only activated when, for example, during a race fats are depleted (the alpha-1, 6 bonds).

Disaccharides (lactose, maltose and sucrose)

These are again the smallest pieces of wood on the tree. If we split them in two they will fit in the stove and we can burn them. Some of these double sugars are, for example, lactase from milk and maltose from sprouted barley. Sucrose also belongs to this group. It is found in carrot and beet sugar. Tests have shown that more than 4% lactose should be avoided in food or drinking water. Lactose reaches the large intestine, where it can only be partially converted by intestinal bacteria. This process drains a lot of water from the intestine. Too much yogurt or whey in food can be the cause of watery droppings.

Polysaccharides (Cellulose, starch and glycogen)

These are the whole trees that have yet to be chopped into firewood to fit on the stove. For pigeons they are cereals and legumes such as corn, peas, barley and wheat. They belong to the starch group. There is also a cellulose group. This raw cellulose helps in the digestion of different types of carbohydrates. Some grains are easier to cut than others.

Alpha-1,6 bond between 2 glucose molecules

Alpha-1,4 bond between 2 glucose molecules

We did the following test: in a three-section loft. Section 1 was fed a normal brood mix. Section 2 was fed 80% corn and 20% brood mix. Section 3 was fed 80% peeled rice and peeled barley (pearl barley) + 20% rearing mix. All the birds exercised together. Pigeons fed only brood mix were always the first birds to return. They worked out just above the loft. Corn pigeons fly much higher and “rice and pearl barley” looked like dots in the sky. There were three layers of pigeons flying at different heights. After half an hour to 45 minutes, the “corn” pigeons were flying higher.

When we switched the section from brood mix to “corn mix”, we saw that after a few days they were the highest flying after 45 minutes. We continue to rotate the feed mixes between sections. The results were always what we have written previously. From this we can conclude the following that the energy (fuel) provided by corn becomes available later than the energy of white rice and peeled barley and that corn apparently consists of more types of polysaccharides than white rice. Perhaps this explains why pigeons that are to be sent to longer races generally have additional corn added to their diets.

Glycogen

All of these forms of sugar together are called glycogen. When energy is used in the stove, the wood turns black and what remains is called ash. When the bird uses energy, the same type of process occurs. It is called phosphorylase. The enzyme that catalyzes the phosphorylase process breaks the Alpha – 1,4 bonds. These are the “Kindling” carbohydrates. Vitamin B6 is necessary for this process. Glycogen is found in the liver and muscles.

During the races

During intense exertion, humans consume up to 60% carbohydrates, pigeons are different. The liver produces glycogen to keep the body warm. If we feed more glucose and glycogen than the daily needs of the pigeon, then the liver can also manufacture fatty acids from them. The blood carries these fatty acids to the red muscle fibers. A part of the glycogen is transported by the blood to the white muscle fibers. A pigeon has approximately 15% white muscle fiber and 85% red muscle fiber. That is much more than a chicken that has practically all the white muscle fiber. We can find many red muscle fibers in the chest of the pigeon.

If we make sure that just before the contest a proportionally high percentage of glucose is found in the glycogen, the fuel will burn faster. Also, the liver will produce more fatty acids. This is the result of a makes sense.

Actually, it only provides a small advantage in short races. After 10 minutes, the fuel is depleted from the white muscle fiber in the chest. The pigeon uses the fuel stored in the white muscle fiber (glycogen) to achieve height and speed of flight. After this, the fast “kindling” sugars (Alpha-1, 4 bonds) stored in the blood and liver are used. When glucose is depleted, enzymes process disaccharides, and eventually polysaccharides divide and become monosaccharides.

When the “fast sugars” are depleted, the fatty acids that were built up from the excess sugars in the food, which the liver converted to fatty acids, become the fuel supply. Some of these are still present in the blood. They were on their way to the red muscle fibers, but they hadn’t been stored there yet. These will be used first.

After a short period of time, the fatty acids stored in the red muscle fibers come into play. After 40 to 60 minutes of flight, the pigeon uses exclusively the fatty acids stored in the red muscle fibers. Fats have the advantage of leaving little waste in the bloodstream after being burned for fuel, although they burn more slowly than glycogen. The pigeon can fly faster (wing beats per minute) on glycogen, but the fatty acids provide more energy. Fats are 9.2 kilocalories per kilogram, while carbohydrates are 4.0 kilocalories per kilogram.

The wooden box

When the pigeon is using fat for fuel and a bird of prey appears, the pigeon will use any available glycogen (Alpha 1, 6 bonds) to quickly escape. These are what we might call “igniting” in the wooden box. It is ready to use whenever we need to quickly relight the stove.

After the race

The pigeon uses glucose and glycogen first (the Alpha 1, 4 bond), then fats. When the bird has used up all of its fatty acids, it will use up the remaining glycogen (the Alpha 1, 6 bonds). When these are exhausted, the pigeon will begin to use its “character”. That is, he begins to use his own body; burns your own muscles, protein. There are many pigeons with little character. They will go down to rest and look for water and food. If they still come home, it will be too late. The “birds of character” continue. Protein or muscle burning is combined with muscle cramps and is very unpleasant for the pigeon. A pigeon that goes through this will often need weeks to recover.

Eating carbohydrate-rich foods after a run is very important. The pigeon that has used up all its glycogen has the urge to quickly relight its stove.

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