Carbohydrates are significant for athletes for many reasons. They help maintain glycogen stores, which are stored in the muscles and liver, and also provide energy for short workouts. Carbohydrates are broken down into sugar, starches, and fibers. Sugar is the simplest form of carbohydrates, and starches are made from multiple sugar units combined, but doesn’t taste sweet. They both are excellent sources of energy to use when you are exercising. Athletes need to consume at least 50% but ideally 60 to 70% of total calories from carbohydrates. When teenage athletes don't get enough carbohydrates, they are open to to fatigue and premature exhaustion because muscle glycogen stores are easily used up. Carbohydrates provide 40-50 percent of the energy requirement for your body, and provide more energy per unit of oxygen than fats.Since your body need a lot of oxygen when you run for a long period of time, it is helpful to use the energy source requiring the least oxygen, which is carbohydrates.
Book- Eating, Body Weight, and Performance in Athletes
Book- Nutrition for Sports and Excersise
Web-http://www.ext.colostate.edu/pubs/foodnut/09362.html
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