CHRIS Hoy, the Olympic gold medallist, has co-authored a book, a deal to publish which is expected to be concluded shortly. But rather than having his own life story in general or his cycling exploits in particular as its subject, the book is a radical rethinking of the way in which athletes should diet.
The ideas expounded in the book have been put into practice by Hoy and other sports men and women for some time now. The original theory, which could revolutionise sports nutrition, comes from an Edinburgh pharmacist, Mike McInnes.
Although he disclaims any responsibility for Hoy’s triumph in the one-kilometre time trial last Friday, McInnes is convinced his theory, originally developed for endurance athletes, is of relevance to other kinds of sporting activities - and indeed to the wider public too. It took years of research, and a detailed examination of sports nutrition literature, for him to conclude that a crucial aspect of the way the body functions had been overlooked.
The critical organ, McInnes says, is the liver. Normally only thought of as something that could become diseased through drug or alcohol use, the liver plays a key role in refuelling after exercise. Or at least it should do. The more he read, the more McInnes realised that the liver’s role was overlooked at best, simply unknown at worst.
His doctrine, in a nutshell, is this. The liver takes in fructose from fruit and honey, and turns it into glucose, which it uses to keep the brain’s sugar levels up. But the liver’s store is small, and rapidly used up.
During exercise, muscles use glucose at an accelerated rate. The liver rapidly empties, meaning the brain must look elsewhere to keep functioning normally. What it does is use up muscle protein, which can be converted into glucose.
So continuing to exercise on an "empty" liver is harmful to the muscles. What is more, the harm is made worse by the release of two hormones - adrenaline and cortisone - which are used to help raise the body’s glucose levels.
"Cortisone degrades both muscle and bone," Hoy and McInnes state in their book. "Continuous overproduction of it creates potential for diabetes and inhibits the immune function. It also inhibits production of hormones which contribute to the rebuilding of muscle and bone during sleep."
Adrenaline, meanwhile, can cause over-heating, as well as producing harmful side effects if produced too regularly.
In order to avoid production of those hormones, and to prevent the brain raiding muscle protein, the liver’s glucose stores must be kept topped up. It is especially important to do so at breakfast, when those stores have virtually vanished overnight.
The theory seems pretty clear, even to a non-scientist, and Hoy and other athletes have put it into practice, by altering their diet and by using a fructose drink which McInnes’s two shops - in Edinburgh and Glasgow - supply. "We have this major design fault," he says. "During exercise our muscles can raid the brain’s fuel and deplete the nervous system of its supply.
"But there is hardly a reference in sports nutrition literature to the brain’s demand for fuel. And there is hardly a reference to fructose either.
"This does not just concern elite athletes or endurance athletes. It goes right down to playing football in Niddrie. Every kid should know about this. We’re talking about an absolutely revolutionary approach to sports biology.
"The Olympics is a good time to get this out into the public domain. It’s not just a theory now, we’re having practical results."
The involvement of Hoy seems certain to bring it to the attention of a wider audience. So far, four publishers have expressed an interest - and that was before he became an Olympic champion.
The scientific basis of the book clearly comes from McInnes, but Hoy’s input will help to popularise it. Hoy became interested almost by chance, when a friend recommended McInnes to him.
Even with Hoy on board, McInnes does not expect to make massive sums. He simply hopes to persuade the sporting world that it has been missing something which could be of great benefit. If he can do that while helping his own business to grow, so much the better.
• McInnes’s shops, both called ISO Active, are at 46 Queen Street, Glasgow, and 57 South Clerk Street, Edinburgh.
