PR Science | PR Bar

Recovery

Repair and Replenish

During exercise the body is in a “fight-or-flight” mode. After exercise, the body goes into a “rest-and-digest” mode. Post exercise, there’s a 45 minute window when it’s most beneficial to consume protein and carbohydrates to help repair and replenish your muscles. And within the next 24 hours it’s important to consume high-quality proteins and carbohydrates to promote optimal growth and repair.

Type of Protein

Whey protein is a “fast protein,” meaning it enters into muscles quickly after exercise. Soy protein is a “slower protein,” that enters more gradually into muscles. Research shows that endurance athletes require a blend of fast and slow proteins to help stagger muscle repair throughout the day.

Micronutrients

Vitamin B6 helps the body use amino acids from protein to rebuild muscles and tissues.

Protein Sparing

Protein sparing is the strategy of fueling the body with sufficient non-protein sources to “spare” or save protein to maintain muscle tissues. The use of carbs and fat as alternate energy sources minimizes the amount of protein metabolized for energy and maximizes the maintenance of muscle tissues.

Take Away

Our blend of carbohydrates, B6 and 15g of protein helps repair muscles.

PR Bars are packed with a combination of soy and whey protein for staggered muscle repair.

Protein sparing can save protein to enhance muscle repair.

Sustained Energy

Body Fuel

Carbohydrates are the body’s preferred form of fuel. It’s the most metabolically efficient source of energy. Once the body exhausts energy from dietary and stored carbs it turns to fat as a source of fuel. This is why carbs are considered a “short-term fuel” and fat is considered a “long-term fuel.” Protein can be used as fuel as a last resort; however the body is designed to save or “spare” protein for functions only it can perform. The body mainly requires a sufficient source of both carbs and fat to deliver sustained energy for optimal performance.

Spike and Crash

High Carbs and Low Protein and Fat
A meal or snack high in carbohydrates and low in protein and fat digests and absorbs more quickly than a meal with a balance of all three. As a result, consuming carbohydrates alone will create a spike in blood sugar, energy, and insulin. These sugars will be rapidly used or stored, resulting in a crash in energy.

Balance of Carbs Protein and Fat
Combining carbohydrates with protein and fat at each meal or snack will give you controlled blood sugar levels and steady, sustained energy. Dietary fat and protein interrupt how our bodies absorb sugars into the blood stream by delaying stomach emptying. This provides a steadier rate of absorption and a more controlled release of sugars into the blood, allowing the body to use food more efficiently for fuel.

Micronutrients

B vitamins aid in the metabolism of carbs, fat and protein and help the body efficiently use the fuel they provide.

Take Away

PR Bars help you consume adequate carbohydrates and fat to fuel activities and exercise.

Combining carbohydrates and protein with fats will better control blood sugar spikes.

Our mix of B vitamins helps the body most efficiently use energy from carbohydrates and fat.

Mental Focus

Brain Fuel: Why Glucose is Best

Glucose is the brain’s best fuel source offering quick, ready-to-use energy. The brain can also rely on fat or protein to supply energy, but only for a short time, and at a cost.

The body lacks the enzymes to convert fat into glucose, however, it does have the enzymes needed to convert protein into glucose. When unavailable, the body sacrifices protein to supply resources needed to make glucose to fuel the brain. But, this use prevents protein from performing its unique critical functions. The body can only supply the brain with energy from protein for ten days – beyond that, it will die. Because of this, the body turns to fat for brain-energy.

Fat is the body’s last resort to fuel the brain. Since it cannot convert fat into glucose, fat must bind to a compound to form acidic substances called ketone bodies. Ketone bodies can fuel the brain, however, only half of the brain’s cells make the enzymes required to use them for energy. This means that the brain can only function at half capacity using fat as fuel. So, carbs are the adequate choice and are critical to fueling the brain.

Fat, Protein
and Micronutrients for Brain Health

Fats provide structure to brain cells and make up myelin, the layer that insulates each nerve fiber in the body. The primary role of myelin is to increase the speed of impulse transmission along nerve fibers to efficiently deliver messages throughout the nervous system.

Proteins break down into amino acids, which make up the chemicals that are important for nerve function, memory and the ability to focus.

Studies show that daily adequate intake of vitamin B12, vitamin C and magnesium may help support long-term brain health, mental sharpness, and memory.

Take Away

PR Bar provides the right ratio of carbs to efficiently fuel the brain.

Healthy fat in the bars provide structure to nerve and brain cells for optimal efficiency.

Protein in the bars helps produce chemicals essential to brain function.

Curb Hunger

What is Hunger?

Hunger is the body’s physical need for food, triggered by hormones and chemicals in the brain. It’s influenced by many factors including the amount of food in the stomach and intestines, nutrient composition, duration and intensity of physical activity and the existence of appetite regulating hormones.

Gut-Brain Connection

The brain plays a major role in regulating hunger. After food consumption, the stomach expands and sensory nerve receptors send signals to the brain. The brain responds by releasing hormones and chemicals (neurotransmitters), which stimulate satiety and decrease appetite.

How Protein and Fat Curb Hunger

Fat and protein activate the release of intestinal hormones that stimulate satiety and delay emptying of the stomach. When the stomach is full, the gut and brain continue to send neuronal and hormonal signals that also delay hunger.

How Carbs Curb Hunger

Carbs stimulate the release of serotonin, a chemical that decreases appetite. When combined with fat and protein, this chemical is slowly and steadily released to curb hunger.

Take Away

The brain plays a major role in regulating hunger by releasing hormones and chemicals.

PR Bar’s mix of fat and protein activate the release of hormones to delay stomach emptying.

PR Bar’s carbs stimulate the release of chemicals to help curb hunger.

Sources Cited

Giancoli AN. Nutrition and the endurance runner. Today’s Dietitian Magazine. 2016;18(3):28.  
Eberle SG. Endurance Sports Nutrition: Fuel your body for optimal performance. 3rd ed. Champaign, IL:Human Kinetics;2014.  
Spriet LL. New insights into the interaction of carbohydrate and fat metabolism during exercise. Sports Med. 2014;44(Suppl 1):87-96.  
“Eating Before Exercise.” Handout. Sports, Cardiovascular and Wellness Nutrition (SCAN). 2012.  
Clark N. Nancy Clark’s Sports Nutrition Guidebook. 4th ed. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics. 2008:110.  
Position of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, Dietitians of Canada, and the American College of Sports Medicine: Nutrition and  Athletic Performance. Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. 2016;116(3):501-528.  
Sizer F. Whitney E. Nutrition Concepts and Controversies. 3rd ed. Belmont, CA: Thomas Higher Education. 2008:122.  
Parker T. Lecture notes. Nutritional Biochemistry, Brigham Young University, 2011.  
Ackerman S. Discovering the Brain: Learning, Recalling and Thinking. Washington DC: National Academies Press. 1992.  
Blokland A. Acetylcholine: a neurotransmitter for learning and memory? Brain Res Brain Res Rev. 1995;21(3):285-300.  
Kennedy DO. B Vitamins and the brain: Mechanisms, dose and efficacy—a review. Nutrients. 2016;8(2):68.  
Hansen SN, et al. Does vitamin C deficiency affect cognitive development and function? Nutrients. 2014;6(9):3818-3846.  
Figueroa-Mendez R, Rivas-Arancibia S. Vitamin C in health and disease: Its role in the metabolism of cells and redox state in the brain.  Front Physiol. 2015;6:397.  
Cyranoski D. Nature International W eekly Journal of Science. T esting magnesium’ s brain-boosting effects. 2012. A vailable at:  http://www.nature.com/news/testing-magnesium-s-brain-boosting-effects-1.11665. Accessed: September 30, 2016.  
Eby GA, Eby KL. Rapid recovery from major depression using magnesium treatment. Medical Hypotheses. 2006;67(2):362-70.  
Ahima RS, Antwi DA. Brain Regulation of Appetite and Satiety. Endocrinol Metab Clin North Am. 2008;37(4):811-823.  
Dailey MJ, Moran TH. Glucagon-like Peptide 1 and Appetite. Trends Endocrinol Metab. 2013:24(2):85-91.  
Maljaars J, Romeyn EA, Haddeman E, Peters H, Masclee AM. Effect of fat saturation on satiety, hormone release and food intake.  AJCN. 2009;89:1019-24.  
Wurtman RJ, et al. Brain serotonin, carbohydrate-craving, obesity and depression. Obes Res. 1995;3(4):477S-480S.  