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Purpose: The effect of carbohydrate (CHO) supplementation on physiological and perceptual responses to steady-state exercise has been studied in children. However, little is known about these responses to variable-intensity exercise (VIE) and how these responses might differ from adults. This study examined the physiological and perceptual effects of CHO on VIE in boys and men., Methods: Eight boys (11.1 ± 0.9 years) and 11 men (23.8 ± 2.1 years) consumed CHO or a placebo (PL) beverage before and throughout VIE (three 12-min cycling bouts with intensity varying every 20-30 s between 25, 50, 75, and 125% peak work rate). Pulmonary gas exchange was assessed during the second 12-min bout. RPE was assessed twice per bout., Results: In CHO, blood glucose increased and then decreased more from pre-exercise to 12 min and was higher in this trial at the end of exercise in men versus boys. In boys, blood glucose in CHO was higher at 24 and 36 min of exercise than in PL. RER during the CHO trial was higher in both groups; the other physiological responses were unaffected by CHO. All RPE measures (whole body, legs and chest) increased over time, but were not different between groups or trials., Conclusion: Blood glucose patterns during VIE were differentially affected by CHO in boys and men, but most physiological and perceptual responses to VIE were unaffected by CHO in either group. Knowledge of the underlying mechanisms of glucose regulation and effects on physical performance during this type of exercise in children is warranted.

Carbohydrate (CHO) consumption before anaerobic exercise was studied in 13 adolescent boys (15.2 ± 0.9 yrs). A within subjects design was employed where subjects consumed a 22% CHO or volume-matched placebo (PL) beverage 30-min before anaerobic exercise on two separate days. Exercise consisted of a Wingate Anaerobic Test (WAnT), ten by 10-s-sprints, and a second WAnT. Fatigue index and peak power (PP) were similar while mean power (MP) was higher (p < .025) in CHO trial; however this difference was ascribed to initial WAnT performance. PP and MP for the 10-s sprints were similar between trials. Intravenous blood glucose and insulin concentrations were higher (p < .05) in the CHO trial while lactate and catecholamine concentrations were similar. Improved performance on a single WAnT was apparent with CHO consumption before exercise; however, this strategy did not attenuate fatigue over time in adolescent boys.

This study examined the effect of preexercise carbohydrate (CHO) feeding on performance on a Wingate anaerobic test (WAnT) in 11 boys (10.2 +/- 1.3 y old). Four WAnTs with 2 min recovery were performed 30 min after consuming a CHO (1 g CHO/kg) or placebo drink. Peak power (PP) and mean power (MP) were similar between trials. PP ranged from 241.1 +/- 82.2 to 223.1 +/- 57.9 W with carbohydrate and from 238.2 +/- 76.1 to 223.4 +/- 52.3 W with placebo. MP ranged from 176.3 +/- 58.4 to 151.1 +/- 37.5 W with carbohydrate versus 178.0 +/- 45.8 to 159.1 +/- 32.7 W with placebo. Preexercise glucose was significantly higher in CHO versus placebo (7.0 +/- 1.0 vs. 5.5 +/- 0.5 mmol/L), but postexercise values were not different. Blood lactate was similar between trials but increased over time. This study found that the ingestion of a CHO solution before exercise did not influence power output during repeated performances of the WAnT.

This study examined substrate use during exercise in early-pubertal (EP), mid-pubertal (MP), late-pubertal (LP), and young-adult (YA) males. Fuel use was calculated using the RER and VO2 response during cycling exercise at 30 to 70% of VO2speak. Significant group by intensity interactions were found for lactate, RER, percent CHO, and fat use, in addition to fat and CHO oxidation rates, which suggest a maturation effect on substrate use during exercise. While significance was not achieved at all intensities, post hoc analyses revealed greater fat use, lower CHO use, and lower lactate concentrations in EP and MP compared to LP or YA. No differences were noted between EP and MP or LP and YA at any intensity, suggesting the development of an adult-like metabolic profile occurs between mid- to late-puberty and is complete by the end of puberty.