Dancers & Carbs!

First and foremost, I am a big proponent of carbohydrates. A firm believer in them, if you will. As a former dancer myself, I remember the (not always nutrient rich) days of ingesting every carbohydrate rich food in sight in order to fill my ravenous self after long hours in the studio.  But, I also know that dancers struggle greatly with proper nutrition and energy intake, amongst other issues.

Dancers, on the more serious or elite side of the spectrum (as opposed to recreational dancers taking 1-2 hours of class a week) are often in rehearsals, classes or performing for hours a day (upwards of 12), six to seven days a week. While not every moment may be spent active, it is known to be exhausting, grueling and demand a great deal of strength, energy and endurance from its participants, male or female. In order to meet the demands of such a beautiful art and sport, they must fuel themselves with the appropriate amounts of macronutrients, in this instance, carbohydrates.

For female dancers, it is estimated that they can expend upwards of 44-51 kilocalories per kilogram of their bodyweight a day (due to their activities of daily living + moderate-intense exercise on most days). For the males, it is upwards of 50-58 kilocalories per kilogram of their bodyweight a day. (All total energy expenditure and intake is of course, unique to each individual- age, gender, activity, etc).

Therefore, a general rule of thumb for dancers is to consume 6-8 grams of carbohydrate per kilogram of bodyweight a day. Furthermore, dancers should focus on ingesting complex, nutrient rich carbs rather than quick, simple, processed carbs if they are able.

Although there is always a cry for more studies to be done, especially on unique populations, I recommend three supplements that MAY be beneficial to their energy sustainability, performance, power, endurance and fatiguability.
First- Glucose Electrolyte Solutions (think: Gatorade drinks, gels). Not only will they reduce the risk of dehydration, they may help maintain energy levels if 6-8 ounces is consumed every 10-15 minutes if a highly concentrated solution, or throughout their rehearsal as sweat is lost. Yay for electrolyte replenishment!
Second- Vitargo: 1.2 grams/kilogram. It may help improve their power output and the oxidation of carbohydrates in their body.
Third- 2 grams of Ribose (every 5 minutes if one is able) during a 30 minute bout to help decrease fatigue, improve energy metabolism and notice gains in power.
Once again, these supplements may be beneficial to dancers, but always should be taken with caution and more research should be done on populations such as elite level dancers!

Ultimately, dancers must be sure to ingest an adequate amount of carbs throughout their day to ensure proper energy availability as well as maintain proper day to day functions. Bottom line, to my dancer friends: CARBS ARE YOUR FRIEND!

REFERENCES:
Nutrition for Sport & Exercise (3rd ed.) By Marie Dunford & J. Andrew Doyle, Cengage Learning.
Essentials of Exercise & Sport Nutrition: Science to Practice by Richard B. Kreider.