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APPLIED NUTRITION SCIENCE
BARLEY+
SOUTH SYDNEY RABBITOHS BARLEY+ PRE-SEASON
GUT REBOOT
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BARLEY+
BackgroundBarley+ is a breakfast muesli, flatbread wrap and
muesli bar range launched recently by Australian Natural Foods
Company, Freedom Foods. Barley+ is rich in a high fibre,
non-genetically modified barley whole grain called BARLEYmax™,
which was developed by CSIRO via conventional plant breeding and
which has particularly high levels of resistant starch, soluble
fibre and insoluble fibre compared
with other grains (Figure 1). Barley+ is a good source of
complex carbohydrates, rich in antioxidants, has low glycaemic
index and a good source of essential amino acids when consumed with
dairy milk and/or yoghurt. Preliminary research conducted by
Freedom Foods in 50 Australian adults identified a significant
group mean fat loss at completion of a Barley+ 28 Day Gut Reboot
program.
Figure 1: Resistant starch, soluble and insoluble fibre levels
in BARLEYmax™ compared to other common whole grains (1).
Resistant starchSoluble fibreInsoluble fibre
BARLEYmaxTM
Barley
Wheat
Oats
Rye
302520151050g/100 g
In November 2017, 3 Australian National Rugby League players
from the South Sydney Rabbitohs (NSW) were recruited to engage in
the Barley+ Pre-season Gut Reboot weight and fat loss program, as
an adjunct to their otherwise tailored and sports specific
preseason training. The players included 3 young Rabbitohs’
stars:
1. Powerful second-rower Siosifa Talakai; (left in photo)
2. Up and coming winger Tyrone Taukamo; (right in photo) and
3. Centre/winger Robert Jennings, an elusive, tackle-breaking
machine.
The main broad objectives for the players included body fat loss
and improved aerobic and anaerobic fitness (this case study reports
on anthropometrical outcomes only). Individual goals were also set
for each player, including an increase in lean mass for Siosifa
Talakai and Tyrone Taukamo, while the important individual goal for
Robert Jennings was to maintain or slightly decrease lean body
mass, in order to reduce total mass and improve his speed.
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SOUTH SYDNEY RABBITOHS BARLEY+ PRE-SEASON GUT REBOOT
Protocol for Barley+ Pre-season Gut RebootPlayers were asked to
substitute their normal breakfast with 50 g (½ cup) of Barley+
Muesli with low fat milk, together with YoPRO Yoghurt and berries.
Rabbitohs’ Sports Dietitian Ryan Pinto prescribed this breakfast in
order to “optimise the gut health of players by providing a natural
source of prebiotic fibres (Barley+) and probiotic cultures (YoPRO
yoghurt)”. Breakfast products were supplied to the players by the
club, to ensure compliance with the program. The players were also
asked to snack on one Barley+ Muesli Bar/day, which they consumed
on their way home from training or as a mid-afternoon snack on days
off, and to replace ordinary bread with Barley+ Wraps, for
sandwiches and the like.
As common practice in the Rabbitohs training environment, sport
specific nutrition advice, together with other training advice is
provided to athletes several times a day, and this practice
continued during the Gut Reboot. As part of each athlete’s
individualised nutrition programs, athletes are also taught
shopping and cooking skills in an ongoing manner.
Baseline DEXA scans were completed on 6 and 7 November, 2017.
All post Barley+ Pre-season Gut Reboot DEXA scans were completed
before breakfast on 19 December 2017.
Table 1: Baseline characteristics of players, including
DEXA-derived total lean and total fat mass
Siosifa Talakai Tyrone Taukamo Robert Jennings
DEXA Scan Date 07/11/2017 06/11/2017 06/11/2017
Age (yr) 20 18 21
Total Mass (kg) 109.9 115.3 114.7
Height (cm) 178 184 190
Fat Mass (kg) 22.3 24.2 23.5
Lean Mass (kg) 82.3 86.1 86.1
ResultsAll 3 players experienced decreases in total mass by the
end of the nutrition intervention (SF, -0.8 kg, -0.7 %; TT -6.5 kg,
-5.6 %; RJ, -7.4 kg, -6.5 %).
Figures 2 to 4 show the DEXA-derived changes observed in these 3
young Rabbitohs’ stars. Body fat mass decreased in all players (SF,
-3.2 kg, -14.3 %; TT, -5.9 kg, -24.4 %; RJ, -5.2 kg, -22.1 %).
Siosifa Talakai also experienced a +2.4 kg lean mass increase (+2.9
%), while Tyrone Taukamo and Robert Jennings’ lean mass decreased
by -0.6 kg and -2.2 kg (-0.7 % & -2.6 %), respectively.
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BARLEY+
Figure 3: Tyrone Taukamo’s pre (06/11/2017) versus post
(19/12/2017) Barley+ Pre-season Gut Reboot showing fat and lean
mass losses
Figure 2: Siosifa Talakai’s pre (07/11/2017) versus post
(19/12/2017) Barley+ Pre-season Gut Reboot showing fat mass loss
and an increase in lean mass
Age (years)
Total
Le
an
(kg
)
Fat
(kg
)
82
83
84
85
14
16
18
20
22
24
19.0 19.5 20.0 20.5 21.0 21.5
Age (years)
Total
Le
an
(kg
)
Fat
(kg
)
85.4
85.8
85.6
86
86.2
18
22
20
24
26
18.8 18.8 18.9 18.9 18.9
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SOUTH SYDNEY RABBITOHS BARLEY+ PRE-SEASON GUT REBOOT
Figure 4: Robert Jennings’ pre (06/11/2017) versus post
(19/12/2017) Barley+ Pre-season Gut Reboot showing fat and lean
mass losses
Less than one third of Australians eat the recommended intakes
of whole grains.
Age (years)
Total
Le
an
(kg
)
Fat
(kg
)
80
82
84
88
86
14
16
18
20
22
24
19.0 21.0 21.5 22.0 22.5
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BARLEY+
DiscussionThe Barley+ Pre-season Gut Reboot weight and fat loss
program, as an adjunct to elite South Sydney Rabbitohs’ sports
specific pre-season training, effectively facilitated body weight
and fat loss goal attainment of individual star athletes, as part
of a controlled pre-season program. We suggest the high levels of
resistant starch and fermentable (prebiotic) fibres in the Barley+
products, coupled with the low glycaemic index, carbohydrate rich
whole grains contributed favourably to the weight lost by the
athletes, via mechanisms associated with improved satiety and
shifts in markers of gut function and well-being, including gut
microbiota (2-13). These nutrition indices are commonly understood
to impact positively on weight loss and weight management (9-12,
14-17).
Results were particularly striking for Siosifa Talakai, who
reached his goal to lose fat in parallel with lean mass accrual
during the observation period. Siosifa’s 14.3 % fat loss together
with his striking lean mass increase over the observation period
was the result of careful attention to his specific, high intensity
exercise training program and carefully designed dietary
intake.
Fat mass loses occur when an energy deficit is achieved against
a given baseline (18, 19), with greater fat losses observed when
the caloric deficit is achieved by restricting dietary fat versus
dietary carbohydrate (19). Hall et al. (2015) showed in overweight
adult humans that selectively restricting dietary fat results in
more body fat loss than isocalorically restricting carbohydrate
(19). Similarly, a set of stimulatory factors are required to
facilitate lean mass accrual, especially when this is achieved
within the same observation period as fat losses. Providing
adequately high protein intakes during a period of marked energy
deficit, combined with intense exercise training, appear to permit
fat losses and lean muscle accrual within a discrete observation
period (20). Siosifa results are consistent with those shown
recently by Longland et al. (2016), who demonstrated in n= 40 young
men randomly assigned to a marked energy deficit dietary intake
with either higher or lower protein intakes, that consuming 2.4 g
protein kg/day was more effective than 1.2 g protein kg/ day in
promoting lean body mass accrual and fat mass loss when combined
with a high volume of resistance and anaerobic exercise (20).
The major pre-season body composition change goal for Tyrone
Taukamo was to maximise fat loss. In the energy restricted
environment needed for fat loss, Tyrone achieved 24.4 % fat loss
compared with his baseline fat levels, while essentially preserving
his lean mass status. Tyrone’s lean mass losses were minimised via
careful attention to his training specific macronutrient needs
(especially protein and whole grain carbohydrate sources), and his
specific high intensity resistance training program.
In contrast to his team mates, Robert Jennings’ goals centred
both on fat and lean mass losses, to decrease his total mass and
improve his speed. Robert achieved his goals and did so while
increasing his lean mass to total mass ratio (0.75:1 initial vs
0.78:1 end) and lean mass to fat ratio (3.7:1 initial vs 4.6:1
end), both important manipulable cofactors of speed.
Concluding words from South Sydney Rabbitohs’ Sports Dietitian,
Mr Ryan Pinto (photo on cover)“The South Sydney Rabbitohs’ players
found the program very easy to follow and apart from some reported
slight abdominal distention experienced at the beginning of the
program resulting from the increased intake of different fibres,
the players loved the products due to the nutritional value and
taste. We’ve made Barley+ part of our core foods within our
nutritional program due to the incredible effects on gut health and
weight loss. It not only tastes great but keeps our athletes fuller
for longer and doesn’t make them crash an hour or so later compared
to other cereal and muesli products.”
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SOUTH SYDNEY RABBITOHS BARLEY+ PRE-SEASON GUT REBOOT
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BARLEYmax
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FREEDOM FOODS GROUP LIMITED 80 BOX ROAD
TAREN POINT NSW 2229
[email protected]
WWW.BARLEYPLUS.COM.AU/HEALTHPROFESSIONALS
Disclaimer: The information contained within this document is
intended for healthcare professionals only and should
not be taken as professional medical advice nor as any health
claim associated with consuming Barley+.
V1_22/02/18
