Comparison of dietary intakes of Canadian Armed Forces personnel consuming field rations in acute hot, cold, and temperate conditions with standardized infantry activities (original) (raw)
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Four teams of Special Forces volunteers were divided into two groups to test the Mead, Ready to Eat (MRE) and the Ration Cold Weather (RCW) rations in a field test in a moderately cold environment. Pre and post measurements were taken, and field data was limited to questionnaires and a daily urine dipstick measure. Both groups lost weight (MRE - 6.9 lbs; RCW - 5.9 lbs) as the average caloric intake was 2733 kcal less than MRE group and 2751 kcal for RCW group. These caloric intakes were approximately 1000 kcal less that their estimated energy requirements. Both groups showed evidence of dehydration (as indicated by elevated urinary specific gravity) which could have been reduced by better water discipline. The RCW ration consumption led to lower protein, lower salt and higher carbohydrate intakes than the MRE ration. The daily RCW ration (4541 kcal) weighs about half as much as a comparable caloric amount of MRE rations (4 rations = 4892 kcal). There did not appear to be any signifi...
Energy Balance of Canadian Armed Forces Personnel during an Arctic-Like Field Training Exercise
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Operating in temperature extremes frequently leads to a discrepancy in energy balance. Investigating the effects of operating in extreme cold temperatures on metabolic requirements has not been well described in Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) personnel. The objective was to accurately assess energy deficits using the “gold standard” methodology for measuring energy intake (EI) and energy expenditure (EE). Nutritional intake of a convenience sample of 10 CAF Class A Reservists, completing a basic military qualification (land) course under winter weather conditions, was assessed using the daily measured food intake/food waste collections. EE was measured by the doubly-labelled water method. Average EI was 2377 ± 1144 kcal/day, which was below the EE (4917 ± 693 kcal/day), despite having ~5685 kcal available in the field rations. A significant body weight loss of 2.7% was associated with the average daily energy deficit of 2539 ± 1396 kcal. As a result, participants demonstrated voluntary...
Physical Performance and Carbohydrate Consumption in CF Commandos during a 5-Day Field Trial
This study evaluated the capacity of military personnel to perform maximal exercise before and after 5 days of sustained physical activity. An additional goal was to evaluate whether a carbohydrate supplement to the regular field rations would reduce the extent of any performance impairments. Subjects (Ss) were 29 male volunteers from the Canadian Forces Airborne Regiment. They were allowed 4-5 h sleep each 24h and 45 min per meal, but were otherwise continuously occupied with physically demanding missions in a field environment. Performance tests administered 2 days before and at the end of a the 5-day field trial included evaluations of maximal aerobic power during cycle exercise, anaerobic power, muscular strength and endurance, rate of maximal force development and reaction time. Muscle and blood tissue samples were obtained before and after the trial to clarify the relative contribution of fat and carbohydrate energy stores to meeting the metabolic cost of the field trial. The ...
The Meal, Ready-To-Eat (MRE) ration was fed ad libitum to a group of 15 soldiers for a period of 12 days. Ten of the 12 days were spent under field conditions at moderate (7,200 feet) altitude. Seven of the 10 days at altitude were exercise days wherein the soldiers ran a strenuous cross-country course (9-11 miles) for 2 hr/day. Caloric intakes were less than adequate for energy balance under these conditions. During the 10-day exercise period, soldiers consumed less than 67% of the calories recommended for energy balance. The soldiers lost 3% of their body weight, 10% of their body fat, and experienced a decline of 5% in their maximal aerobic capacity. Although calcium, iron, and riboflavin intakes were suboptimal, the most potentially serious deficiency noted was the low (260 g/day) intake of carbohydrate. No remarkable changes in blood chemistries other than an increased level of ketone bodies were noted. Although the MRE ration supported a reasonable level of performance under t...