"PASTA WITH PULSES" AND PARMIGIANO-REGGIANO: WINNING COCKTAIL FOR ATHLETES

The new proposal was presented during the Conference entitled "Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese in the diet: values and benefits"

Reggio Emilia, 20 October 2005 - Good news for the athletes who have to face particularly challenging competitions, such as exhausting marathons of lots of kilometres, springs of a few hundreds meters, tiring cross-country races, exhausting cross-country skiing and cycle races. From now onwards these athletes can rely on a new important natural ally. Indeed the introduction, in a balanced diet, of a daily meal based on 'Pasta with pulses' dressed with extra-virgin olive oil and Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese proved extremely useful in meeting the needs of sportspeople who are performing intense and long-lasting activities.
This was stated by Giulio Rossi, director of the Medical Centre of Sondalo, and Alberto Zoia, consultant of the Italian Federation of Winter Sports (F.I.S.I.) and the Italian Federation of Ice Sports (F.I.S.G.) during a conference entitled "Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese in the diet: values and benefits" held today in Reggio Emilia.
"The combination of 'Pasta with pulses' and Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese is more effective than any other supplement - continued Rossi and Zoia - it proved successful first of all for the improvement of the performance and recovery of athletes, and for their long-lasting wellbeing and satiety, hence useful to use also in away competitions".
"From a nutritional point of view - the two speakers underlined - the daily consumption of a serving of 'Pasta with pulses' and Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese easily guarantees a right balance of both energy components (proteins, carbohydrates, fats), and functional ones (vitamins, minerals, fibres)".
The key role played by the "King of Cheeses" in the diet of sportspeople was highlighted also by Andrea Strata, professor of Clinical Nutrition at the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Parma; he underlined the considerable quantity of proteins (33.5%, almost twice as much as in some types of meats), vitamins (A, B1, B2, B6 and B12) and minerals such as calcium (100 grams of cheese contain 1.16 grams of calcium , i.e. the daily need of children and adults) found in Parmigiano-Reggiano.
"The quantity of cheese that should be present in the habitual diet of athletes - added Strata - obviously varies according to the energy requirements, the discipline practiced and other parameters: in general, however, a higher intake is advisable in young people, but also for adults a daily intake of at least 50 grams during training periods is recommendable. Also on the day of the competition, it is advisable to eat cheese by adding a good quantity of grated Parmigiano-Reggiano to a dish of pasta".
"In this way - concluded Strata - the protein content of pasta is improved and a good quantity of branched amino-acids is provided (valine, leucine, isoleucin), thereby contributing also to produce energy for contracting muscles, neutralising pyruvic acid to prevent its transformation into lactic acid, trapping ammonia to prevent muscle cramp and maintaining the efficiency of the immune system".
Ludmila Gurova, a member of the Russian Nutrition Working Group of the Multilateral Medical Operation Panel (MMOP), pointed out that careful chemical and microbiological tests carried out in laboratories and some experiments performed during several missions on board the MIR and ISS stations, had lead to the definitive inclusion of Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese in the official diet of the astronauts of the International Space Station as a permanent food.
"The reasons why Parmigiano-Reggiano is used as a food for space - stated Gurova - are linked to its features: high digestibility, high calcium content in a form that can be absorbed by the body (very useful for calcium recovery in bones after the losses caused by the absence of gravity), absence of preservatives and additives, as well as pleasantness and organoleptic appeal".
The conference programme was further enriched by the live contributions of athletes, such as marathon runner Stefano Baldini, who was the gold metal winner at the Olympic Games of Athens in 2004, and group captain Roberto Vittori, the first European astronaut to visit the International Experimental Station twice (in 2002 and 2005).
"Today's conference has been very useful - declared Andrea Bonati, President of the Consortium - because besides highlighting how Parmigiano-Reggiano can help face sports activities and particular physical efforts successfully, it has also cast light on the nutritional features of our cheese that guarantee a balanced and significant contribution of nutrients for our daily lives".