Sport Nutrition

The State University of Physical Education and Sport

Performed by: Florea Ion
Scientific coordinator: Natalia Nastas

Abstract: The world of sports nutrition research is steadily moving forward, identifying
performance-enhancing strategies and improving the recommendations for an athlete’s diet.
Athletes achieve peak performance by training and getting a balanced diet including a variety of
sport supplements.
This analysis will show the research in the field of sports nutrition and discuss the controversies
in this regard.

Keywords: sport, supplements, diet, performance, training, athletes.

Introduction
Becoming an athlete requires good genes, good training and conditioning, and a sensible diet.
Optimal nutrition is essential for peak performance, because athletes work out more than their less-
active peers, they generally need extra calories to fuel both their sports performance and their
growth.[1]Depending on how active they are, athletes may need anywhere from 2,000 to 5,000
total calories per day to meet their energy needs. Athletes who don't take in enough calories every
day won't be as fast and as strong as they could be and may not be able to maintain their weight.
And extreme calorie restriction can lead to growth muscles problems and other serious health risks
for both girls and guys, including increased risk for fractures and other injuries.
Food consumed before and between athletic events can have a significant impact on an individual’s
ability to perform. Many people have their own ideas about what foods to consume around athletic
events. Some of these ideas may be good.

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Supplements, Performance Enhancers, and Structure of Sports Foods

A long time ago athletes enjoyed a well-balanced diet based on natural sports foods—bananas,
orange juice, yogurt, pasta, spinach, chicken. Today, many athletes fuel themselves from a
shopping cart filled with engineered bars, powders, potions, and supplements. [2]
The following key points summarize the current energy, nutrient, and fluid recommendations for
active adults and competitive athletes. These general recommendations can be adjusted by sports
nutrition experts to accommodate the unique concerns of individual athletes regarding health,
sports, nutrient needs, food preferences, and body weight and body composition goals.
•Athletes need to consume adequate energy during periods of high-intensity and/or long-duration
training to maintain body weight and health and maximize training effects. Low energy intakes
can result in loss of muscle mass; menstrual dysfunction; loss of or failure to gain bone density;
an increased risk of fatigue, injury, and illness; and a prolonged recovery process.
•Body weight and composition should not be the sole criterion for participation in sports; daily
weigh-ins are discouraged. Optimal body fat levels depend upon the sex, age, and heredity of the
athlete, and may be sport-specific. Body fat assessment techniques have inherent variability and
limitations. Preferably, weight loss (fat loss) should take place during the off-season or begin
before the competitive season and involve a qualified sports dietitian.
•Carbohydrate recommendations for athletes range from 6 to 10 g/kg (2.7 to 4.5 g/lb.) body
weight per day. Carbohydrates maintain blood glucose levels during exercise and replace muscle
glycogen. The amount required depends upon the athlete's total daily energy expenditure, type of
sport, sex, and environmental conditions.
•Protein recommendations for endurance and strength-trained athletes range from 1.2 to 1.7 g/kg
(0.5 to 0.8 g/lb) body weight per day. These recommended protein intakes can generally be met
through diet alone, without the use of protein or amino acid supplements. Energy intake
sufficient to maintain body weight is necessary for optimal protein use and performance.
•Fat intake should range from 20% to 35% of total energy intake. Consuming ≤20% of energy
from fat does not benefit performance. Fat, which is a source of energy, fat-soluble vitamins, and
essential fatty acids, is important in the diets of athletes. High-fat diets are not recommended for
athletes.
•Athletes who restrict energy intake or use severe weight-loss practices, eliminate one or more
food groups from their diet, or consume high- or low-carbohydrate diets of low micronutrient
density are at greatest risk of micronutrient deficiencies. Athletes should consume diets that
provide at least the Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for all micronutrients.
•Dehydration (water deficit in excess of 2% to 3% body mass) decreases exercise performance;
thus, adequate fluid intake before, during, and after exercise is important for health and optimal
performance. The goal of drinking is to prevent dehydration from occurring during exercise and
individuals should not drink in excess of sweating rate. After exercise, the athlete should drink
adequate fluids to replace sweat losses during exercise, approximately 16 to 24 oz. (450 to 675
mL) fluid for every pound (0.5 kg) of body weight lost during exercise.

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•Before exercise, a meal or snack should provide sufficient fluid to maintain hydration, be
relatively low in fat and fiber to facilitate gastric emptying and minimize gastrointestinal distress,
be relatively high in carbohydrate to maximize maintenance of blood glucose, be moderate in
protein, be composed of familiar foods, and be well tolerated by the athlete.
•During exercise, primary goals for nutrient consumption are to replace fluid losses and provide
carbohydrates (approximately 30 to 60 g per hour) for maintenance of blood glucose levels.
These nutrition guidelines are especially important for endurance events lasting longer than an
hour when an athlete has not consumed adequate food or fluid before exercise, or if an athlete is
exercising in an extreme environment (e.g., heat, cold, or high altitude).
•After exercise, dietary goals are to provide adequate fluids, electrolytes, energy, and
carbohydrates to replace muscle glycogen and ensure rapid recovery. A carbohydrate intake of
∼1.0 to 1.5 g/kg (0.5 to 0.7 g/lb.) body weight during the first 30 minutes and again every 2
hours for 4 to 6 hours will be adequate to replace glycogen stores. Protein consumed after
exercise will provide amino acids for building and repair of muscle tissue.
•In general, no vitamin and mineral supplements are required if an athlete is consuming adequate
energy from a variety of foods to maintain body weight. Supplementation recommendations
unrelated to exercise, such as folic acid for women of childbearing potential, should be followed.
A multivitamin/mineral supplement may be appropriate if an athlete is dieting, habitually
eliminating foods or food groups, is ill or recovering from injury, or has a specific micronutrient
deficiency. Single-nutrient supplements may be appropriate for a specific medical or nutritional
reason (e.g., iron supplements to correct iron deficiency anemia).
•Athletes should be counseled regarding the appropriate use of ergogenic aids. Such products
should only be used after careful evaluation for safety, efficacy, potency, and legality.
•Vegetarian athletes may be at risk for low intakes of energy, protein, fat, and key micronutrients
such as iron, calcium, vitamin D, riboflavin, zinc, and vitamin B-12. Consultation with a sports
dietitian is recommended to avoid these nutrition problems.

Nutrients Demand for Exercise

Vitamin and Mineral Supplements
What are vitamins and minerals? Vitamins are metabolic catalysts that regulate biochemical
reactions within your body; they are found in the plants we eat and are created by the plants
themselves. Minerals are natural substances that plants must absorb from the soil. If the soil is
void of the needed minerals, the plant fails to thrive or yields small fruits or vegetables that have
a poor appearance. [3]
Your body cannot manufacture vitamins or minerals, which is why you must obtain them
through your diet. By eating a variety of wholesome foods, you can consume the right balance of
vitamins and minerals needed for optimal health and performance. To date, 14 vitamins and 15
minerals have been discovered, each with a specific function. Here are a few examples:

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• Calcium maintains the rigid structure of bones.
• Sodium helps control water balance.
• Iron transports oxygen to the muscles.
• Thiamin helps convert glucose into energy.
• Vitamin D controls the way your body uses calcium.
• Vitamin A is part of an eye pigment that helps you see in dim light

B Vitamins: Thiamin, Riboflavin, Niacin, B-6, Pantothenic Acid, Biotin, Folate, and B-12
Adequate intake of B vitamins is important to ensure optimum energy production and the
building and repair of muscle tissue [4] [5]. The B-complex vitamins have two major functions
directly related to exercise. Thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, pyridoxine (B-6), pantothenic acid, and
biotin are involved in energy production during exercise [6] [5], whereas folate and B-12 are
required for the production of red blood cells, for protein synthesis, and in tissue repair and
maintenance including the central nervous system. Of the B vitamins, riboflavin, pyridoxine,
folate and B-12 are frequently low in female athletes' diets, especially those who are vegetarian
or have disordered eating patterns. [7] [4]
Limited research has been conducted to examine whether exercise increases the need for the B-
complex vitamins [6] [7]. Some data suggest that exercise may increase the need for these
vitamins as much as twice the current recommended [4] amount however, these increased needs
can generally be met with higher energy intakes. Although short-term marginal deficiencies of B
vitamins have not been observed to affect performance, severe deficiency of B-12, folate, or both
may result in anemia and reduced endurance performance [4] [6] [8]. Therefore, it is important
that athletes consume adequate amounts of these micronutrients to support their efforts for
optimal performance and health.
Vitamin D
Vitamin D is required for adequate calcium absorption, regulation of serum calcium and
phosphorus levels, and promotion of bone health. Vitamin D also regulates the development and
homeostasis of the nervous system and skeletal muscle [9]. Athletes who live at northern
latitudes or who train primarily indoors throughout the year, such as gymnasts and figure skaters,
are at risk for poor vitamin D status, especially if they do not consume foods fortified with
vitamin D [10]. These athletes would benefit from supplementation with vitamin D at the Dietary
Reference Intake level (5 mg/day or 200 IU for ages 19 to 49 years). A growing number of
expert’s advocate that the RDA for vitamin D is not adequate. [11]

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Vitamin C
An antioxidant, vitamin C is abundant in fruits and vegetables. It is involved in boosting the
immune response and reducing the potential cellular damage caused by free oxygen radicals. If
you overstrain and do prolonged exercise, you can lower your immune response. Taking high
doses of vitamin C, however, is unlikely to enhance your immune response. The exception might
be for athletes doing a sudden increase in training (Burke 2007). The better choice is to consume
carbohydrate during exercise (Davison and Phillips 2005). If you insist on taking vitamin C, 500
milligrams are more than enough.

Vitamin E
Vitamin E. In low doses, vitamin E plays an important role in the maintenance of immune
function. In a study of 38 Hawaii Ironman triathletes who took high doses (800 IU) of this
antioxidant for two months before the triathlon, the vitamin E unexpectedly promoted
inflammation during exercise (Nieman et al. 2004). Although some antioxidant protection can be
good, more may not be better. In fact, vitamin E can become a potentially health-eroding
prooxidant. The bottom line: If you choose to take vitamin E, do so in moderation; 500 IU is
more than enough. Because your body adapts to exercise by producing more antioxidants, an
appropriate time to take an antioxidant supplement might be just before initiating an unusually
high amount of exercise. See Chapter 10 for more information.

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Performance Enhancers
Just as whole grains, fruits, vegetables, lean protein, and low-fat dairy foods can provide the
vitamins and minerals you need for optimal health, they can also supply the protein you need to
build muscles, carbohydrate to fuel performance, and healthful fat to provide energy to excel at
your sport. Yet, many athletes fail to be responsible with proper fueling; they look for a quick fix
from supplements, pills, and potions. [3]
Muscle Builders
To build muscle, you need to lift weights. With hard gym work and an appropriate sports diet
eaten at the right times, you can feel good about enhancing your musculature the natural way. If,
however, you decide to seek out muscle building supplements, here is some information on the
most common types:
Creatine
A naturally occurring compound found in muscles (meat), creatine is an important source of fuel
for sprints and bouts of high intensity exercise lasting up to 10 seconds. This includes
weightlifting; interval or sprint training with repeated short bouts of explosive efforts; and team
or racket sports with intermittent work patterns, such as soccer, football, basketball, tennis, and
squash. The typical diet of meat eaters contains about 2 grams of creatine per day; vegetarians
have lower body stores of creatine. Many athletes who take creatine report increases in lean body
mass, perhaps because they are better able to recover during strength training; this allows more
weightlifting repetitions. A study with 31 experienced bodybuilders who took a protein-
carbohydrate supplement with or without creatine at midmorning, after their afternoon workout,
and before bed (for a total of about 450 calories) suggests the protein-carbohydrate creatine
group gained more muscle mass and strength than those who consumed just protein and
carbohydrate
Protein
Protein metabolism during and following exercise is affected by sex, age, intensity, duration, and
type of exercise, energy intake, and carbohydrate availability. More detailed reviews of these
factors and their relationship to protein metabolism and needs of active individuals can be found
elsewhere [12] [13]. The current RDA is 0.8 g/kg body weight and the Acceptable Macronutrient
Distribution Range for protein intake for adults older than age 18 years is 10% to 35% of total
energy [14]. Because there is not a strong body of evidence documenting that additional dietary
protein is needed by healthy adults who undertake endurance or resistance exercise, the current
Dietary Reference Intakes for protein and amino acids does not specifically recognize the unique
needs of routinely active individuals and competitive athletes. However, recommending protein
intakes in excess of the RDA to maintain optimum physical performance is commonly done in
practice.

Mass Gainer
Mass gainers are high-calorie supplements that contain various levels of protein, fat,
carbohydrates, minerals, vitamins, amino acids, and various other supplements. The amount of
protein in a Mass Gainer may be less than that of Whey Protein but the level of carbohydrates

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and fats is certainly on a higher side. This high carb amount is necessary to boost the calorie
intake. There are various types of Mass Gainers available in the market today with different
amounts of caloric supply. Try going for a Mass Gainer that has less sugar and more complex
carbs in each serving. [15]
A single serving of a Mass Gainer can provide anywhere from 350 calories to greater than 1200
calories. The amount of protein may also vary from as low as 15 grams to as high as 65 grams or
even more. So, though a Mass Gainer may act as a source of protein, but it should be taken by
people who are hard gainers. They are the ones who do not gain weight as easily as an average
person would after eating a sumptuously balanced diet. So, in combination with the everyday food
intake, skinny or thin people can opt for Mass Gainers if they want to build a significant amount
of muscle mass. So, the high amount of calories one will get from a Mass Gainer will help that
person bulk-up. A Mass Gainer can be taken blended with water or milk before or after a workout
as required or directed by a health expert.

Mass Gainer Benefits

1. Rich in Carbohydrates
Mass Gainers contain a rich amount of carbohydrates. These carbohydrates supply you with the
required energy that is very helpful for an intense workout.

2. Contains High-Quality Whey Protein

Mass Gainers contain high quality of Whey Protein, which is an amazing supplement for
bodybuilding. Some Mass Gainers also come with dietary fat. This dietary fat can help you achieve
a lean physique.

BCAA

Amino acids are the building blocks of protein. Branched chain amino acids (BCAAs) are so
called because of their structure, which includes a “side chain” of one carbon atom and three
hydrogen atoms. There are three BCAAs: leucine, isoleucine, and valine. Of these, leucine is the
most heavily researched, and appears to offer the biggest physiological benefit.

Consuming BCAAs before training can increase uptake into muscle tissue (Mittleman KD et al
1998) [16]. This has many benefits:

 BCAA supplementation may lower lactate levels after resistance training and improve
muscular oxidation.
 BCAAs may increase growth hormone (GH) circulation, which may be related to
anabolic mechanisms causing muscle growth (De Palo EF et al 2001).

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  BCAA supplementation may decrease serum concentrations of the intramuscular
enzymes creatine kinase and lactate dehydrogenase following prolonged exercise.
This can decrease muscle damage and improve recovery (Coombes JS, McNaughton
LR 2000 [17]

Bone and Joint Protectors

Runners, basketball players, baseball catchers, and others who put undue stress on their bodies
often worry about their aching joints.
Can they Supplements, Performance Enhancers, and Engineered Sports Foods 213 take anything
to invest in bone and joint health? Here are two popular options:
Chondroitin. Chondroitin gives cartilage elasticity by helping it retain water. A review of 20
trials with 3,846 patients with osteoarthritis of the knee suggests that the benefit of chondroitin is
minimal or nonexistant. To date, there is no evidence that chondroitin helps athletes prevent
cartilage damage. Yet, many active people swear it helps them. Given a very low risk of harm,
these chondroitin users can continue to take it if they believe it is effective (Reichenbach et al.
2007).
Glucosamine. Glucosamine is a key component used in the maintenance and regeneration of
healthy cartilage in joints. Although it has not been conclusively proven to prevent joint
deterioration, studies have shown that glucosamine sulfate (500 mg, three times a day) may help
ease moderate to severe arthritis pain (but not mild pain). It is often taken in combination with
chondroitin (Clegg et al. 2006).