1.
Innovations in athletic preparation: role of substrate availability to modify training adaptation and performance.
Hawley, JA, Gibala, MJ, Bermon, S, ,
Journal of sports sciences. 2007;:S115-24
Abstract
World records for athletic events continue to improve and in the search for superior methods to gain a competitive edge, coaches and athletes are constantly searching for the latest "magic bullet". Although it is assumed that optimal adaptation to the demands of repeated training sessions requires a diet that can sustain muscle energy reserves, this premise does not consider the unsolved longstanding question of whether it is a lack or a surplus of a substrate that triggers the training adaptation. As such, recent scientific enquiry has re-focused attention on the role of substrate availability before, during, and after training to amplify the training adaptation. There has also been a resurgence of interest in the potential for protein ingestion to improve performance and/or promote training-induced adaptations in skeletal muscle. Altitude training (real or simulated) is now an accepted part of competition preparation for many athletic events, and such interventions attract their own nutritional issues. These and other diet-training interactions with the potential to alter training adaptation and performance are discussed.
2.
Fatigue and illness in athletes.
Nimmo, MA, Ekblom, B, ,
Journal of sports sciences. 2007;:S93-102
Abstract
Adequate nutrition before, during, and after training and competition is a key element to maintaining health. During both sprint and endurance exercise, the availability of glycogen is fundamental to performance and any deficit will lead to early fatigue. In addition, strategies to offset the negative effects of the products of metabolism are presented. Although nutritional strategies can attenuate the immunosuppressive effects of exercise, there remains a period of susceptibility to infection after a hard exercise session and when this is repeated without sufficient recovery an athlete can enter a period of "overtraining" during which performance deteriorates. The aetiology and identification of this state is not clear and some current ideas are discussed. Finally, gastrointestinal problems during running can negate any training benefits and we propose some suggestions to reduce this problem.
3.
Nutrition for the young athlete.
Meyer, F, O'Connor, H, Shirreffs, SM, ,
Journal of sports sciences. 2007;:S73-82
Abstract
Athletics is a popular sport among young people. To maintain health and optimize growth and athletic performance, young athletes need to consume an appropriate diet. Unfortunately, the dietary intake of many young athletes follows population trends rather than public health or sports nutrition recommendations. To optimize performance in some disciplines, young athletes may strive to achieve a lower body weight or body fat content and this may increase their risk for delayed growth and maturation, amenorrhoea, reduced bone density, and eating disorders. Although many of the sports nutrition principles identified for adults are similar to those for young athletes, there are some important differences. These include a higher metabolic cost of locomotion and preferential fat oxidation in young athletes during exercise. Young athletes, particularity children, are at a thermoregulatory disadvantage due to a higher surface area to weight ratio, a slower acclimatization, and lower sweating rate. An appropriate dietary intake rather than use of supplements (except when clinically indicated) is recommended to ensure young athletes participate fully and safely in athletics.