This document discusses nutrition for sports and exercise. It defines key terms and concepts in sports nutrition and exercise physiology. It outlines the basic principles of training and nutrition periodization to support athletic performance and recovery goals. The document also discusses dietary supplement use among athletes, noting concerns regarding purity, safety, and effectiveness of supplements given the lack of regulation in the industry. The overall goals of sports nutrition are to support training, performance, and recovery through an evidence-based nutrition plan.

1. NUTRITION FOR SPORT
AND EXERCISE
NDD30503
ASSOC PROF. DR. SHARIFAH WAJIHAH WAFA BTE SST WAFA
EC22
SUNDAY
1000-1100

2. Introduction to Sports Nutrition

3. Learning Objectives
 Explain the need for an integrated training and
nutrition plan.
 Explain basic nutrition principles and how they
might be modified to meet the needs of athletes.
 List sports nutrition goals.
 Outline the basic issues related to dietary
supplements and ergogenic aids, such as
legality, ethics, purity, safety, and effectiveness.

4. SCHOOL OF NUTRITION AND DIETETICS . FACULTY OF HEALTH SCIENCES

5. p1
Proper nutrition supports training,
performance, and recovery.

6. Sports Nutrition
• Definition: A blend of nutrition and
exercise physiology
• Nutrition supports the body’s ability to
respond and adapt to physical challenge
• Athlete must use genetics, training, and
nutrition to their advantage in order to
achieve success

7. Definitions
• Exercise Physiology – Science of the response
and adaptation of bodily systems to the
challenge imposed by movement
• Nutrition – Science of ingestion, digestion,
absorption, metabolism and biochemical
functions of nutrients
• Sports Nutrition – Integration and application of
scientifically based nutrition and exercise
physiology principles that support and enhance
training, performance, and recovery

8. What is an Athlete?
• A person who participates in a sport
o Elite
o Well-trained
o Recreational

9. Differences in Types of Athletes
• Elite
– Exceptionally skilled
– Dedicated to training
• Well-trained
– Collegiate athletes
– Dedication to training is important to maintain and
improve performance
• Recreational
– Some are former competitive athletes
– Train very little, if at all
– Primary focus is healthy lifestyle and enjoyment

10. Defining Physical Activity, Exercise, & Sport
• Physical Activity — bodily movement
resulting in an increase in energy
expenditure above resting levels
– Exercise — physical activity that is planned,
structured, and purposive
– Sport — competitive physical activities

11. Defining Physical Activity, Exercise, &
Sport
• Exercise
– Aerobic — with oxygen
• Uses oxygen-dependent energy system for energy
(oxidative phosphorylation)
• Endurance activities
• “Endurance” or “ultraendurance” athletes
• Examples: Triathlon, Marathon

12. Defining Physical Activity, Exercise, &
Sport
• Exercise
– Anaerobic — without oxygen
• Uses energy system that is not dependent on oxygen
(creatine phosphate replenishes ATP rapidly, or
anaerobic glycolysis)
• Short in duration and high in intensity
• “Strength” or “power” athletes
• Examples: Sprints, Shot Put, Heavy Weight-lifting

13. Defining Intensity, Training, & CV Fitness
• Intensity – the absolute or relative
difficulty of physical activity or exercise
• Training – a planned program of exercise
with the goal of improving or maintaining
athletic performance

14. Defining Intensity, Training, & CV Fitness
• Cardiovascular fitness – ability to
perform endurance-type activities,
determined by heart’s ability to provide O2-
rich blood to exercising muscles and ability
of those muscles to take up and use O2

15. Importance of Training and Nutrition
“Everyone is an
athlete; only
some of us are
not in training”
-George Sheehan, running
philosopher (1980)

16. Importance of Training and Nutrition
• Sports performance is improved by skill
development and training
– Skill development – practice, instruction,
coaching
– Training – sport-specific
• Physical conditioning – consistent physical training
to improve specific components of fitness
– Ex/ distance runners must have high level of
cardiovascular fitness, which is developed through
rigorous running training program
– More widely used even for athletes such as golfers and
race car drivers

17. Importance of Training and Nutrition
• Nutrition supports training and good health
• Nutrition for recovery
– Inadequate replenishment of fluid, energy,
carbohydrate, protein and vitamins/minerals
will lead to fatigue during next training
session
• Consistent inadequate replenishment will lead to
chronic fatigue
• Consistent daily proper nutrition plan
important – or can lead to “crash dieting”
or other quick fixes

18. Training Goals for Athletes
• Improving performance (main goal!)
• Improving specific components of fitness
• Avoiding injury and overtraining
• Achieving top performance for selected
events (i.e., peaking)

19. Long-term Nutrition Goals for Athletes
• Adequate energy intake to meet the
energy demands of training
• Adequate replenishment of muscle and
liver glycogen with dietary carbohydrates
• Adequate protein intake for growth and
repair of tissue, particularly muscle

20. Long-term Nutrition Goals for Athletes
• Adequate overall diet (ex/ proteins,
antioxidant vitamins) to maintain a healthy
immune system
• Adequate hydration
• Appropriate weight and body composition

21. Short-term Nutrition Goals for Athletes
• Consumption of food and beverages to
delay fatigue during training and
competition
• Minimization of dehydration and
hypohydration during exercise

22. Short-term Nutrition Goals for Athletes
• Use of dietary strategies known to be
beneficial for performance (such as pre-
competition meal, caffeine intake, or
carbohydrate loading)
• Intake of nutrients that support recovery
• Appropriate timing of nutrients

23. Basic Training and Nutrition Principles
1. Progressive
overload
2. Individuality
3. Specificity
4. Hard/Easy
5. Periodisation
• Macrocycle
• Mesocycle
• Microcycle
6. Disuse

24. 1. The principle of progressive overload
• Overload
– An exercise stimulus that is
of sufficient magnitude to
cause enough strength to
warrant long-term changes
by the body
• The body will adapt to the
overload stimulus
• For further adaptation to
occur, the overload
stimulus must be
progressively increased

25. 2. The principle of individuality
• Individuals may respond and
adapt differently when
exposed to the same training
stimulus
• Ex/ 2 similar athletes that
follow the same strength
training program will both
improve their strength, but
amount and rate of change in
strength will be different
• Must take this into account
when designing an athlete’s
training program

26. 3. The principle of specificity
• The type of physiological
responses and eventual
adaptations will be specific to
the type of stimulus and stress
imposed on the body
• “Specificity” refers to a
training program that stresses
muscles in a manner similar to
which they are to perform
• Ex/ Aerobic exercise will result
in cardiovascular adaptations
• practice makes perfect

27. 4. The principle of hard/easy
• Hard physical efforts are followed by
training sessions with less physical stress
to allow for the rest necessary for optimal
adaptation
• Rest and recovery are required for
adaptation to occur

28. 5. The principle of periodisation
• Periodisation refers to dividing a block of time into
distinct periods
– Macrocycle
• Overall time period beginning at onset of training and goes up to
specific athletic goal
– Mesocycle
• Macrocycles divided into mesocycles of varying lengths of time,
each with specific training purpose
– Microcycle
• Repeated time intervals that make up mesocycle

29. 5. The principle of periodisation

30. 6. The principle of disuse
• Occurs if stress is
insufficient or absent
• Body can adapt negatively
• Atrophy
– Wasting or decrease in organ
or tissue size
• Intentional or unintentional
• May occur when an athlete
has forced inactivity due to
an injury
• “Use it, or lose it!”

31. Training and Nutrition Periodisation
• Training periodization involves changing
the intensity, volume, and specificity of
training to achieve specific goals
• Nutrition periodisation refers to a
nutrition plan developed to support the
various training cycles
– It should match the training plan
– Each mesocycle and microcycle will have
specific nutrition goals

32. A Training and Nutrition Periodization Plan

33. Plyometric Exercise
• Definition: Specialised type of athletic training that
involves powerful, explosive movements
– These movements are preceded by rapid stretching of these
muscles
• Muscles exert maximum force in as short a time as
possible, with the goal of increasing both speed and
power
• “jump training”
• Commonly used in martial arts, high jumping

34. “10 Best Plyometric Exercises for Martial Arts
and Combat Fighters”
Barbell jump squats
Skipping/jumping rope
Plyo Push-ups
Tuck jumps

35. “10 Best Plyometric Exercises for Martial Arts
and Combat Fighters”
Box jumps
Lateral hops – one-legged hops
Explosive step-ups
Med ball wall throws

36. Video
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DEjGc
g_I_Cw

37. Basic Nutrition Standards and Guidelines
• Sports nutrition principles are based on
sound general nutrition principles
o Malaysians Dietary Guidelines
o Dietary Reference Intakes
o Other meal planning systems
• Can be modified to reflect demands of
training and competition

38. The Dietary Reference Intakes (DRIs) -
Reference Values Defined

39. The DRIs
• DRIs were developed for the general
population, but also apply to athletes
– Energy, fluid, Na may be higher for athletes
than general population
• DRI is the current standard
– RDA is one of the reference values of DRIs
• When an RDA cannot be determined, the AI
becomes the reference value for the DRI
• See DRI Tables – inside front cover of text

40. Figure 1-9 p13

42. Basic Sports Nutrition Guidelines
• Athletes need to understand general
nutrition principles and then can “fine tune”
nutritional intake to meet individual
demands of training

43. Key Sports Nutrition
Recommendations for Athletes
1. Energy
Adequate amount needed to support training
and performance and overall health
Avoid long-term energy deficits or excesses
2. Carbohydrates
3-12 g CHO / kg body weight per day
Depends on sport, type of training, gender,
CHO loading
Timing is important – before, during, and after

44. Key Sports Nutrition
Recommendations for Athletes
3. Proteins
1.2-1.7 g/kg body weight
Depends on sport, type of training, desire to
increase or maintain skeletal muscle mass
Timing important
4. Fats
20-35% of total calories
5. Vitamins & Minerals
Meet DRI for all vitamins and minerals
Consume “nutrient dense” foods

45. Key Sports Nutrition
Recommendations for Athletes
6. Fluid
Balance fluid intake with fluid loss
Consider athlete’s sweat rate, humidity,
temperature, altitude
Body water loss of 2-3% of body mass can
decrease performance and negatively affect
health
Hyponatremia can occur if too much water is
ingested and can be potentially fatal

46. Key Sports Nutrition
Recommendations for Athletes
7. Food and fluid before exercise
Relieve hunger, help with hydration
Volume depends on amount of time prior to
exercise and GI tolerance
In general, a meal or snack should be –
high CHO, moderate protein, low fat

47. Key Sports Nutrition
Recommendations for Athletes
8. Food and fluid during exercise
Replace fluid lost in sweat and provide CHO
9. Food and fluid after exercise
Replenish nutrients lost during exercise and
help to speed recovery
CHO to replenish muscle glycogen
Protein to repair muscle tissue
Fluid to restore hydration
Electrolytes if large amounts lost in sweat

48. Some Critical Areas Involving Diet
• Disordered Eating (DE)
– Abnormal eating pattern, but not as severe
as an eating disorder
• Eating Disorder (ED)
– A substantial deviation from normal eating,
which meets established diagnostic criteria
– Ex/ Anorexia Nervosa, Bulimia Nervosa,
Anorexia Athletica

49. Some Critical Areas Involving Diet
• Adhering to rigid diet can lead to social
isolation and lead to compulsive behavior
• Goal is for flexible eating and to include a
variety of foods
• Flexibility may cause short-term over and
undereating, but results in long-term
weight stability, proper nutrition, and
enjoyment of eating

50. Dietary Supplements
• Supplement is defined as a “vitamin, mineral,
herb, botanical, amino acid, metabolite,
constituent, extract, or a combination of any of
these ingredients” (FDA, 1994)
• The law does NOT ensure or require safety or
effectiveness
• Supplements cannot claim to treat, prevent,
diagnose, or cure a disease

51. Dietary Supplements
• The law includes standards to ensure that the
supplements:
1. contain the intended ingredients
2. are free from contamination
3. are accurately labeled
• Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP)
– Quality control procedures for the manufacture of
products ingested by humans to ensure quality and
purity
– Intended to bring dietary supplement manufacturing
standards closer in line with pharmaceutical standards

52. Supplement Use in Athletes
• ~85% of all elite athletes use one or more
dietary supplement (Lun et al, 2012)
• ~70% of adolescent athletes use one or
more dietary supplement
• Collegiate and high school athletes
frequently use supplements
– Energy drinks and calorie replacement drinks
– Vitamin C
– Creatine
– Protein powders and protein drinks

53. Why do athletes take supplements?
• Consumption of poor diet
• Physical demand of training & competition
• Teammates and competitors are taking
supplements
• Recommendation by physician, coach or
parent
• To avoid sickness
• Lack of time to prepare meals
• To overcome injury
• To enhance overall health

54. Legality of Supplements
• Many athletes are governed by the
International Olympic Committee (IOC) or
the National Collegiate Athletic
Association (NCAA)
• Each athlete is responsible for knowing
the current rules as they pertain to dietary
supplements
• Banned substances may be intentionally
or unintentionally added to some
supplements

55. Safety of Dietary Supplements
• Important to consider ingredients and dose
• Be careful with:
– Caffeine
– Ephedrine (banned)
– DHEA (banned)
– Weight loss supplements and energy drinks
(may contain banned substances)
– Herbal supplements (contamination, lack of
standardization, interactions w/ meds)

57. Purity of Dietary Supplements
• Purity refers to lack of contamination and
accurate labeling
• Lack of standardization common in herbal
supplements
• Dietary supplement certification programs
– ConsumerLab.com
– NSF
– United States Pharmacopiea
– Informed-Choice

58. Figure 1-12 p20

59. Effectiveness of Dietary Supplements
• Most dietary supplements sold are NOT
effective for improving performance, increasing
muscle mass, or decreasing body fat
– >30,000 supplements in U.S. – little or no scientific
evidence of effectiveness for majority
• Scientific research has shown safety and
effectiveness at recommended doses for:
– Caffeine
– Creatine
– Vitamins & Minerals
– Protein

60. Effectiveness of Dietary Supplements
• Some supplements have shown promise
and are still under investigation:
– Beta-alanine for buffering muscle pH
– Branched-chain amino acids for immune
system support and reduction of post-exercise
fatigue
– Growth hormone releasers, such as arginine,
to stimulate growth hormone release
– Omega-3 fatty acids for asthma
– Quercitin for antiinflammatory effects

61. “Quackery”
• The practice of making false claims about
health-related products
– This can include dietary supplements
• Often marketed under Multi-Level Marketing (MLM)
• Nonprofit websites devoted to combatting
health misinformation, fraud, and quackery
– National Council Against Health Fraud (NCAHF)
– Quackwatch.org
• Consumers need to do their research!

62. Process for Evaluating Dietary
Supplements = Critical Thinking Skills

63. Use of the Internet for Finding Scientific
Information about Sports Nutrition

64. • The ultimate goal of sports nutrition is
improved performance, which involves
both skill development and training
• Proper nutrition helps to support training,
performance, and recovery
• Sports nutrition principles are based on
sound general nutrition principles that
have been modified to reflect the demands
of training and competition for the athlete’s
sport and position
Summary

65. • Dietary supplements are widely used by
athletes, but are not well regulated
• Sports nutrition recommendations should
be evidence-based
Summary