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Nutrients
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Improving Athletes’ Diet and Physical Fitness: What Do We Know...
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Improving Athletes’ Diet and Physical Fitness: What Do We Know So Far?

A special issue of Nutrients (ISSN 2072-6643). This special issue belongs to the section "Sports Nutrition".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (5 July 2024) | Viewed by 7672

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Dalia El Khoury

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Family Relations and Applied Nutrition, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON, Canada
Interests: functional foods; the metabolic syndrome; biomarkers; dietary supplements; nutrition education; gluten-free diet; plant-based diet
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

For athletes, especially those who are young, a well-balanced diet containing an adequate amount of macronutrients and micronutrients should be able to meet most of the athletes’ needs and support their physical fitness, sporting performance, as well as muscle growth and repair. Proper nutrition is essential given the high level of stress faced by the bodies of athletes. 

Different dietary patterns have been explored with respect to cardiorespiratory fitness, physical strength, sports performance and muscle recovery in athletes. Some commonly explored diets include high-protein diets and ketogenic diets, as well as a variety of antioxidant, anti-stress and anti-inflammatory dietary strategies. It is also essential to highlight the increased reliance of athletes on sports foods and dietary supplements to optimize training adaptation and boost performance. Most of the time, those supplements are taken with little/no professional guidance and do not provide any additional benefits.  

This Special Issue aims to communicate up-to-date evidence-based knowledge on the interaction between different dietary approaches and physical fitness, and their role in optimizing performance and supporting fast recovery in athletes of different age groups, involved in different types of sports. All forms of manuscripts, including experimental papers, narrative reviews, systematic reviews, meta-analyses and short communications, are welcomed.

We look forward to receiving your submissions.

Dr. Dalia El Khoury
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Nutrients is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2900 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • dietary approaches
  • diet composition
  • dietary supplements
  • physical fitness
  • growth
  • physical strength
  • performance
  • training
  • recovery
  • repair
  • athletes

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

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14 pages, 1046 KiB  
Article
Influence of Long-Term Soccer Training on the Fatty Acid Profile of the Platelet Membrane and Intra-Platelet Antioxidant Vitamins
by Víctor Toro-Román, Jesús Siquier-Coll, Ignacio Bartolomé, Marcos Maynar-Mariño and Francisco J. Grijota
Nutrients 2024, 16(15), 2391; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu16152391 - 23 Jul 2024
Viewed by 966
Abstract
This research aimed to study the long-term effects of soccer training on platelet membrane fatty acid levels and antioxidant vitamins. Forty-four subjects divided into soccer players (SP; n = 22; 20.86 ± 0.36 years) and a control group (CG; n = 22; 21.23 [...] Read more.
This research aimed to study the long-term effects of soccer training on platelet membrane fatty acid levels and antioxidant vitamins. Forty-four subjects divided into soccer players (SP; n = 22; 20.86 ± 0.36 years) and a control group (CG; n = 22; 21.23 ± 0.49 years) participated in the study. The fatty acids of the platelet membrane, the rates of desaturation, lipid peroxidation indexes and intra-platelet levels of vitamins C and E were assessed. SP obtained lower values in polyunsaturated fatty acids 18:3:3 (alpha-linolenic acid), 20:5:3 (eicosapentaenoic acid) and 22:6:3 (docosahexaenoic acid) (p < 0.05). The desaturation index ∆5 was higher in SP (p < 0.05), and they had a higher lipid peroxidation index 20:4:6 (arachidonic acid)/16:0 (palmitic acid) (p < 0.05). Vitamin E and C platelet values were also higher in SP (p < 0.01). There were positive correlations in the ω6/ω3 index (p < 0.05), desaturation index ∆5 (p < 0.05), lipid peroxidation index 20:4:6/16:0 and intra-platelet vitamins E and C (p < 0.01) with the level of physical activity. In addition, there were inverse correlations in fatty acids 24:0 (lignoceric acid), 16:1 (palmitoleic acid), 20:3:6 (eicosadienoic acid) and 18:3:3 (alpha-linolenic acid) (p < 0.05) depending on the degree of physical activity. Regular long-term soccer training could modify the concentration of fatty acids such as 24:0, 16:1, 18:6, 20:3:6, 18:3:3:3, 20:5:3, 26:6:3 and ω3 PUFAs in the platelet membrane. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Improving Athletes’ Diet and Physical Fitness: What Do We Know So Far?)
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Review

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18 pages, 1769 KiB  
Review
The IRONy in Athletic Performance
by William Kardasis, Ethan R. Naquin, Richa Garg, Tejas Arun, Jyotsna S. Gopianand, Eshani Karmakar and Jaya P. Gnana-Prakasam
Nutrients 2023, 15(23), 4945; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu15234945 - 28 Nov 2023
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 6096
Abstract
Iron is an essential micronutrient for athletes, intricately linked to their performance, by regulating cellular respiration and metabolism. Impaired iron levels in the body can significantly hinder athletic performance. The increased demand for iron due to exercise, coupled with potential dietary iron insufficiencies, [...] Read more.
Iron is an essential micronutrient for athletes, intricately linked to their performance, by regulating cellular respiration and metabolism. Impaired iron levels in the body can significantly hinder athletic performance. The increased demand for iron due to exercise, coupled with potential dietary iron insufficiencies, particularly among endurance athletes, amplifies the risk of iron deficiency. Moreover, prolonged exercise can impact iron absorption, utilization, storage, and overall iron concentrations in an athlete. On the contrary, iron overload may initially lead to enhanced performance; however, chronic excess iron intake or underlying genetic conditions can lead to detrimental health consequences and may negatively impact athletic performance. Excess iron induces oxidative damage, not only compromising muscle function and recovery, but also affecting various tissues and organs in the body. This narrative review delineates the complex relationship between exercise and iron metabolism, and its profound effects on athletic performance. The article also provides guidance on managing iron intake through dietary adjustments, oral iron supplementation for performance enhancement in cases of deficiency, and strategies for addressing iron overload in athletes. Current research is focused on augmenting iron absorption by standardizing the route of administration while minimizing side effects. Additionally, there is ongoing work to identify inhibitors and activators that affect iron absorption, aiming to optimize the body’s iron levels from dietary sources, supplements, and chelators. In summary, by refining the athletic diet, considering the timing and dosage of iron supplements for deficiency, and implementing chelation therapies for iron overload, we can effectively enhance athletic performance and overall well-being. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Improving Athletes’ Diet and Physical Fitness: What Do We Know So Far?)
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