Akhtar Rasul
LECTURE NO 12
NUTRITIONAL CONSIDERATIONS FOR
PERFORMANCE AND REHABILITATION
CHAPTER OBJECTIVES
what is sports nutrition? Sports nutrition
encompasses what, when, and how much
athletes eat. It takes account of how nutrients
are digested and absorbed and how foods are
metabolized for energy or assimilated into body
tissues.
PERIPHERAL NERVE INJURIES 18-Apr-20 3
1. Energy balance
2. Energy and calories
3. The nutrients and how to obtain
them
4. The importance of a balanced
diet for health and performance
5. Energy requirements for specific
sports
6. Nutritional strategies for optimal
performance and the evidence
to support them
7. Nutritional strategies for injury
prevention
8. Nutrition for the injured athlete
To maintain weight and body
composition at the optimal level for
sport, athletes must manage both
the amount of energy they
consume and the amount they
expend. This is called managing the
energy balance.
If athletes consume more energy than they
use then they will gain weight –
Hypercalorific Diet.
If athletes consume as much energy as
they use then they will stay the same
weight – isocalorific diet.
If athletes consume less energy than they
use then they will lose weight –
hypocalorific diet
Energy is measured in Joules, however
the term most often used in dietetics and
amongst athletes is the kcal
one kcal equals 4.2 kJoules
To maintain energy balance, the
estimated average energy intakes
required in ‘healthy’ adults are
› 2550 kcal/day for males
› 1940 kcal/day for females
There are six key nutrient classes
CARBOHYDRATES
FATS
PROTEINS
VITAMINS
MINERALS
WATER
The correct nutrient balance will
help athletes remain healthy and
perform optimally.
Too much or too little of any one
nutrient will affect both health and
performance.
CARBOHYDRATES
Carbohydrates are the single most
important source of energy for athletes. They
provide approximately four kcal per gram and
are the primary fuel source for high intensity
exercise.
For the healthy population, carbohydrates
should contribute approximately 50–60% of the
energy intake in the diet,
This should increase to approximately 60–70% in
an athletic population.
CARBOHYDRATES
Carbohydrates can be classified as
simple and complex.
A quick but short-
short-lasting source of energy.
energy
Provide a stable supply of longer-term energy.
CARBOHYDRATES
Foods, and in particular carbohydrates,
can also be classified by their glycaemic
index.
The glycaemic index (GI) is a measure of
the extent to which a certain food raises
blood glucose (Jenkins et al. 1981).
CARBOHYDRATES
High GI foods, such as white bread,
potatoes, corn-flakes and jelly beans,
cause a sharp rise in blood glucose, which
is often short lasting and followed by a
rebound drop in blood glucose.
CARBOHYDRATES
Low GI foods, such as porridge, high-fibre
cereal, beans, peanuts and apricots,
which are high in fibre and/or protein, give
a slower, but more sustained release of
glucose causing a slower rise in blood
glucose and no rebound drop.
PROTEINS
Protein, which contains approximately 4
kcal/gram, is also used as an energy
source, supplying about 5–10% of energy
expenditure.
The recommended intake of protein for
a healthy sedentary person is 0.75g/kg or
approximately 15% of the diet.
PROTEINS
Proteins are made up of amino acids,
and it is these amino acids that are the
real building blocks of the body.
There are 20 amino acids, 12 of which
can be synthesised from other amino
acids and are considered non-essential
and eight that are considered essential
as they cannot be made within the body
and therefore must come from the diet.
FATS
Fat has many essential functions within
the body that include:
1. ENERGY PROVISION,
2. FORMATION OF CELL MEMBRANES AND
NERVE FIBRES,
3. PROTECTION OF VITAL ORGANS,
4. PRODUCTION OF HORMONES,
5. STORAGE AND TRANSPORT OF FAT SOLUBLE
VITAMINS,
6. INSULATION,
7. SUPPRESSION OF HUNGER
FATS
Fat contains approximately 9kcal/gram
making it a very efficient way for the
body to store large amounts of energy.
Current guidelines for fat intake in a
healthy diet recommend no more than
30% of energy intake as total fat, and less
than 10% as saturated fat
FATS
Unsaturated fatty acids are generally
liquid at room temperature and are
found in plant sources and fish.
Saturated fats tend to be solid at room
temperature and come from animal
sources
FATS
Saturated fats are associated with
increased levels of low-density
lipoproteins (LDL cholesterol) and an
increased risk of coronary heart disease,
Whereas unsaturated fats are associated
with a lower risk by reducing serum LDL
UNSATURATED FATTY ACIDS
FATS
While most fatty acids can be
synthesised within the body, there are two
that are essential. The essential fatty acids
are
1. linolenic (omega-3)
2. linoleic (omega-6)
Beneficial effects on the cardiovascular
system
FATS
Athletes should aim to avoid or
reduce their intake of the following high fat
foods: cake, biscuits, chocolate, fat on
meat, sausages, pasties, pies, beef
burgers, cheese, butter and cream.
Moreover, athletes should aim to get
the majority of their fat intake from oily fish,
white fish, vegetable seeds and oils, soya
beans and nuts.
VITAMINS
There are 13 compounds commonly
identified as vitamins that are broadly
categorised as either water-soluble or
fat-soluble
MINERALS
Some minerals occur in the body in
relatively large amounts. These are known as
the major minerals and include: calcium,
phosphorus, sulphur, potassium, chlorine,
sodium, magnesium, zinc and iron.
Other minerals occur in minute
quantities. These are called trace minerals
and include: chromium, cobalt, copper,
fluorine, iodine, manganese, molybdenum,
nickel, selenium, silicon, tin and vanadium
MINERALS
Two of the most important minerals for
athletes are iron and calcium.
WATER
For optimal cardiovascular and
thermoregulatory function athletes must
therefore maintain sufficient body fluid
levels and avoid dehydration, which results
in a decrease in both cardiovascular and
strength and power performance
There are several tools and guidelines to
ensure the correct quantities and
balance of nutrients for health. The most
common tool is the reference nutrient
intake (RNI).
REFERENCE NUTRIENT INTAKE (RNI)
The amount of a nutrient required to
maintain adequate health for the majority
of the population
The current UK government guidelines
for health suggest a balance of
approximately
55% carbohydrate,
15% protein
less than 30% fat.
The optimal diet for an athlete will
depend on the;
› Sport
› Activity levels
› Body size
› Weight gain or weight loss,
› The type of training performed at any given
time.
Optimal nutrition for performance is
determined by what, when and how
much an athlete eats
Athletes will require more energy, greater
quantities of certain nutrients
(carbohydrates, protein) and will need
to consume food at key times before,
during and after training or competition.
For example
› Male boxers (57kg) expend 2900kcal;
› Male weightlifters (110kg), 4900kcal;
› Female basketball players (61.4kg),
3100kcal
› Male cross-country skiers (during
periods of hard professional training)
use around 8600kcal/day
CALCULATING ENERGY NEEDS
Energy needs can be calculated by the
following formula:
Energy EAR = BMR × PAL
› EAR (eatimated average requirement)
› BMR (basal metabolic rate)
› PAL (Physical Activity Level).
PAL refers to the ratio of total energy
required over 24 hours
For example a PAL of 1.4 represents very
low activity levels, 1.6 represents
moderate activity levels, and 1.9
represents high activity levels.
Most athletes will have a PAL of 1.9 or
above.
Delaying fatigue
The most important nutritional consideration
for injury prevention is in delaying the onset
of fatigue
If an athlete is fatigued,
› there is a change in running mechanics, landing
mechanics,
› A decreased ability to maintain joint alignment
› Control and appropriate muscular activation
patterns during potentially risky manoeuvres
To limit fatigue, athletes should consume
a diet that allows them to maintain
optimal performance throughout the
duration of a race, match or training
session. The two most important nutrients
to prevent fatigue are
› Carbohydrate
› water
Injury can lead to a range of complex
nutritional issues for some athletes.
Body mass management (preventing
weight gain during injury, restoration of
muscle mass post injury) is crucial for
effective rehabilitation.
Education is a priority. Athletes must aim
for a nutrient rich and healthy diet that is
sufficient to maintain energy balance.
Athletes should focus on low-fat, low-
sugar, high-fibre foods that provide
sufficient carbohydrate, protein and fat,
and which provide optimal vitamin and
mineral intakes.
The use of supplements by athletes
requires caution. Whilst there is a
substantial body of evidence that some
substances found in the diet have an
ergogenic or anabolic effect under
certain conditions – for example,
caffeine for endurance and power
performance, and creatine for
increasing short-term high-intensity
exercise and muscle mass
many supplements contain substances
not declared on the label and in some
cases these substances contravene IOC
or WADA doping regulations and would
cause an athlete to fail a drugs test
an IOC funded study of 634 products
labelled as non-hormonal nutritional
supplements from 13 countries and 215
different suppliers, 14.8% contained
anabolic steroid precursors not declared
on the label
For training
› 1 LITRE OF WATER
› 60G TABLE SUGAR (OR IDEALLY
POWDERED GLUCOSE/DEXTROSE)
› PINCH OF SALT
› DIET CORDIAL (TO TASTE).
For recovery
› 500ml skimmed milk
› banana
› 2 heaped tablespoons of malted
drink powder (Horlicks, Ovaltine,
Nesquick)
