
Diet in sport
Explore a current and future scenario around diet in sport
Now: Sports supplements
There are lots of specially formulated foods and drinks that are sold to nourish people who are training or to help recovery after exercise. A normal, balanced diet, with plenty of protein and carbohydrate, supplies all that athletes really need, though – they just need more of it.
If you get thirsty during or after exercise, you need to drink water. Sports drinks supply that but also contain a mix of other chemicals. Isotonic drinks have a similar salt content to body fluids and often provide a sugar boost (such as sucrose, whose molecular structure you can see above) as well. They can aid rehydration and boost energy levels, and they may increase water intake because a nice taste encourages people to drink more. Their high energy content can undo the weight-loss benefits of moderate exercise, however. These are not to be confused with ‘energy drinks’, which mainly rely on caffeine for their effects.
Future: Antioxidants
There are varied claims about the benefits of particular substances in reducing the stress-related effects of heavy exercise. For example, some antioxidants in plants may help protect athletes from some of the metabolic by-products of their training regimes, and other natural products have anti-inflammatory properties, which can counteract immune reactions to extreme exercise. However, the real benefits of consuming foods or supplements containing these substances need more research.
Lead image:Sucrose, commonly known as table sugar.
Bret Syfert via Wikipedia