Sports Nutrition Principles

A good diet is essential for the continuity of performance in athletes. Good nutrition for athletes;

• High Level Health

• Increase in Lean Body Mass

• Adaptation to Training

• Increasing Performance

• Preventing Injuries

• It Brings With It Many Positive Effects, Accelerating Recovery Periods, Etc.

With correct sports nutrition practices for training and competition periods, which are essential in sports, the athlete:

• Physical Performance,

• Strength,

• Improvement of Endurance

• Increasing Muscle and Liver Glycogen Stores

• Exhibiting Full Performance During the Competition

• Achieving In-Competition Goals,

• At the same time, it can ensure the continuity of physical health by protecting itself from injury

Advantages of a well-nourished athlete in this context:

• Performance is High,

• The Effectiveness of the Training is at the Maximum Level,

• High Level Concentration and It has attention,

• The rate of disease and injury is low, the recovery time is short in these cases,

• Growth and development are at the expected level.

• Body Weight and Body Fat Are at or Close to Recommended Limits.

How Should Athletes Nutrition?

When Planning Sports Nutrition:

• Height and Weight of the Athlete

• Body Fat Ratio

• Nutrition Knowledge Level

• Nutritional Habits

• Health Conditions

• Social and Economic Conditions Must Be Considered

Although the energy and nutritional requirements of athletes vary in terms of age, gender and sports branches, the basic nutrition rules are similar for all athletes. Nutrition; It should include the energy and nutrients required by the athlete and adequate fluid intake. In general, athletes should consume a diet rich in carbohydrates. While nutrition is recommended, it is recommended to consume sufficient protein, vitamins and minerals, and the energy provided from fat should be slightly lower than individuals who do not do sports.

Energy Requirement in Athletes

Energy requirement; It varies depending on factors such as gender, age, body size and composition (height, weight, amount of fat in the body, amount of lean tissue), type, intensity and frequency of exercise.

Athletes' energy needs are different compared to normal individuals. Especially young and child athletes also need more energy than adult athletes due to their growth and development periods.

There are two different energy systems used by athletes during exercise. These are;

• Aerobic Energy System

• Anerobic Energy System

  • Ready Energy : ATP-CP System

  • Lactic Acid System

Energy requirement depends on the exercise performed increasing. In order for the exercise to continue, additional energy must be provided to the body or the exercise must be terminated. Aerobic or anaerobic pathways are used depending on the duration, intensity and type of physical activity of the exercise.

It is important to determine which fuel will be used in muscle contraction. Many athletes who exercise intensively or prepare for a competition face the risk of depleting their muscle glycogen before they can finish the competition in line with their goals. . Both aerobic and anaerobic systems are used together. The important thing is that the athlete works rationally and takes active rest during the competition as long as the game allows. In this way, he can better carry his energy stores to the end of the competition.

Exercise duration is important in determining which energy source will be used during the exercise. plays a role. For example, the energy to be used during long-term exercises is provided by carbohydrate and fat stores. However, fats do not provide energy easily like carbohydrates. For this reason, having full glycogen stores is very important for sustainable performance.

The Effect of Nutrition on Sports Performance

Sports performance is the whole of the efforts made for success during the performance of a task that needs to be done.

Factors affecting performance can be internal and external. rak is divided into 2;

1.Internal Factors: Age, Gender, Genetics, Anatomical Structure, Metabolism, Intelligence Psychology Nervous System, Cardiovascular Structure

2.External Factors: Temperature, Climate , Audience, NUTRITION, Ergogenic Aids etc.

The main source of energy during exercise is carbohydrates. Athletes can increase their glycogen stores by approximately 1.5-2 times with a high-carbohydrate diet. The more glycogen stores athletes have, the higher their performance.

Depletion or depletion of glycogen stores in athletes (may occur after training or due to insufficient carbohydrate intake) can cause chronic fatigue or overtraining. Athletes' attempts to continue training with decreasing or depleted carbohydrate stores increase their risk of injury.

Studies have clearly shown that even just having muscle glycogen stores filled at a normal level increases the athlete's performance. Fatigue, weakness, reluctance, Another reason for sudden weight loss and overtraining may be the decrease in glycogen stores due to insufficient carbohydrate intake.

Proteins contribute very little to energy during exercise. Only during long-term exercises, the contribution of branched chain amino acids to energy increases (by 2-5%).

Scientific studies have proven that among these amino acids, leucine is more dominant in protein synthesis. In a study, leucine is given together with carbohydrates and protein. It has been stated that it increases protein synthesis more than carbohydrate and protein given without adding leucine. It is stated that BCAA given before and during strenuous aerobic exercise delays the depletion of muscle glycogen in individuals with decreased muscle glycogen stores.

Protein taken in excess of requirement is more abundant in the body. It does not cause excessive muscle development. Only the excess intake is stored in adipose tissue as fat in the body. Studies have shown that the use of excess protein or amino acids increases urine output to remove urea, the excretion product of proteins, from the body, thus losing more fluid from the body and causing dehydration. In addition, excessive protein intake causes damage to the liver and kidneys. It also causes more fatigue and calcium excretion from the body.

Fats are used as an energy source, especially in long-term exercises (long-term aerobic exercises). Hormones called prostaglandins are synthesized from polyunsaturated fatty acids. Prostaglandin hormones are hormones (testosterone, growth hormone, insulin) that ensure the development of the athlete as a result of training. Fats, which are the main energy store in very long-term efforts, increase their contribution to energy as the intensity of effort decreases.

In the daily nutritional intake of athletes, the proportion of energy provided by fats should not exceed 30%. Consumption of fats should not fall below 15% in order to use fat-soluble vitamins. It is also stated that fat intake below 15% negatively affects performance and blood lipids. -3 consumption is important. For these purposes, fish should be consumed at least 2-3 times a week. Before competition/training, eat nuts, etc. containing healthy fats. Consumption of foods should be encouraged.

 

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