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Functional food for exercise performance: fact or foe?
Louise Deldicque1, Marc Francaux
1Université catholique de Louvain, Institut d'éducation physique et de réadaptation, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium.
Current Opinion in Clinical Nutrition and Metabolic Care
|October 2, 2008
Summary
Athletes can enhance sport performance with specific food components like creatine and caffeine. A review of recent research highlights evidence-based supplements for improved athletic outcomes.
Area of Science:
- Sports Nutrition
- Exercise Physiology
- Nutritional Biochemistry
Background:
- Optimal nutrition is fundamental for athletic performance.
- Historically, athletes relied on macronutrients and fluids.
- Current trends focus on isolated, physiologically active food components.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review scientific literature from the past two years.
- To identify food components with evidence for improved sport performance.
- To evaluate the effectiveness of specific supplements.
Main Methods:
- Literature review of studies published within the last two years.
- Focus on ergogenic aids beyond basic nutrition.
- Analysis of research on creatine, caffeine, BCAAs, beta-alanine, bicarbonate, and glycerol.
Main Results:
- Several isolated food components demonstrate significant performance enhancement.
- Creatine, caffeine, branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs), beta-alanine, bicarbonate, and glycerol show ergogenic potential.
- These supplements can offer benefits exceeding those of a well-balanced diet alone.
Conclusions:
- Many marketed supplements lack scientific evidence for performance claims.
- Athletes often use food components without fully understanding risks and benefits.
- There is a critical need to classify supplements based on evidence-based effectiveness.
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