An Evolutionary Perspective on Sports Nutrition: Strengths, Vulnerabilities, and Targeted Interventions in Homo...

The genus Homo is characterized by several anatomical and physiological traits that reflect millions of years of selection for sustained physical activity in hot environments. These adaptations include high capacity for sweating, metabolic substrate flexibility during low-intensity activity, and several morphological features of the lower limb and pelvis that facilitate energy-efficient locomotion. The present narrative review examines sports nutrition through an evolutionary lens by identifying the specific physiological strengths and vulnerabilities of Homo sapiens and assessing targeted nutritional interventions designed to address constraints on performance. Constraints discussed include submaximal resting phosphocreatine concentrations, modest proton buffering capacity, limited rates of intestinal energy and carbohydrate absorption, high water flux due to eccrine sweating, and an endurance-biased skeletal muscle phenotype that is not optimized for the accretion of large quantities of muscle tissue. Nutritional strategies reviewed include creatine monohydrate supplementation, supplements that increase muscle carnosine content, supplements that increase blood bicarbonate levels, exogenous carbohydrate delivery, fluid and electrolyte replacement protocols, and high-protein dietary strategies to support hypertrophic adaptations to resistance training. Examining sports nutrition through an evolutionary lens facilitates assessment of the physiological systems that frequently constrain exercise performance and the most viable nutritional strategies to mitigate these constraints.