Chapter 14 – Nutrient Timing in Sport and Exercise

By Shawn Arent and Henrietta Paxton

Nutrient timing strategies are not so relevant for well-nourished recreational exercisers, but are highly relevant to athletes pushing the boundaries of their body.”

Abstract

Nutrient timing represents a strategic dietary approach, where specific nutrients are consumed at precise periods around training sessions to enhance both acute performance and chronic adaptations. Early investigations in this field primarily focused on the impact of acute carbohydrate (CHO) intake on exercise performance and the replenishment of glycogen stores, crucial for sustaining energy levels during moderate to high-intensity aerobic activities (Karlsson and Saltin, 1971; Gollnick et al., 1973, 1974). Subsequently, attention shifted towards understanding the effects of acute protein consumption on performance, recovery, and adaptation, following both endurance and resistance exercise regimes. Initial research findings, alongside established acute bioenergetic, biochemical, and endocrine responses to exercise, laid the groundwork for Ivy and Portman (2004) to construct a theoretical framework of nutrient timing to facilitate long-term adaptations to training stimuli. However, there remains a paucity of chronic interventional studies exploring the broader implications of nutrient timing on performance metrics, recovery processes, and overall adaptation. In conjunction with the innate variability between nutrient needs and responses of individual athletes, this presents challenges for practitioners working with the nutrient timing requirements of an athlete.

Review article

Nutrient Timing: A Garage Door of Opportunity? - Arent et al., 2020

Downloadable figures
(original to this publication)

Figure 8.1b
Figure 8.3

Downloadable figures
(original to this publication)

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