Nitrate: from acid rain to sport
Nitrate is a primary carrier of nitrogen (N) in nature, and attention to nitrate in the press is often negative.
Science blogs
Skinning the glucose:fructose ratio in carbohydrate sports beverages
Why are carbohydrate sports beverages pivotal to endurance performance and are we still in search for the optimal glucose:fructose ratio?
Do collagen peptide supplements stimulate muscle, tendon, or joint repair post exercise?
Protein supplements are very popular in athletic populations. This is justified by the fact that a large number of studies have...
Spot-On: Are hydrogel sports drinks superior to conventional sports drinks to enhance marathon performance?
ver recent years so-called hydrogel sports drinks have been promoted to be superior to conventional sports drinks to enhance endurance exercise performance.
Magnesium supplementation in sports: where is the evidence?
What is the scientific evidence to support the use of magnesium supplements in the context of exercise and sports performance in healthy individuals?
Spot-On: Caffeine supplements for performance: chew or swallow?
Responses to caffeine ingestion exhibit high inter-individual variability due to differences in habitual caffeine intake, as well as genetic factors...
Spot-On: Bicarbonate intake in endurance exercise: does it make me sprint faster at the end?
Success in prolonged endurance events such as road cycling, triathlon, long-distance running, or cross-country skiing, often depends on the capacity to...
“Dos espressos por favor“ Does strong coffee make you stronger?
Caffeine is the world’s most widely consumed psychostimulant. Caffeine naturally occurs in many plant species, primarily coffee.
Spot-On: Exercise in the evening: can late night protein ingestion stimulate recovery during sleep?
The transfer of training into performance gains largely depends on the quality of the training stimuli administered, of course. But adequate balance between training load and recovery episodes is equally important.
Spot-On: Can collagen peptide supplementation upgrade joint stability?
The incidence of musculoskeletal injuries by impeding normal training activity, plays an important limiting role in athletic talent development. In fact, objectives of athletes often remain unaccomplished because injuries ruining performance.
Recovery after training and competition: just a protein shake or a go for full recovery shake?
The range of recovery products on the market is ample, which often makes it difficult to choose between different types of ‘recovery drinks’.
Spot-On: Are so-called ‘hydrogel’ sports drinks superior to other sports drinks?
It is well-established that nutritional strategies allowing to increase exogenous carbohydrate oxidation without causing gastrointestinal distress, can be ergogenic in endurance exercise events lasting > 60 min.
Beating Corona with Supplements: fair or fake ?
Since early 2020 the world is in the grip of a global pandemic caused by the COVID-19 virus.
Spot-On: Does protein intake following endurance exercise really help?
Whenever endurance exercise sessions are performed with short intervals in between, adequate repletion of muscle glycogen stores between sessions is...
Spot-On: How much protein does an endurance athlete need to optimally recover after exercise?
It is well known that post exercise intake of protein stimulates muscle protein synthesis.
Genes for sports nutrition: the nutrigenomics labyrinth explored.
The Human Genome Project, which was started in 1990, was an international scientific research project with the goal of identifying and mapping all human genes (more than 3 billion) from
Leucine: the most important building block for your muscles
Whoever wants to optimise their muscle building as much as possible will need to do more than just train hard and eat enough high-quality proteins.
Which sports drink is best for you?
‘Energy drink’, ‘sports drink’, ‘electrolyte drink’, or ‘isotonic thirst-quencher’… these are just some of the names in the massive profusion of sports drinks on the market today.
What does a Deceuninck-Quick Step rider eat during the Tour de France?
Coming soon
Antioxidants: Friend or foe? – Part 2
Do you go to the gym several times a week to get yourself a ‘summerbody’? And are you considering taking antioxidants to support your training sessions?
Eat breakfast, perform better
You’ll often see it claimed on TV and in newspaper headlines that breakfast is the most important meal of the day.
Beat the lactic acid with beta-alanine
Burning muscles as a result of the accumulation of lactic acid: a phenomenon that is experienced by many athletes and is one of their greatest frustrations.
Omega-3 fatty acids: a medicine to live longer and improve athletic performance?
Omega-3 is a group of unsaturated fatty acids, which includes the EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) and DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) fatty acids.
Intermittent fasting: the latest secret to sustainable weight loss?
Being overweight and obesity is a growing problem in society. The associated health issues have led to more and more people looking for effective ways to lose weight.
Caffeine improves athletic performance, but only when used strategically
Almost everyone consumes a little caffeine each day whether it be coffee, tea, soft drink or chocolate. Without a doubt, this makes it the most well-known, cheapest and most easily available performance-enhancing substance.
Sleep yourself strong!
Build muscle while you sleep or at least prevent muscle breakdown: while this may sound like an impossible dream to many people, in recent years it has become increasingly clear that this is actually possible.
Spreading protein throughout the day: how much and when?
Research shows that the muscles need to be supplied with nutrients multiple times during the day (i.e. amino acids from protein) for optimal muscle growth and recovery.
How much protein do I need to build muscle?
It is familiar to anyone who ever visits a gym: protein is extremely popular in sports/fitness. Whether this is to stimulate muscle building or to enhance muscle recovery, various kinds of high-protein products are often staples in the daily diet.
Stimulate your brain and postpone tiredness: carbohydrates during exertion
It is widely known that sufficient carbohydrates are very important in every type of sport.
Creatine: enhances performance, but for whom?
In the last decade, the use of dietary supplements has increased significantly among athletes at all levels. Creatine is one of the best-known and most-used supplements.
Vitamin D: Is the winter sun enough?
That vitamin D is different from many other vitamins, is known to many.
High-carb mouthwash: improved performance by deceiving the brain
It’s been known for some time now that carbohydrates should be consumed during prolonged exercise (exceeding 60 minutes) to achieve high-intensity performance.
Is it OK to drink a beer after exercise?
A cold beer after a football match or a glass of wine after a leg in the Tour de France. This is how both amateurs and athletes regularly reward themselves after intensive exercise.
Antioxidants: Friend or foe? - Part 1
During exercise, many so-called 'oxygen free radicals' are produced in the mitochondria, the 'power plants' in the muscles.
What does the ideal isotonic sports drink contain?
Depletion of carbohydrate stores in the body and dehydration are the two main causes of fatigue in endurance exercise.
Sports nutrition works – if your stomach and intestines are trained for it.
It has been known for decades that carbohydrate ingestion is crucial for endurance performance.
