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Recent Advances in Exercise Physiology, Sports Nutrition, and Human Performance

A special issue of Applied Sciences (ISSN 2076-3417). This special issue belongs to the section "Applied Biosciences and Bioengineering".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 October 2026 | Viewed by 3014

Editors


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Guest Editor
Department of Sport Science and Performnce, Atlantic Technological University, F92 FC93 Letterkenny, Ireland
Interests: sports nutrition; sleep; athlete recovery

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Guest Editor
Sports Lab North West, Atlantic Technological University, F92 FC93 Letterkenny, Ireland
Interests: exercise physiology; physical activity; professional practice

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Guest Editor Assistant
School of Sport, Faculty of Life & Health Sciences, Ulster University, Belfast BT15 1ED, UK
Interests: physical activity; sedentary behaviour; cancer

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Innovation is at the forefront of exercise physiology, sports nutrition, and human performance, with all three fields having evolved significantly in the last two decades, driven by the advent of new technologies and techniques. While innovation is essential and appealing in these domains, a considered and evidence-informed approach is necessary for practitioners. In practice, researchers and practitioners must collaborate to find solutions to performance problems. It is imperative that application to practice, alongside reliability and validity, are considered.

The purpose of this Special Issue is to highlight new insights, innovation, and future directions in exercise physiology and sports nutrition. We aim to showcase cutting-edge research that pushes the boundaries of our understanding and provides practical applications for enhancing human performance. This includes advancements in both physiological mechanisms and nutritional strategies that contribute to improved athletic outcomes.

We look forward to your contiubtions.

Dr. Rónán Doherty
Dr. Maria Faulkner
Guest Editors

Dr. Lizzy Deery
Guest Editor Assistant

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-anonymized peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Applied Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • exercise
  • sport
  • physical activity
  • exercise physiology
  • sports nutrition
  • sports performance
  • nutrition in exercise performance

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

15 pages, 2199 KB  
Article
Nutritional Habits, Body Composition, and Sports Performance in Adolescent Swimmers—A Cross-Sectional Study
by Grzegorz Bielec and Anna Maria Goździejewska
Appl. Sci. 2026, 16(15), 7418; https://doi.org/10.3390/app16157418 - 24 Jul 2026
Viewed by 237
Abstract
Background. A substantial body of scientific evidence indicates a close association between dietary habits, body composition, and athletic performance. Nevertheless, dietary inadequacies remain prevalent among athletes, including adolescents. The present study aimed to assess the body composition and dietary habits of participants in [...] Read more.
Background. A substantial body of scientific evidence indicates a close association between dietary habits, body composition, and athletic performance. Nevertheless, dietary inadequacies remain prevalent among athletes, including adolescents. The present study aimed to assess the body composition and dietary habits of participants in the Junior National Swimming Championships. Methods. The study included 39 female competitors (17.8 ± 0.2 years) and 88 male competitors (17.7 ± 0.4 years), all of whom provided informed consent to participate. Dietary habits were evaluated using a questionnaire developed in accordance with the principles of the Swiss Food Pyramid. Additionally, participants provided information regarding their training workload, including the number of weekly training sessions and the total distance swum during training. Body composition was assessed using bioelectrical impedance analysis (Tanita BC-418 MA). Results. Male swimmers exhibited significantly different values across all body composition variables compared with female swimmers (p < 0.05), whereas no significant differences were observed in training workload between the groups. Regardless of sex, the majority of participants reported consuming at least three meals per day, as well as the recommended amounts of dairy products and fruit. In contrast, fish consumption was below the recommended level. Female swimmers consumed sweet snacks and fast food significantly less frequently than their male counterparts (p < 0.05), whereas male swimmers reported a higher frequency of pork product and sugar-sweetened carbonated beverage consumption (p < 0.05). Conclusions. Young competitive swimmers exhibit several nutritional inadequacies. Although their consumption of fruit and vegetables generally aligns with current dietary recommendations, fish intake remains insufficient. Female swimmers demonstrated more favourable dietary patterns than male swimmers. Accordingly, ongoing nutrition education should constitute an integral component of the athletic training process. Full article
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14 pages, 567 KB  
Article
Relationships of Bone Mineral Density and Femur Strength Index with Aerobic Capacity, Body Composition and Carbohydrate Metabolic Indices in Postmenopausal Women
by Krystian Wochna, Rafał Stemplewski, Piotr Leszczyński, Katarzyna Domaszewska, Anna Huta-Osiecka and Alicja Nowak
Appl. Sci. 2026, 16(5), 2338; https://doi.org/10.3390/app16052338 - 27 Feb 2026
Viewed by 588
Abstract
Objectives: Hormonal changes during the postmenopausal period of life predispose women to changes in fat tissue distribution and the risk of insulin resistance, and may lead to deterioration of bone metabolism. Physical activity plays a significant role in improving metabolic health and may [...] Read more.
Objectives: Hormonal changes during the postmenopausal period of life predispose women to changes in fat tissue distribution and the risk of insulin resistance, and may lead to deterioration of bone metabolism. Physical activity plays a significant role in improving metabolic health and may inhibit bone mass decrease. The purpose of this study was to analyze the relationships between bone health, body composition, maximal oxygen uptake (VO2max), and carbohydrate metabolic indices in non-diabetic postmenopausal women. Methods: Fifty-seven postmenopausal women were included in the study (64.9 ± 4.8 years). The areal bone mineral density (aBMD) of femoral neck and L1–L4, femur strength index (FSI), total fat (FM), lean body mass (LBM), VO2max, serum insulin, and glucose concentrations were determined. The insulin resistance index (HOMA-IR) was also calculated. The main statistical analyses were performed using hierarchical multiple linear regression models. Results: Body mass index (BMI), FM and LBM positively correlated with aBMD results (p ≤ 0.01) and FM negatively with FSI levels (p < 0.05). VO2max showed a positive association with FSI and this relationship was confirmed in hierarchical multiple regression analysis (p < 0.05). Regression analysis revealed that the base model including age and BMI explained the variance in the femoral neck aBMD (p ≤ 0.01) and L1–L4 aBMD (p ≤ 0.01), respectively. In the case of the femoral neck aBMD model, adjustment for VO2max increased the explained variance. Alternative models with carbohydrate metabolic indicators did not increase the explained variance. Conclusion: Our results suggest that aerobic capacity may be related to the level of femur bone strength. Somatic characteristics and carbohydrate metabolic status appear to play a role in the correlations between femur bone health and VO2max. Full article
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