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Nutritional Strategies and Performance Optimization in Sports
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Nutritional Strategies and Performance Optimization in Sports

A special issue of Journal of Functional Morphology and Kinesiology (ISSN 2411-5142). This special issue belongs to the section "Sports Medicine and Nutrition".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 March 2025) | Viewed by 2034

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Andrew R. Jagim

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Mayo Clinic Health Systems, Division of Family Medicie, Onalaska, WI 54650, USA
Interests: sports nutrition; body composition; metabolism; sports science

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

It is a well-known fact that dietary intake can influence athletic performance. Given this, novel fueling strategies and ergogenic aids are continuously being explored for their potential role in augmenting various aspects of athletic performance, such as delaying the onset of fatigue, increasing power and muscular endurance, improving recovery, and enhancing training adaptations over time. In the exploration of this topic, this Special Issue places strong emphasis on the effects of nutritional strategies on the performance, recovery ability, and overall health of athletes.

Scope and Themes

Submissions are invited on a variety of topics related to sports nutrition and dietary supplement research, including, but not limited to, the following:

Dietary Supplement Studies: Research that evaluates the acute and long-term effects of various dietary supplements on the performance, recovery, and health of athletes. Priority will be placed on understudied populations such as female athletes, youth athletes, masters athletes, and para-Olympic athletes.

Dietary Habis and Knowledge of Athletes: Studies assessing the dietary habits and knowledge of athletes will be welcomed.

Low Energy Availability: Investigations into how acute and long-term states of low energy availability may affect the performance and health of athletes will be welcomed.

Nutrient Timing: Studies exploring the role of nutrient timing strategies on the recovery timeline and long-term adaptive response will be welcomed.

Fluid Balance and Hydration: Research detailing how rehydration strategies and fluid balance influences performance will be accepted.

We welcome original research articles, review articles, case studies, and technological notes that contribute significantly to the field of sports nutrition.

Dr. Andrew R. Jagim
Guest Editor

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 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

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-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Journal of Functional Morphology and Kinesiology is an international peer-reviewed open access quarterly 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 1600 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

  • sports nutrition
  • protein
  • carbohydrate
  • recovery
  • athletic performance
  • dietary supplements
  • metabolism
  • nutrient timing
  • fluid balance
  • hydration

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Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

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13 pages, 608 KiB  
Article
Sports Nutrition Knowledge and Carbohydrate Intake in Young Male Elite Football Players: Insights from a Case Study of HNK Hajduk Academy
by Marta Tomljanovic, Ana Kezic, Mario Tomljanovic and Daniela Čačić Kenjerić
J. Funct. Morphol. Kinesiol. 2025, 10(2), 169; https://doi.org/10.3390/jfmk10020169 - 11 May 2025
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Abstract
Background: Proper nutrition is crucial for optimizing performance and recovery in elite young football players. This study aimed to assess sports nutrition knowledge, adherence to the Mediterranean diet (MD), and carbohydrate intake across different training phases, evaluating their relations with match performance. Methods: [...] Read more.
Background: Proper nutrition is crucial for optimizing performance and recovery in elite young football players. This study aimed to assess sports nutrition knowledge, adherence to the Mediterranean diet (MD), and carbohydrate intake across different training phases, evaluating their relations with match performance. Methods: Thirty-three male HNK Hajduk academy players (15–19 years) completed a nutrition questionnaire and a seven-day food diary, while performance metrics were analyzed using GPS tracking. Results: The results showed that sports nutrition knowledge was generally low (43.0 ± 17.0%), with significant misconceptions about carbohydrate fueling strategies. Players significantly overestimated their MD adherence, with a self-reported KIDMED index (6.06 ± 2.41) notably higher than the corrected score derived from food diaries (4.21 ± 2.53, p < 0.001). Carbohydrate intake was suboptimal on match-related days (3.64 g/kg on match day, 4.45 g/kg on the day before), failing to meet the recommended minimum of 6 g/kg per day. Regression analysis predicted that energy (β = 0.83; p = 0.02) and carbohydrate intake (β = 0.69; p = 0.03) on match day significantly predicted distance covered per minute, with a positive relationship observed for both outcomes, highlighting its impact on endurance. However, no significant relationship was found between carbohydrate intake and maximum sprint speed. Conclusions: These findings underscore the need for structured nutrition education within football academies to enhance players’ dietary habits and performance outcomes. Future research should focus on longitudinal interventions to assess how improved nutrition knowledge influences dietary adherence and athletic performance over time. Although knowledge of sports nutrition is fundamental, practical training and education to improve dietary competencies are crucial for athletes to effectively apply this knowledge in daily training and match preparations. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nutritional Strategies and Performance Optimization in Sports)
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Review

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14 pages, 654 KiB  
Review
Why Is the Association Between Mediterranean Diet and Physical Performance in Athletes Inconclusive? Implications for Future Studies
by Alain Massart, Ádrian Rocha, José Pedro Ferreira, Carmen Soares, Maria João Campos and Diogo Martinho
J. Funct. Morphol. Kinesiol. 2025, 10(1), 16; https://doi.org/10.3390/jfmk10010016 - 2 Jan 2025
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Abstract
Background/Objectives: Athletes increasingly turn to nutrition and supplements to enhance performance, yet the evidence surrounding the efficacy of the Mediterranean diet (MD) remains inconclusive. This scoping review aims to evaluate identify gaps in the existing literature and provide implications for future research [...] Read more.
Background/Objectives: Athletes increasingly turn to nutrition and supplements to enhance performance, yet the evidence surrounding the efficacy of the Mediterranean diet (MD) remains inconclusive. This scoping review aims to evaluate identify gaps in the existing literature and provide implications for future research on the MD’s potential to improve athletic performance across various demographics, sport types, and performance measures. Methods: We conducted a systematic search of peer-reviewed studies published across four databases (PubMed, Scopus, Scielo, and Google Scholar) using the following terms and their combinations: “mediterranean diet”, “performance”, “athlete”, “sport”. The search placed no restrictions on the experimental design or the time period of the publication and focused on athletes regardless of competitive level. We examined targeted studies about the MD’s effects on key performance metrics, such as endurance, strength, and speed, while also evaluating possible confounding factors like dietary intake, body composition, and training status. We further aimed to identify gaps in the literature by investigating the consistency of dosing protocols, supplementation duration, and methodologies used. Results: The preliminary findings suggest that while some studies report benefits of the MD for recovery and endurance, only 40% show statistically significant improvements in performance outcomes, often with methodological limitations. The studies also lacked homogeneity in participant demographics, dosage, and performance assessments, hindering comparability. Our review highlights the need for future research that incorporates standardized dosing, homogeneous athlete populations, and controlled dietary conditions. Conclusions: This review provides a framework to guide further research and offers insights into the potential role of the MD in sports nutrition. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nutritional Strategies and Performance Optimization in Sports)
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