Nutrition, Metabolism and Fitness: Exploring Dietary Effects on Exercise Physiology

A special issue of Life (ISSN 2075-1729). This special issue belongs to the section "Physiology and Pathology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 27 August 2026 | Viewed by 1767

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
ExPhy Research Group, Department of Physical Education, Instituto de Investigación e Innovación Biomédica de Cádiz (INiBICA), Universidad de Cádiz, 11519 Cádiz, Spain
Interests: exercise training; HIIT; sports; physical fitness; performance; exercise physiology; health; obesity and comorbidities; type 2 Diabetes; metabolism; nutrition; appetite and endocrine system
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E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
ExPhy Research Group, Department of Physical Education, Instituto de Investigación e Innovación Biomédica de Cádiz (INiBICA), Universidad de Cádiz, 11519 Cádiz, Spain
Interests: exercise physiology; nutrition; older

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Nutrition plays a central role in modulating metabolism, physical performance, and exercise-induced adaptations across the lifespan. In recent years, growing interest has emerged in understanding how dietary patterns, nutritional strategies, and metabolic regulation interact with exercise physiology to influence health, fitness, and athletic performance. This Special Issue of Life aims to provide a comprehensive and multidisciplinary platform to explore the complex relationships between nutrition, metabolism, and physical fitness. 

Advances in nutritional science, molecular biology, and exercise physiology have enabled more precise investigations into how macronutrients, micronutrients, bioactive compounds, and dietary interventions affect metabolic pathways, energy balance, muscle function, recovery, and adaptive responses to physical activity. Furthermore, emerging research highlights the importance of individualized and context-specific nutritional approaches, considering factors such as training status, sex, age, health condition, and environmental stressors.

This Special Issue invites original research articles, reviews, and methodological contributions addressing the effects of nutrition on exercise performance, metabolic health, and physiological adaptations. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to, nutritional strategies for optimizing training and recovery, metabolic responses to acute and chronic exercise, diet–exercise interactions in health and disease, and the role of nutrition in physical fitness, fatigue, and resilience. Contributions integrating experimental, clinical, and applied perspectives, as well as translational and interdisciplinary approaches, are particularly encouraged.

By bringing together cutting-edge research from diverse fields, this Special Issue aims to advance scientific understanding, stimulate critical discussion, and promote evidence-based strategies at the intersection of nutrition, metabolism, and exercise physiology, with implications for both athletic performance and public health.

Prof. Dr. Jesús Gustavo Ponce González
Dr. Daniel Velázquez Díaz
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • exercise physiology
  • sports nutrition
  • metabolic health
  • diet–exercise interactions
  • nutritional interventions
  • energy metabolism
  • performance and recovery

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

14 pages, 686 KB  
Article
Dose-Dependent Effects of Acute Caffeine Ingestion on Physical and Cognitive Performance in Trained Female Handball Players: A Randomized Crossover Study
by Murat Turgut, Ulas Can Yildirim, Akan Bayrakdar, Aydan Ermis, Idris Kayantas, Selin Yildirim Tuncer, Izzet Karakulak, Mehmet Can Gundem, Deema Mohammed Alogaiel and Monira I. Aldhahi
Life 2026, 16(6), 954; https://doi.org/10.3390/life16060954 (registering DOI) - 5 Jun 2026
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Abstract
Handball requires athletes to sustain intermittent high-intensity effort while maintaining rapid cognitive processing and technical skills. Caffeine is widely used as an ergogenic aid, yet its dose-dependent effects across physical, cognitive, and technical performance outcomes remain unclear in female handball players. This randomized, [...] Read more.
Handball requires athletes to sustain intermittent high-intensity effort while maintaining rapid cognitive processing and technical skills. Caffeine is widely used as an ergogenic aid, yet its dose-dependent effects across physical, cognitive, and technical performance outcomes remain unclear in female handball players. This randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover study examined the acute effects of low-dose caffeine (LCAF; 3 mg/kg), moderate-dose caffeine (MCAF; 6 mg/kg), and placebo (PLA) in trained female handball players. Participants (n = 20) completed three experimental sessions separated by 72 h. Cognitive performance was assessed using the Simplified Eriksen Flanker Test, throwing performance was evaluated through maximal ball velocity, and intermittent running capacity was measured with the Yo-Yo Intermittent Recovery Test Level 1. Both LCAF and MCAF significantly improved Yo-Yo performance compared with PLA (η2p = 0.415, representing improvements of approximately ~23.5% and 29.0%), with no difference between caffeine doses. MCAF significantly reduced overall Flanker response time (η2p = 0.486, ~18.5%) and congruent and incongruent trial response time compared with PLA and LCAF. No significant effects were observed for throwing velocity, Flanker accuracy and interference scores. These findings suggest that acute caffeine intake has performance-specific effects in female handball players: intermittent running performance responded to both doses, whereas cognitive enhancement was limited to response time, with no improvements in inhibitory control or accuracy. Full article
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14 pages, 340 KB  
Article
Acute Effects of Nutritional and Physical Recovery Strategies on Exercise Performance, Muscle Damage, and Fatigue in Elite Basketball Players: A Pilot Randomized Crossover Trial
by Alberto Marín-Galindo, Alejandro Perez-Bey, Juan M. Escudier-Vázquez, Daniel Velázquez-Díaz, Julio Calleja-González, Carmen Vaz-Pardal, Juan Corral-Pérez and Jesus G. Ponce-Gonzalez
Life 2026, 16(2), 275; https://doi.org/10.3390/life16020275 - 5 Feb 2026
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Abstract
Background: Due to the congested competition calendar and the high physical demands of elite basketball, the selection of effective recovery strategies is essential to optimize performance and reduce exercise-induced fatigue and muscle damage. This pilot study aimed to examine the acute effects of [...] Read more.
Background: Due to the congested competition calendar and the high physical demands of elite basketball, the selection of effective recovery strategies is essential to optimize performance and reduce exercise-induced fatigue and muscle damage. This pilot study aimed to examine the acute effects of different nutritional and physical recovery strategies on exercise performance, muscle damage, and perceived fatigue and exertion in elite basketball players. Methods: Fifteen elite male basketball players participated in this pilot randomized crossover trial and completed four recovery conditions: cold-water immersion (CWI), active recovery (ACT), protein–carbohydrate supplementation (SUP), and placebo (PLA). Following a basketball-specific fatigue protocol, creatine kinase, countermovement jump performance, isometric strength, 10 m sprint, and 4 × 10 m shuttle run tests were assessed at baseline, immediately post-exercise, and 24 h post-exercise. Perceived fatigue and rate of perceived exertion were measured at baseline, immediately post-exercise, immediately after the recovery intervention, and 24 h post-exercise. Results: The three recovery methods attenuated the 24 h exercise-induced increase in CK compared with the placebo condition (p > 0.05). CWI, SUP and ACT decreased fatigue and RPE immediately after their application (p < 0.05), while PLA kept them elevated. CWI was associated with a significant improvement in 4 × 10 m SRT performance (p = 0.027). Conclusions: Nutritional supplementation and physical recovery strategies effectively attenuated exercise-induced muscle damage and fatigue in elite basketball players. However, CWI demonstrated the most pronounced acute benefits for physical performance recovery. Full article
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