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The Role of Nutrition in Exercise and Sports—2nd Edition

A special issue of Nutrients (ISSN 2072-6643). This special issue belongs to the section "Sports Nutrition".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 December 2026 | Viewed by 1183

Editors


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Guest Editor
Unit of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Department of Movement, Human and Health Sciences, University of Rome FORO ITALICO, Piazza Lauro de Bosis 6, 00135 Rome, Italy
Interests: oxidative stress; skeletal muscle; physical activity; antioxidants; nutrition; aging
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Nutrition plays a fundamental role in every physiological process by supporting energy production and tissue remodelling. A healthy adaptation to exercise demands a well-balanced intake of macro-/micronutrients and essential minerals to optimize performance during training and competition, maintain healthy bodyweight, and support muscle recovery. Each sport comes with its own set of nutritional needs, which are further influenced by individual differences such as age, health status, gender, and body composition, as well as environmental conditions.

To maximize the benefits of exercise while mitigating its potential negative effects (e.g., muscle damage, oxidative stress, and fatigue), sport practitioners frequently recommend targeted dietary supplements. As a dynamic and rapidly evolving field, sports nutrition constantly seeks innovative evidence-based strategies to tailor nutrition plans to specific populations and improve overall performance outcomes.

This Special Issue titled "The Role of Nutrition in Exercise and Sports—2nd Edition" welcomes the submission of original research and comprehensive review articles that explore the interaction between nutrition—including dietary supplements—and exercise, with a focus on muscle health and physical performance. While human studies are our primary focus, high-quality work involving animal models will also be considered.

We particularly encourage submissions that:

  • Investigate the role of specific dietary interventions or supplements in supporting performance and recovery;
  • Address the influence of nutrition on physiological adaptations to training;
  • Examine inter-individual or sport-specific nutritional needs;
  • Present systematic reviews and meta-analyses that synthesize current evidence.

Join us in advancing the science of sport nutrition by contributing cutting-edge research and reviews that will inform best practices and future innovations in the field.

Dr. Guglielmo Duranti
Dr. Ceci Roberta
Guest Editors

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. Nutrients 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 2900 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
  • exercise
  • performance
  • recovery
  • ergogenic aids
  • dietary supplements
  • muscle damage
  • nutrition
  • oxidative stress
  • aging
  • fatigue
  • disease prevention

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

15 pages, 978 KB  
Article
Can the Effects of Exercise Therapy on Achilles Tendinopathy Be Enhanced by Adding Nutritional Advice—A Randomized Controlled Pilot Study
by Fanji Qiu, Bernd Wolfarth and Kirsten Legerlotz
Nutrients 2026, 18(10), 1519; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu18101519 - 10 May 2026
Viewed by 593
Abstract
Background: The progression of orthopedic diseases such as rheumatism and tendinopathies can be affected by metabolic conditions. Recent research suggests that changes in nutrition may affect symptom severity and recovery in orthopedic diseases. This study aims to explore whether the therapeutic efficacy of [...] Read more.
Background: The progression of orthopedic diseases such as rheumatism and tendinopathies can be affected by metabolic conditions. Recent research suggests that changes in nutrition may affect symptom severity and recovery in orthopedic diseases. This study aims to explore whether the therapeutic efficacy of exercise therapy can be enhanced by adding nutritional advice in Achilles tendinopathy. Method: This 12-week randomized controlled pilot trial enrolled 16 adult patients (age 39.38 ± 9.46 years) suffering from chronic Achilles tendinopathy (≥3 months of symptoms, Victorian Institute of Sport Assessment—Achilles (VISA-A) scores below 80). Participants were randomly assigned to either the experimental group, receiving nutritional advice combined with home-based high-load tendon exercise training, or the control group, receiving exercise training alone. Outcomes included VISA-A scores, visual analog scale (VAS) pain assessments, body composition, and blood markers, analyzed through both intention-to-treat and per-protocol approaches. Results: Baseline characteristics showed no significant intergroup differences. From pre to post VISA-A scores increased from 58.06 ± 12.06 to 74.51 ± 17.81 points (p = 0.005) and VAS decreased from 3.19 ± 2.32 to 1.55 ± 1.66 points (p = 0.048) across all participants. Within-group analysis demonstrated a significant VISA-A improvement (63.13 ± 10.08 to 81.39 ± 13.13 points) (p = 0.013) in the experimental group only. The control group experienced a significant increase of 6.74 ± 12.26 mmHg in diastolic blood pressure (p = 0.046). Conclusions: The exercise intervention improved functional and pain outcomes in all participants, with better VISA-A outcomes in the experimental group. However, a clearly superior effect of the combined strategy compared with exercise alone could not be detected in this pilot study with a limited sample size. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Role of Nutrition in Exercise and Sports—2nd Edition)
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