Abstract
During the last few years, the numbers of competitors in endurance and ultra-endurance sports modalities have increased significantly. This type of competition is an extreme challenge for athletes. Therefore, they have an increased the risk of developing medical and nutritional problems. The aim of the work is to estimate the incidence of nutrition-related adverse outcomes in endurance and ultra-endurance sports, considering the variables that influence them. A critical review was carried out based on the PubMed database, by means of a search strategy based on keywords separated by Boolean connectors. For all the results obtained in a period from 2008 to 2019, a series of inclusion/exclusion criteria was applied to select only the studies that fitted the objective of the present study. Results and discussion: Of the 871 publications identified, 33 met the inclusion criteria. The adverse outcomes found included exercise-associated hyponatremia (EAH), heat stroke by exertion (EHS), gastrointestinal (GI) problems, dehydration, and hypothermia; the provision of misinformation to athletes about nutrient intake and hydration during competition was identified as the main cause. Conclusions: The main adverse outcomes in endurance and ultra-endurance sports modalities are EAH, GI inconveniences, and EHS. These problems can affect the performance and health status of the athlete during and post-competition. Several nutritional guidelines have been suggested that can prevent these adverse outcomes, and it is essential to individualize and adjust the nutritional intake and hydration status according to the characteristics of each competition.
Highlights
Endurance sport modalities requires competitors to complete a set distance or amount of work in the shortest time possible or a maximal amount of work in a fixed amount of time [1] with the predominance of an energy metabolism dependent on oxidative processes [2,3]
The work comprised a descriptive study, involving a critical review, to answer the research question, “what is the incidence of the different nutrition-related adverse outcomes that occur in endurance/ultra-endurance competitions and sports?” A structured search was performed in the PubMed database
Human studies related to adverse outcomes that occur in endurance and ultra-endurance athletes during competitions
Summary
Endurance sport modalities requires competitors to complete a set distance or amount of work in the shortest time possible (time trial) or a maximal amount of work in a fixed amount of time [1] with the predominance of an energy metabolism dependent on oxidative processes [2,3]. Public Health 2020, 17, 4082; doi:10.3390/ijerph17114082 www.mdpi.com/journal/ijerph
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