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Nutritional and Non-nutritional Supplements in Sports: The Public Health Impact

A special issue of International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (ISSN 1660-4601).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 March 2023) | Viewed by 8722

Special Issue Editors

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The topic of interest in this Special Issue is the application of ergogenic aids to conventional training methods in athletes. At present, elite athletes and amateur athletes of different sports specialties often combine ergogenic strategies (provided they are allowed by legislative organizations such as the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) or the International Olympic Committee (IOC)) in the hope of improving physiological responses and competitive performance, but sometimes the scientific evidence for these strategies is limited. This situation is favored because the supply and marketing of ergogenic aids have increased exponentially due to the increase in recreational physical activity and the rise of professional sports.

For this reason, athletes resort to the continuous and sometimes indiscriminate use of ergogenic aids. Depending on their effects, they can be divided into non-nutritional aids (mechanical, psychological, physiological, and pharmacological) and nutritional aids (dietary supplements, vitamins, minerals, drinks, and energy nutrients). However, for many of these ergogenic aids there is no scientific evidence of their ability to induce the effect that the athlete expects. It is obligatory to scientifically evaluate the different types of non-nutritional ergogenic aids because some have not demonstrated the claimed improvements or have not demonstrated an evident cause–effect relationship in a properly designed study.

This Special Issue aims to integrate all new research lines related to mechanical, psychological, physiological, and pharmacological ergogenic aids, establishing their impact on the health and performance of athletes.

In this Special Issue, original research articles and reviews are welcome. Research areas may include (but are not limited to) the following:

  • Sports performance enhancement;
  • Application of non-nutritional ergogenic aids (mechanical, psychological, physiological, and pharmacological);
  • Innovation in instruments and devices used by athletes;
  • Muscular, hormonal, and physiological changes after the use of ergogenic strategies;
  • Hematological and biochemical improvements derived from the use of non-nutritional ergogenic aids;
  • Impact on athletes' health.

Prof. Dr. Diego Fernández Lázaro
Prof. Dr. Juan Mielgo-Ayuso
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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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. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly 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 2500 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 performance
  • ergogenic aids
  • skeletal muscle
  • hematology
  • biochemistry
  • hormones
  • hypoxia
  • respiratory training
  • cryotherapy
  • compression garments
  • biomechanics

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

13 pages, 857 KiB  
Article
Effect of 8-Week β-Alanine Supplementation on CRP, IL-6, Body Composition, and Bio-Motor Abilities in Elite Male Basketball Players
by Ioan Turcu, Bogdan Oancea, Mihaela Chicomban, Gabriel Simion, Sorin Simon, Codruța Ioana Negriu Tiuca, Mircea Nicolae Ordean, Alexandru Gabriel Petrovici, Nicoleta Adina Nicolescu Șeușan, Petronela Lăcrămioara Hăisan, Ioan Teodor Hășmășan, Alexandru Ioan Hulpuș, Iulian Stoian, Cătălin Vasile Ciocan and Ioana Maria Curițianu
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(20), 13700; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijerph192013700 - 21 Oct 2022
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2266
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of 8-week β-alanine supplementation on C-Reactive Protein (CRP), interleukin-6 (IL-6), body composition, and bio-motor abilities in elite male basketball players. Twenty male basketball players (age: 23 + 0.6 years; body mass: 78.3 + [...] Read more.
The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of 8-week β-alanine supplementation on C-Reactive Protein (CRP), interleukin-6 (IL-6), body composition, and bio-motor abilities in elite male basketball players. Twenty male basketball players (age: 23 + 0.6 years; body mass: 78.3 + 4.8 kg; height:185.3 + 5.4 cm, %BF, 15.2 ± 4.8) volunteered to participate in this study. They were divided into a β-alanine group (BG, N = 10) and a placebo group (PG, N = 10). All players were preparing for university competitions and had played for over five years. Players used 6.4 g/d of β-alanine in BG and maltodextrin in PG. The participants were involved in regular basketball training three months before the study. CRP, IL-6, body composition parameters, and bio-motor abilities were measured before starting the exercises and after completing the eight-week training period. The research findings showed a significant decrease in CRP and IL-6 and an increase in anaerobic peak power between the pre-test and post-test, as well as between BG and PG groups (p < 0.05). Although the other measured factors were a relative improvement compared to the pre-test and also compared to PG, these changes were not statistically significant (p < 0.05). Eight weeks of β-alanine supplementation ameliorated increases in IL-6 and CRP associated with in-season physical stressors in collegiate basketball players. These changes in pro-inflammatory cytokines suggest that β-alanine supplementation may be a useful nutritional strategy for immune regulation and can also improve anaerobic performance compared to PG. Full article
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21 pages, 1268 KiB  
Article
Adequacy of an Altitude Fitness Program (Living and Training) plus Intermittent Exposure to Hypoxia for Improving Hematological Biomarkers and Sports Performance of Elite Athletes: A Single-Blind Randomized Clinical Trial
by Diego Fernández-Lázaro, Juan Mielgo-Ayuso, Gema Santamaría, Eduardo Gutiérrez-Abejón, Carlos Domínguez-Ortega, Sandra María García-Lázaro and Jesús Seco-Calvo
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(15), 9095; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijerph19159095 - 26 Jul 2022
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2077
Abstract
Athletes incorporate altitude training programs into their conventional training to improve their performance. The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of an 8-week altitude training program that was supplemented with intermittent hypoxic training (IHE) on the blood biomarkers, sports performance, [...] Read more.
Athletes incorporate altitude training programs into their conventional training to improve their performance. The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of an 8-week altitude training program that was supplemented with intermittent hypoxic training (IHE) on the blood biomarkers, sports performance, and safety profiles of elite athletes. In a single-blind randomized clinical trial that followed the CONSORT recommendations, 24 male athletes were randomized to an IHE group (HA, n = 12) or an intermittent normoxia group (NA, n = 12). The IHE consisted of 5-min cycles of hypoxia–normoxia with an FIO2 of between 10–13% for 90 min every day for 8 weeks. Hematological (red blood cells, hemoglobin, hematocrit, hematocrit, reticulated hemoglobin, reticulocytes, and erythropoietin), immunological (leukocytes, monocytes, and lymphocytes), and renal (urea, creatinine, glomerular filtrate, and total protein) biomarkers were assessed at the baseline (T1), day 28 (T2), and day 56 (T3). Sports performance was evaluated at T1 and T3 by measuring quadriceps strength and using three-time trials over the distances of 60, 400, and 1000 m on an athletics track. Statistically significant increases (p < 0.05) in erythropoietin, reticulocytes, hemoglobin, and reticulocyte hemoglobin were observed in the HA group at T3 with respect to T1 and the NA group. In addition, statistically significant improvements (p < 0.05) were achieved in all performance tests. No variations were observed in the immunological or renal biomarkers. The athletes who were living and training at 1065 m and were supplemented with IHE produced significant improvements in their hematological behavior and sports performance with optimal safety profiles. Full article
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18 pages, 1250 KiB  
Article
Analysis of Effectiveness of a Supplement Combining Harpagophytum procumbens, Zingiber officinale and Bixa orellana in Healthy Recreational Runners with Self-Reported Knee Pain: A Pilot, Randomized, Triple-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial
by Marcela González-Gross, Carlos Quesada-González, Javier Rueda, Manuel Sillero-Quintana, Nicolas Issaly, Angel Enrique Díaz, Eva Gesteiro, David Escobar-Toledo, Rafael Torres-Peralta, Marc Roller and Amelia Guadalupe-Grau
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18(11), 5538; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijerph18115538 - 22 May 2021
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 3373
Abstract
Recreational running (RR) is becoming a popular way to increase physical activity for improving health, together with a higher incidence of knee injuries. The aim was to analyze the effect of a four-week supplementation with a mixture of Harpagophytum procumbens, Zingiber officinale [...] Read more.
Recreational running (RR) is becoming a popular way to increase physical activity for improving health, together with a higher incidence of knee injuries. The aim was to analyze the effect of a four-week supplementation with a mixture of Harpagophytum procumbens, Zingiber officinale and Bixa orellana on males, middle-aged, RR with an undiagnosed knee discomfort. A randomized triple-blind placebo-control trial was conducted among male RR aged 40–60 years suffering from self-declared knee discomfort after training. Participants were assigned to supplementation (2 g/day in 6 doses; n  =  13; intervention group (IG)) or matched placebo (n  =  15; control group (CG)) for 4 weeks. At pre- and post-intervention, assessment of routine blood biomarkers, body composition, running biomechanics and body temperature was performed using standardized procedures. Machine learning (ML) techniques were used to classify whether subjects belonged to IG or CG. ML model was able to correctly classify individuals as IG or CG with a median accuracy of 0.857. Leg fat mass decreased significantly (p = 0.037) and a deeper reduction in knee thermograms was observed in IG (p < 0.05). Safety evaluation revealed no significant differences in the rest of parameters studied. Subjects belonging to IG or CG are clearly differentiated, pointing into an effect of the supplement of ameliorating inflammation. Full article
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