The role of nutrition in exercise and sports
Nutrition affects all bodily processes by supporting energy production and tissue maintenance. Proper adaptation to exercise depends on balanced macro- and micronutrient intake to optimize performance, recovery, and overall health. Nutritional needs vary by sport, individual characteristics, and environment. Dietary supplements are often used to enhance performance, recovery, and adaptation, while reducing negative effects such as muscle damage, oxidative stress, and fatigue. As a result, sports nutrition is a constantly evolving field aimed at optimizing athletic performance through tailored strategies.
Interest in targeted nutrition for muscle health has grown significantly in recent years, reflecting the key role of skeletal muscle in overall well-being [1,2]. Skeletal muscle makes up about 40% of body weight and is essential for movement, posture, and metabolism. Because it is regularly exposed to mechanical and oxidative stress, it requires specific nutritional support depending on exercise type, intensity, and duration. This has led to an increase in research on exercise-related nutrition [3,4,5,6] (Figure 1).
© Copyright 2026 Nutrients. MDPI. All rights reserved.
| Subjects: | |
|---|---|
| Notations: | biological and medical sciences |
| Tagging: | körperliche Aktivität Einflussfaktor |
| Published in: | Nutrients |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
2026
|
| Volume: | 18 |
| Issue: | 9 |
| Pages: | 1354 |
| Document types: | article |
| Level: | advanced |