1. Exercise physiology diet & nutrition
2.1.4 & Food supplements
Learning Objective:
To be able to name and describe the benefits and potential drawbacks of a range of legal supplements and explain which sportspeople could benefit from these.
The content for this area of the course is available on another powerpoint on the weebly website. (

2. Food Supplements Learning Objectives
To be able to explain the benefits and drawbacks of a range of legal food supplements

3. Creatine
Phosphocreatine is important for rapid muscular contractions over a short period. Creatine supplements increases PC stores allowing for more energy to be supplied through the PC system. This allows for maximal performance for a longer period so that athletes can train harder. Possible drawbacks include water retention, vomiting, muscle cramps and diarrhoea.

4. Protein Supplements
Protein is essential for growth and repair of muscles. It can therefore help for quicker recovery from training and enable performers to train harder and more often and thus gain the benefits from this. There is no evidence to show that taking extra protein (above a normal balanced diet) benefits performance. Excess protein is dealt with by the kidneys and liver and these organs can be damaged over time. Bodybuilders often take protein supplements hoping to build muscle mass.

5. Herbal Remedies
There are a wide range of herbal remedies that some athletes take for a variety of different reasons. Evidence of their benefits or dangers is inconclusive. Professional athletes must be careful that any of the ingredients within a herbal remedy does not include banned substances.

6. Caffeine
Caffeine is a stimulant found in coffee, tea, cola, chocolate etc. Research shows that caffeine can allow for greater aerobic performance by increasing the use of lipids (fats) to produce ATP (thereby saving glycogen stores). Caffeine increases mental alertness which can improve reactions in a sporting situation and improving performance levels. Drawbacks include a loss of fine control, anxiety, insomnia, and dehydration (as it’s a diuretic). Banned in some sports when taken in large quantities.

7. Bicarbonate of Soda
Soda loading delays the onset of fatigue during anaerobic activity. Bicarbonate helps to buffer lactic acid and maintain a balanced pH level. This allows for increased activity levels before the lactate threshold and OBLA are reached (fatigue is greatly delayed). Drawbacks include stomach cramps, vomiting and diarrhoea.

8. Beetroot
Beetroot is a vasodilator and thus increases blood flow to working muscles. It has been found to benefit endurance performance. Can be eaten or drunk as a juice. The downside is that consumption of large amounts can cause gastrointestinal discomfort.

9. An Athlete’s Diet
In general athlete’s simply need to follow a balanced diet.
There is little evidence that any food supplements are beneficial to athletes.
Performers must ensure that they take on sufficient carbohydrates to meet their energy needs with a range of glycaemic index levels (the rate at which a food substance releases it’s energy).

10. Supplements on the course specification
No specific supplements are named but you are expected to have a good knowledge of a range of supplements.
It is likely that these will change over time so you must keep your knowledge up to date.
Sportspeople taking supplements must be careful to ensure that they do not contain any banned substances. In 2016 Sharapova was banned from tennis for taking a supplement which contained a banned substance.

11. Explain why an athlete might take three different types of nutritional supplements. (6)

12. Outline how four different supplements are used to aid an athlete in recovery (4)