Running head: SPORTS NUTRITION
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Sports Nutrition
Assignment 1
Charl Faltas
NJCU
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1. What are the general physical activity guidelines for adults for both aerobic training and
resistance training?
The human health service recommends that for every adults ( aged between 18-65 ) should be
participate moderate intensity (resistance) with at least 150 -300 minutes in a weak (minimum 30
minutes on 5 days per week). It should be performed vigorous intensity (aerobic) about 75-150
minutes in a week. Moderate activity means the activities which perform to loss about 3-6 times
as energy per minute. -vigorous intensity is the exercise with large amount of effort ( need more
amount of oxygen) such as speed running, swimming etc..
2. What are the dietary carbohydrate recommendations for the general population?
Carbohydrates are a major fuel source for our bodies, consisting of 45-65% of calories in the
standard American diet. Carbohydrates are found in grains, vegetables, fruits, legumes, soda,
juice, and desserts, among other sources, and have become even more abundant and affordable in
the United States because of the genetic modification of plants and products that make them
easier to grow, as well as more palatable. Recommended Dietary Intake, denoted as RDI, is the
daily average intake level of a specific that is expected to meet the dietary requirements of
percent of healthy individuals in a particular life stage or gender group. Dietary carbohydrate
recommendations for the general population are normally based on how the brain works. For all
ages, it is currently fixed at 130 grams per day.
3. What are the dietary carbohydrate recommendations for athletes? How do these differ
from the general population?
Carbohydrates, once they are broken down into glucose, are the first fuel source the body uses
for energy in cells. Blood glucose levels must be tightly regulated within the body. Not enough
blood glucose in the body, or hypoglycemia, in the short term can result in excessive hunger,
fatigue, lightheadedness, and a lack of mental clarity because the body doesn't have enough fuel
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for energy. Too much blood glucose, or hyperglycemia, can result in weight gain, and in the long
term can result in Type 2 Diabetes, obesity, and heart disease. Therefore athletes should consume
3-12 grams of carbohydrate per kilogram each day to make them feel fast and powerful. It differs
from the general population because it takes into account quality of carbohydrates consumed,
energy expenditure, and body weight.
4. What factors influence how much fat is used during exercise?
There are three factors that influence how much fat is used during exercise, they include;
duration, intensity, and conditioning of the activity. Duration influence fat use in that at the
beginning of an activity, the muscles draw on fatty acids to the point where they are depleted
from the bloodstream. After about 20 minutes if moderate activity is sustained, the body will use
body fat stores as its major fuel in order to replenish the blood of fatty acids. Intensity influence
fat use in that as the intensity of an activity increases; the less fat is used in the fuel mixture
because fat can only be broken down by aerobic metabolism which happens in the presence of
oxygen. A person who is really intensely working out isn't getting sufficient oxygen for aerobic
activity. Conditioning influence fat use in those repeating aerobic activities will help the body to
draw more heavily on fat for fuel in the future. It will also make more and larger mitochondria
produce more ATP for energy. With practice, the heart and lungs will become stronger, allowing
them to better supply oxygen to muscles during exercise. In addition, hormones in a trained
person's body inhibit glucose release from the liver and speed up fat utilization instead.
5. Describe the cardiovascular benefits associated with fatty fish and fish oil supplements.
Patient who have cardiovascular disease take fatty fish and fish oil supplements and fish oil
supplements, due to the benefits of these supplements even that the benefits indirect to enhance
performance or prevent that risks may be happening to the heart. There are many studies show
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the benefits of cardiovascular associated with fatty fish and fish oil supplements which stabilize
blood flow in and around the heart, reduce blood triglyceride levels, lower blood pressure and
prevent blood clots.
6. How would you begin to recommend protein intake for a sedentary, active, and extremely
active individual? Explain the steps you would take.
An athlete or a person on diet or exercise, they mainly concentrate on carbohydrate diet, protein
intake is also more essential. Protein also plays an important supporting role. Proteins are
responsible for a number of processes, including reconstructing body tissues. Our cells depend
on proteins for structure, function and regulation of body tissues and organs. Proteins are made
up of smaller units called amino acids. These are often known as the “building blocks” of
protein. Some amino acids are essential, so we must obtain them from the diet, while others are
nonessential, means our bodies produce them. A food that contains all essential amino acids is
known as a complete protein or complete amino acid profile. So we have to take complete
protein. Most of them we take in daily life are complete proteins. One of the steps is to determine
their weight in kilograms. Then calculate the protein intake per day. For sedentary they should
consume 0.8 grams per kg for a day, while active, and extremely individuals should consume
1.0-1.2 and 1.3-1.5 grams per kg for a day.
7. List some of the signs and symptoms associated with vitamin C deficiency.
Vitamin C deficiency, as the name suggests, refers to inadequate intake of Vitamin C. The body
requires nutrient vitamin C to produce collagen and help the body in iron absorption. Most
animals do not need Vitamin C from external sources, but for humans who lack the Lgluconolactone oxidase enzyme, ingestion of this essential vitamin is vital. Therefore, it can be
correctly said that deficiency of the vitamin is primarily attributed to a diet with insufficient
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vitamin C. Approximately 90% of vitamin C can be found in fruits and vegetables (Shaikh,
Faisal, and Mewawalla 2019). Additionally, due to its sensitivity to heat, cooking or boiling
affects its nutritional value. Vitamin C can be found in small amounts in the adrenal glands or the
leukocytes, or the pituitary. However, tiny amounts are stored in the body. It is the reason why
the recent intake of the vitamin is significantly related to plasma concentration. Vitamin C
deficiency can be seen from signs and symptoms such as rough, bumpy skin, dry skin, swollen
joints, bleeding gums and tooth loss. One may feel very tired and lethargic. As well as feeling
weak and maybe the onset of anemia. Some better sources of vitamin C are black currents, sweet
red pepper, kiwi, lychee, lemon, orange, strawberry, broccoli and parsley.
8. How does vitamin D deficiency or insufficiency affect athletes?
Vitamin D is an essential vitamin with strong effects on the body on many systems. Vitamin D
behaves like a hormone instead of other vitamins, and a receptor is found for each body cell.
When your skin is exposed to the sun, your body produces it from cholesterol. It's also found in
some foods, such as fatty fish and fenced milk, but it's hard to get enough from diets
independently. Typically about 400–800 IU is the recommended daily intake, but many experts
claim it is even more essential. Deficiency in vitamin D is widespread (Holick, 2017).
Deficiency of vitamin D to athletes causes weak type II fibers, impaired muscle contraction or
relaxation, and reduced strength. There is also risk of fractures, cardiovascular disease, colorectal
cancer, diabetes, depression, cognitive decline, and death.
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References
Bronzato, S., & Durante, A. (2018). Dietary supplements and cardiovascular
diseases. International journal of preventive medicine, 9.
Chen, R., Zhao, A., Chen, H., Zhao, Z., Cai, J., Wang, C., ... & Kan, H. (2015).
Cardiopulmonary benefits of reducing indoor particles of outdoor origin: a
randomized, double-blind crossover trial of air purifiers. Journal of the American
College of Cardiology, 65(21), 2279-2287.
Holick, M. F. (2017). The vitamin D deficiency pandemic: Approaches for diagnosis,
treatment and prevention. Reviews in Endocrine and Metabolic Disorders, 18(2), 153165.
Shaikh, H., Faisal, M. S., & Mewawalla, P. (2019). Vitamin C deficiency: rare cause of
severe anemia with hemolysis. International journal of hematology, 109(5), 618-621.