Sport nutrition: the role of macronutrients and minerals in endurance exercises

Abstract

Athletes’ nutrition optimization is very important for the nutritional support in all sport specializations. Macronutrients, as well as minerals and vitamins, are functionally active components that play an important role in nutrition of athletes especially in endurance sport. Optimal use of diets, including specialized sport nutrition, normalizes biochemical, immune, endocrine functions and restores athletes’ energy balance at different stages of sport exercises. Non-optimal athletes’ nutrition of different age groups, inadequate to their physiological needs, and no personalized approach to athletes’ diets, violate their right to adequate safe nutrition, according to international standards and criteria. Nutritional factors are one of the most important key factors in the risk prevention measures for a large number of diet-dependent diseases (e.g. digestive, liver, pancreas, cardiovascular system, endocrine system, and kidney diseases). The review presents the information on energy requirements, balance and availability, types and content of functional products for athletes. It also gives an overview of the specialized food market in Russia.