Sports Nutrition Myths Busted! - Sports Medicine Weekly
July 15, 2019 sportsmedicineweekly ACSM, Articles, Nutrition, Performance, Training Comments Off on Sports Nutrition Myths Busted!
Keeping up with the latest science-based sports nutrition recommendations is a challenge. We are constantly bombarded with media messages touting the next miracle sports food or supplement that will enhance athletic performance, promote fat loss, build muscle, and help you be a super-athlete. At this year’s Annual Meeting of the American College of Sports Medicine, a sports nutrition myth-busters session sponsored by the global network of Professionals In Nutrition for Exercise and Sport featured experts who resolved confusion with science-based research.
While it is true the body responds differently to the same meal eaten at 9:00 AM, 5:00 PM, or 1:00 AM, an athlete will not “get fat” by eating at night. The main problem with nighttime eating relates to the ease of over-eating while lounging around and watching TV. When your brain is tired from having made endless decisions all day, you can easily decide to eat more food than required.
Creatine is sometimes used by athletes who want to bulk up. It allows muscles to recover faster from, let’s say, lifting weights, so the athlete can do more reps and gain strength. A review of 21 studies that assessed kidney function with creatine doses ranging from two to 30 grams a day for up to five and a half years indicates creatine is safe for young healthy athletes as well as for elderly people. Even the most recent studies using sophisticated methods to assess renal function support creatine supplements as being well tolerated and not related to kidney dysfunction.
Without a doubt, vegan athletes can —and do—excel in sport. Just Google vegan athletes; you’ll find an impressive list that includes Olympians and professional athletes from many sports (including football, basketball, tennis, rowing, snow boarding, running, soccer, plus more.)
Author: Nancy Clark, MS, RD, FACSM, counsels both casual and competitive athletes at her office in Newton, MA. She is the author of many books as well as articles and resources available on nancyclarkrd.com. This blog post originally appeared on her website on June 6, 2019.
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