An Examination of Nutrient Components of Athletes: Maximizing Performance

Abstract

Diet plays an important role in athletic performance. There are many different types of athletic performances. Some such as weightlifting are based on strength, some such as tennis are based on fast, intense movement, and some such as marathon running require endurance. All these different types of athletic performances require different types of diets. I examined the ways an athlete uses energy as well as the importance of carbohydrate, protein, fat, water, and electrolyte intake and how this may affect different athletes using literature on a variety of studies including metabolic rates of different athletes, studies on popular diets such as the South Beach Diet, studies on hydration, and studies on proper consumption of carbohydrates, fats, and proteins. The time of consumption of the nutrients, the way the body uses the particular nutrient (breaks down and converts to energy), and the effect of the amount of the nutrient were all examined for carbohydrates, fats, proteins, water, and electrolytes. See tables 2-4 for sample diet tables of athletes.