Editorial: Food and Nutrition for Athletics: Redefining the Role and Application

Xiao Li Shen ^1* Baoming Tian ²

• ¹ Zunyi Medical University, Zunyi, China
• ² Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China

Food and nutrition play a vital role in athletes' health and performance, making it a timeless topic. Of course, this also applies to the general population. This issue focuses on two main aspects: the impact of macronutrients on athletic performance and the effects of bioactive plant compounds on exercise performance. Bagheri et al. reported that variations in muscle strength, power adaptation, and endurance after 16 weeks of either concurrent or resistance training with varying highprotein intakes were not linked to changes in lean mass among resistance-trained young males. Through meta-analysis, Zhao et al. concluded that protein intake offers modest benefits to athletes, especially in improving endurance. Subgroup analysis indicates that protein intake boosts muscle glycogen levels and that combining protein with carbohydrates is more effective for endurance athletes than consuming high protein Guo and Rezaei reviewed the effects of ashwagandha (Withania somnifera), an herbal plant from the Solanaceae family, highlighting its ability to enhance antioxidant response, alleviate stress-related conditions such as depression, anxiety, and insomnia, and improve physical performance in sports such as maximum oxygen consumption, treadmill time to exhaustion, metabolic equivalents, and more. Wang et al. explored strategies to enhance the bioavailability of Rhodiola rosea, finding that its nano-dosage form significantly improves anti-exercise fatigue effects in rats, particularly when combined with aerobic exercise, compared to the normal form.The topics covered in this issue are limited. In the future, researchers can conduct indepth studies on various areas such as the specific nutritional requirements of different types of sports [2], the effects and mechanisms of precise formulations on specific athletic performance [3], the potential toxicity and underlying mechanisms of long-term supplementation of certain nutrients [4], and the impact and mechanisms of specific nutrients on injury prevention or rehabilitation in athletes.