Explore the vast range of titles available.

The aim of this study was to compare the concentration of blood lactate [bLa-] and the subjective perception of exertion of trained men in a moderate repetition protocol (MRP) versus a high repetition protocol (HRP) equated for time under tension. A sample of 40 healthy young men (aged, 23.2 ± 4.0 years; height, 177.3 ± 7.0 cm; BMI, 24.3 ± 2.2) performed two sessions of 8 sets of bicep curls with a one-week recovery interval between the trials. In the HRP protocol, 20 repetitions were performed with a cadence of 2 seconds of eccentric and 1 second of concentric, while in the MRP protocol 10 repetitions were performed with 4 seconds of eccentric and 2 seconds of concentric. Cadences were controlled by a metronome. At the beginning and end of each of the sessions, blood lactate was taken at 2, 15, and 30 minutes, and rating of perceived exertion (OMNI-RES) was assessed immediately after completion of each session. There were [bLa-] differences between protocols in the MRP 2 min, (5.2 ±1.4); 15 min, (3.2 ±1.2); 30 min, (1.9 ±0.6); p< 0.05, and the HRP 2 min, (6.1 ±1.6); 15 min, (3.7 ±1.1); 30 min, (2.2 ±0.6); p<0.01. OMNI-RES was higher in HRP, (8.8 ±0.7) than in MRP, (7.7 ±0.9). Additionally, a correlation was found between the RPE and [bLa-] values in the HRP protocol (rs = 0.35, p < 0.01). Training protocols with high times under tension promote substantial increases in metabolic stress, however, our findings indicate that HRP generates more [bLa-] than MRP. In addition, there were higher RPE values in the HRP protocol compared to MRP in single-joint exercises.

Myonectin is a myokine with potential effects on the lipid metabolism; however, its regulation by exercise in humans remains unclear. We aimed to compare the efficacy of high-intensity interval training low-volume (HIIT) versus moderate-intensity continuous training (MICT) on serum myonectin, serum lipids, appendicular fat and lean mass, and intramuscular lipids in humans. Secondary analysis of a controlled, randomized, clinical trial in adults of both sexes with metabolic syndrome, who underwent a supervised, three-times/week, 12-week treadmill program. HIIT (n = 29) consisted of six intervals with one-minute, high-intensity phases at 90% of peak oxygen consumption (VO2peak) for a total of 22 min. MICT (n = 31) trained at 60% of VO2peak for 36 min. Serum myonectin was measured using a human enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Lipid profile was determined by enzymatic methods and free fatty acids (FFA) were measured by gas chromatography. Fat and lean mass were assessed by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. Intramuscular lipids were measured through proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Subjects had a mean age of 50.8±6.0 years and body mass index of 30.6±4.0 kg/m2. Compared to MICT, HIIT was not superior at increasing serum myonectin (p = 0.661) or linoleic acid (p = 0.263), reducing palmitic (p = 0.286) or stearic acid (p = 0.350), or improving lipid profile (all p>0.05), appendicular fat mass index -AFMI- (p = 0.713) or appendicular lean mass percentage -ALM- (p = 0.810). Compared to baseline, only HIIT significantly increased myonectin (p = 0.042), with a large effect size, although both interventions reduced AFMI and increased ALM with a large effect size. Lipid profile, FFA and intramuscular lipids did not change in any intervention group (p>0.05). Compared to MICT, HIIT low volume did not demonstrate superiority in improving serum lipids. The fact that both training types reduced AFMI without paralleled significant changes in serum myonectin suggests that this myokine may have a minor effect on short-middle-term exercise-induced fat mobilization.

It is estimated that three to five million sports injuries occur worldwide each year. The highest incidence is reported during competition periods with mainly affectation of the musculoskeletal tissue. For appropriate nutritional management and correct use of nutritional supplements, it is important to individualize based on clinical effects and know the adaptive response during the rehabilitation phase after a sports injury in athletes. Therefore, the aim of this PRISMA in Exercise, Rehabilitation, Sport Medicine and Sports Science PERSiST-based systematic integrative review was to perform an update on nutritional strategies during the rehabilitation phase of musculoskeletal injuries in elite athletes. After searching the following databases: PubMed/Medline, Scopus, PEDro, and Google Scholar, a total of 18 studies met the inclusion criteria (Price Index: 66.6%). The risk of bias assessment for randomized controlled trials was performed using the RoB 2.0 tool while review articles were evaluated using the AMSTAR 2.0 items. Based on the main findings of the selected studies, nutritional strategies that benefit the rehabilitation process in injured athletes include balanced energy intake, and a high-protein and carbohydrate-rich diet. Supportive supervision should be provided to avoid low energy availability. The potential of supplementation with collagen, creatine monohydrate, omega-3 (fish oils), and vitamin D requires further research although the effects are quite promising. It is worth noting the lack of clinical research in injured athletes and the higher number of reviews in the last 10 years. After analyzing the current quantitative and non-quantitative evidence, we encourage researchers to conduct further clinical research studies evaluating doses of the discussed nutrients during the rehabilitation process to confirm findings, but also follow international guidelines at the time to review scientific literature.

Background Ketogenic diets (KD) have become a popular method of promoting weight loss. More recently, some have recommended that athletes adhere to ketogenic diets in order to optimize changes in body composition during training. This study evaluated the efficacy of an 8-week ketogenic diet (KD) during energy surplus and resistance training (RT) protocol on body composition in trained men. Methods Twenty-four healthy men (age 30 ± 4.7 years; weight 76.7 ± 8.2 kg; height 174.3 ± 19.7 cm) performed an 8-week RT program. Participants were randomly assigned to a KD group ( n  = 9), non-KD group ( n  = 10, NKD), and control group ( n  = 5, CG) in hyperenergetic condition. Body composition changes were measured by dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA). Compliance with the ketosis state was monitored by measuring urinary ketones weekly. Data were analyzed using a univariate, multivariate and repeated measures general linear model (GLM) statistics. Results There was a significant reduction in fat mass (mean change, 95% CI; p -value; Cohen’s d effect size [ES]; − 0.8 [− 1.6, − 0.1] kg; p  < 0.05; ES = − 0.46) and visceral adipose tissue (− 96.5 [− 159.0, − 34.0] g; p  < 0.05; ES = − 0.84), while no significant changes were observed in the NKD and CG in fat mass (− 0,5 [− 1.2, 0.3] kg; p  > 0.05; ES = − 0.17 and − 0,5 [− 2.4, 1.3] kg; p  > 0.05; ES = − 0.12, respectively) or visceral adipose tissue (− 33.8 [− 90.4, 22.8]; p  > 0.5; ES = − 0.17 and 1.7 [− 133.3, 136.7]; p  > 0.05; ES = 0.01, respectively). No significant increases were observed in total body weight (− 0.9 [− 2.3, 0.6]; p  > 0.05; ES = [− 0.18]) and muscle mass (− 0.1 [− 1.1,1.0]; p  > 0,05; ES = − 0.04) in the KD group, but the NKD group showed increases in these parameters (0.9 [0.3, 1.5] kg; p  < 0.05; ES = 0.18 and (1.3[0.5, 2.2] kg; p  < 0,05; ES = 0.31, respectively). There were no changes neither in total body weight nor lean body mass (0.3 [− 1.2, 1.9]; p  > 0.05; ES = 0.05 and 0.8 [− 0.4, 2.1]; p  > 0.05; ES = 0.26, respectively) in the CG. Conclusion Our results suggest that a KD might be an alternative dietary approach to decrease fat mass and visceral adipose tissue without decreasing lean body mass; however, it might not be useful to increase muscle mass during positive energy balance in men undergoing RT for 8 weeks.

Background The effect of ketogenic diets (KD) on body composition in different populations has been investigated. More recently, some have recommended that athletes adhere to ketogenic diets in order to optimize changes in body composition during training. However, there is less evidence related to trained women. We aimed to evaluate the effect of a KD on body composition and strength in trained women following an eight-week resistance training (RT) program. Methods Twenty-one strength-trained women (27.6 ± 4.0 years; 162.1 ± 6.6 cm; 62.3 ± 7.8 kg; 23.7 ± 2.9 kg·m − 2 ) were randomly assigned to either a non-KD group ( n  = 11, NKD) or a KD group ( n  = 10, KD). Study outcomes included body composition as measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA), strength levels measured using one maximum repetition (RM) in back squat and bench press (BP), and countermovement jump (CMJ) measured on a force plate. Results A significant reduction in fat mass was observed in KD (− 1.1 ± 1.5 kg; P  = 0.042; d  = − 0.2) but not in NDK (0.3 ± 0.8 kg; P  = 0.225; d  = 0.1). No significant changes in fat-free mass were observed in KD (− 0.7 ± 1.7 kg; P  = 0.202; d  = − 0.1) or NKD (0.7 ± 1.1 kg; P  = 0.074; d  = 0.2), but absolute changes favored NKD. No significant changes in BP were observed in KD (1.5 ± 4.6 kg; P  = 0.329; d  = 0.2), although significant changes were noted in the squat and CMJ (5.6 ± 7.6 kg; P  = 0.045; d  = 0.5 and 1.7 ± 1.9 cm; P  = 0.022; d  = 0.6, respectively). In contrast, NKD showed significant increases in BP (4.8 ± 1.8; P  < 0.01; d  = 0.7), squat (15.6 ± 5.4 kg; P  = 0.005; d  = 1.4) and CMJ (2.2 ± 1.7 cm; P  = 0.001; d  = 0.5). Conclusions Findings indicate that a KD may help to decrease fat mass and maintain fat-free mass after eight 8  weeks of RT in trained-women but is suboptimal for increasing fat-free mass.

According to current therapeutic approaches, a nitrate-dietary supplementation with beetroot juice (BRJ) is postulated as a nutritional strategy that might help to control arterial blood pressure in healthy subjects, pre-hypertensive population, and even patients diagnosed and treated with drugs. In this sense, a systematic review of random clinical trials (RCTs) published from 2008 to 2018 from PubMed/MEDLINE, ScienceDirect, and manual searches was conducted to identify studies examining the relationship between BRJ and blood pressure. The specific inclusion criteria were: (1) RCTs; (2) trials that assessed only the BRJ intake with control group; and (3) trials that reported the effects of this intervention on blood pressure. The search identified 11 studies that met the inclusion criteria. This review was able to demonstrate that BRJ supplementation is a cost-effective strategy that might reduce blood pressure in different populations, probably through the nitrate/nitrite/nitric oxide (NO3−/NO2−/NO) pathway and secondary metabolites found in Beta vulgaris. This easily found and cheap dietary intervention could significantly decrease the risk of suffering cardiovascular events and, in doing so, would help to diminish the mortality rate associated to this pathology. Hence, BRJ supplementation should be promoted as a key component of a healthy lifestyle to control blood pressure in healthy and hypertensive individuals. However, several factors related to BRJ intake (e.g., gender, secondary metabolites present in B. vulgaris, etc.) should be studied more deeply.

Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera) is considered a potent adaptogen and anti-stress agent that could have some potential to improve physical performance. This preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses (PRISMA)-based comprehensive systematic review and Bayesian meta-analysis aimed to evaluate clinical trials up to 2020 from PubMed, ScienceDirect, and Google Scholar databases regarding the effect of Ashwagandha supplementation on physical performance in healthy individuals. Besides implementing estimation statistics analysis, we developed Bayesian hierarchical models for a pre-specified subgroup meta-analysis on strength/power, cardiorespiratory fitness and fatigue/recovery variables. A total of 13 studies met the requirements of this systematic review, although only 12 were included in the quantitative analysis. A low-to-moderate overall risk of bias of the trials included in this study was detected. All Bayesian hierarchical models converged to a target distribution (Ȓ = 1) for both meta-analytic effect size (μ) and between-study standard deviation (τ). The meta-analytic approaches of the included studies revealed that Ashwagandha supplementation was more efficacious than placebo for improving variables related to physical performance in healthy men and female. In fact, the Bayesian models showed that future interventions might be at least in some way beneficial on the analyzed outcomes considering the 95% credible intervals for the meta-analytic effect size. Several practical applications and future directions are discussed, although more comparable studies are needed in exercise training, and athletic populations are needed to derive a more stable estimate of the true underlying effect.

The effect of low-carbohydrate high-fat dietary manipulation, such as the ketogenic diet (KD), on muscle strength assessment in resistance-training (RT) participants has focused on the one-repetition maximum test (1-RM). However, a pre-specified 1-RM value during an exercise training program disregards several confounding factors (i.e. sleep, diet, and training-induced fatigue) that affect the exerciser's \"true\" load and daily preparedness. We aimed to evaluate the effect of a 6-week RT program on load control-related variables in trained subjects following a KD intervention. Fourteen resistance-trained individuals (3F, 11 M; 30.1 [6.2] years; 174.2 [7.6] cm; 75.7 [10.8] kg; BMI 24.8 [2.1] kg·m ) completed this single-arm repeated-measures clinical trial. Load management variables included volume load, number of repetitions, perceived exertion (RPE), movement velocity loss, and exertion index. These primary outcomes were assessed weekly before, during, and at the end of a 6-week RT program that included traditional RT exercises (bench press, femoral lying down, lat pulldown, leg extension, and back squat). There was a significant difference in RPE between weeks (  = 0.015, W = 0.19) with a slight trend in decreasing RPE. We found differences in the volume load per week (  < 0.001; W = 0.73 and  < 0.001, W = 0.81, respectively), with an increase in the last weeks. In the control of the load based on movement velocity, we did not find significant differences between weeks (  = 0.591, W = 0.06), although significant differences were found in the effort index (  = 0.026, W = 0.17). A KD diet in recreational strength participants does not appear to lead to performance losses during a RT program aimed at improving body composition. However, the lack of adherence and familiarity with the ketogenic diet must be considered specially during first weeks.

ABSTRACT Background Mild traumatic brain injuries (TBI), commonly known as concussions, pose a global public health concern, especially among athletes in contact or collision sports. These injuries not only impact neurocognitive function but also lead to metabolic disruptions, including decreased cerebral creatine concentrations. Given creatine’s critical role in energy metabolism within neural tissue, its supplementation may support recovery by stabilizing these metabolic alterations. This scoping review aims to explore the available evidence on the potential neuroprotective effects of creatine supplementation in the management of TBI in athletes participating in contact sports. Methods A search was conducted in PubMed/MEDLINE and Scopus following the PRISMA for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) methodology; key descriptors were combined with Boolean operators, for example: (“creatine” OR “creatine monohydrate”) AND (“contact athlete” OR “contact sport”) AND (“brain concussion” OR “head injury” OR “traumatic brain injury” OR “repetitive head impact”). Quantitative and qualitative studies using animal or human models published in English or Spanish since 2000 were included, provided they reported potential therapeutic effects of creatine supplementation in managing TBI. Studies that did not report metabolic or neurocognitive outcomes were excluded. Results A total of 52 studies were found, four studies met all the inclusion criteria two of the four studies focused on animal models, and two on contact sport athletes; in animal models (rats and mice), creatine supplementation significantly reduced lactate accumulation and post-injury tissue damage, indicating a potential neuroprotective effect. In studies involving contact sport athletes, creatine was integrated into nutritional protocols to aid concussion recovery, with observed variations in the N-acetylaspartate/creatine ratio highlighting a potential role in restoring cerebral metabolism. Conclusion Although the evidence is limited, findings from animal models and contact sports athletes suggest that creatine supplementation may help mitigate the metabolic disturbances associated with concussions. Further human studies are needed to establish optimal supplementation protocol (e.g., dosage, timing, co-supplementation) and to evaluate long-term neurocognitive and metabolic recovery outcomes, thereby confirming its efficacy as a complementary intervention in concussion management. Disclosures DAB serves as member of the “Creatine for Health” scientific advisory board.

Sports medicine has become a well-established field with a wide range of applications, from competitive and professional athletics to general well-being [...].Sports medicine has become a well-established field with a wide range of applications, from competitive and professional athletics to general well-being [...].