HSCS 4440 Sport Nutrition

An advanced study of the role of nutrition during sport training, competition/performance, and recovery. Topics include the metabolic and physiologic basis for macronutrient and micronutrient recommendations for activity and their relationship to body composition in an athletic population. The validity and safety of dietetic ergogenic aids are also explored.

Credits

3

Prerequisite

HSCS 2210 and HSCS 3301

Typically Offered

Demorest Campus: spring

Student Learning Outcomes

Learning Outcomes:

Students will describe macro- and micronutrients and rate the importance of each to optimal athletic performance.

Students will compare how each type of nutrient (macro- and micro-nutrient) affects the body and assess recommended daily requirements for adults and athletes.

Students will analyze how various types of fluids impact the body’s hydration status and describe the stages of hydration, warning signs of heat stress/illness and recommend treatments to prevent heat illness.

Students will describe prevention strategies and recommended fluid intakes for athletes.

Students will describe and compare the categories of ergogenic aids and banned substance by IOC, NCAA, and USOC.

Students will evaluate effectiveness and any side effects of the ergogenic aids; this includes assessing components of a supplement labeld and identifying any precautions to ingesting that supplement.

Students will examine how foods are digested by the GI tract and identify factors that influence food consumption, absorption, and any GI concerns athletes may have.

Students will appraise various factors (food’s glycemic index level, nutrition timing, and sleep pattern/cycle) and determine if those factors are beneficial or hinder athletic performance.

Students will describe factors (travel, altitude, gender, and age) that affect nutritional needs and determine effective strategies when sports teams travel.

Students will examine possible benefits of high-altitude training and any health risks associated with various altitude sicknesses; as well as, assess how gender and age affect the body’s response to sport and training.

Students will describe oxygen transport/utilization, compare how iron and B vitamins affect the body and assess the oxygen-nutrient performance relationship and strategies to improve fitness/training status.

Students will inspect strategies for anti-inflammation and muscular health by addressing the training phenomena of delayed-onset muscle soreness (DOMS) and recommend nutrition agents; as well as, other treatments such as cryotherapy, pharmacological aids, PNF stretching, and proper warm-up and cool-down to ameliorate muscle pain.

Students will describe body composition/weight and assessment methods such as strength-to-weight ratio, BMI, BMR, fat-free mass, and body fat percentage.

Students will determine how bodyweight impacts performance level, identify various eating disorders (anorexia and bulimia), and formulate strategies to avoid those mental health issues.

Students will assess nutrition intake, calculate components of total daily energy expenditure (Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR), thermogenic effect of food, NEAT, and calories expended from exercise) to comprehend the complexity of sports nutrition, meal planning, and weight.

Students will describe the three energy systems (ATP-PC, anaerobic glycolytic, and aerobic), the sports that predominate those systems; and, evaluate various nutrition strategies for those specific energy systems.

Students will analyze the metabolic demands of various sports and create a personalized meal plan.