Fruit for sport

Publication date: Available online 15 February 2018 Source:Trends in Food Science & Technology Author(s): Alireza Naderi, Sajjad Rezaei, Adel Moussa, Kyle Levers, Conrad P. Earnest Background Nutritional practices targeting improved exercise performance and training adaptations are considered to be ergogenic aids. Currently, the majority of attention is given to the macronutrients carbohydrate and protein, while micronutrients are considered to a lesser scale. Though literature does exist, very little attention is given to fruit and respective fruit extracts. Scope and approach Fruit as a whole, contains macro- and micronutrients, fiber, minerals, vitamins, a number of bioactive phytochemicals, including phenolic compounds such as anthocyanins and ellagitannins and intuitively should be considered a regular part of an athletes diet. The primary aim of this review is to review the extant literature and provide a narrative overview of studies involving fruit, respective fruit extracts, and their effects on exercise performance and recovery. Included in this review are blackcurrant, grapes, pomegranate, cherry, banana, watermelon and blueberry. Key findings and conclusions There appears to be a consistent pattern in the literature for fruits extracts to improve antioxidant capacity. Data supporting performance improvements are less compelling. While the health affects of whole fruits is intuitive, there is a paucity of studies examining whole fruits as part of a...
Source: Trends in Food Science and Technology - Category: Food Science Source Type: research