Post-Exercise Nutrition in Football - A Performance Benefit?

Post-exercise food and fluid consumption are necessary for optimal and fast regeneration from training and competition. In the light of a growing physical strain in team sports such as football, which includes multiple exercise sessions on the same and/or consecutive days, it has been recognized that not only endurance or strength athletes benefit from optimal nutrition during the post-exercise recovery period. However, evidence also exists that dietary habits and food choice in football players often are far from optimal. One dietary goal in the post-exercise period is to provide an adequate amount of carbohydrates to optimize muscle glycogen recovery With regard to a daily energy requirement between 3000 and 4000 kcal in elite football, the percentage of ingested carbohydrates should range between 55 and 65%. In addition, an increased muscle glycogen synthesis rate in the early post-exercise period can be exploited via ingestion of carbohydrates to speed up muscle glycogen resynthesis. Secondly, the ingestion of intact proteins or essential amino acids during the early post-exercise period has been shown to promote net protein synthesis in muscle and may exert beneficial effects on muscle adaptation. Finally, adequate replacement of fluid and, in cases of a greater sweat loss, attention to additional salt intake are important factors in post-exercise nutrition.