Most people in sport agree on the basics: athletes improve by training, and “training load” matters. Increase load (sensibly) ...

Caffeine is both a drug and a nutrient. A cup of coffee in the morning is used to wake up a cup in the evening is often used to work or study late. Athletes often use it to improve endurance ...

The World Health Organisation (WHO) have advised that a diet high in free sugars can be harmful to health as it is associated with dental decay and may lead to excess consumption of energy (calories), ...

Guidelines 10 years ago stated that carbohydrate intake during exercise should be 30-60 grams per hour, this developed to intakes of 90 g/h in some situations, but recently a paper was published that ...

Earlier in the year, I attended the Symposium that celebrated the 10th anniversary of the IOC Diploma in Sports Nutrition. One of the speakers was Louise Burke from the Australian Institute of Sport.

Ice slush, or slurry, is a very low temperature (0-1 °C) drink made with blended ice and liquids. Although popular as ‘slushies’ and available in various bright colours in places like fairs, arcades ...

In a previous blog I explained the reason for the grams per hour recommendations. In a large number of studies there seemed to be only small differences between individuals in terms of the maximum ...

Muscle cramping during exercise is a common problem among athletes that involves sudden, involuntary and painful muscle contraction during or after exercise. The occurrence of cramps is quite ...

Water and sports drink are thought off as drinks with great hydration properties whereas caffeine containing beverages such as tea and coffee and alcohol containing beverages such as beer are thought ...

The studies by David Costill in the late 1970s (2) showed that caffeine can increase the mobilisation of fatty acids from their stores. Fat is stored in several tissues but mostly in adipose tissues.

In previous blogs we’ve discussed what sodium is and how it might be helpful during exercise. We’ve also discussed that the amount of sodium lost in sweat varies significantly from person to person.