Sports Nutrition and Pharmacology
What this domain tests
Fuel and fluid prescription for training and competition, supplement risk, and anti-doping rules including strict liability and therapeutic use exemptions.
Core rules and concepts
- Carbohydrate: 3–5 g/kg/day for general training, 6–10 g/kg/day for endurance athletes, and up to 10–12 g/kg/day in heavy loading. During exercise longer than about 2.5 hours, aim for 60–90 g/h of carbohydrate, using multiple transportable sugars.
- Protein: 1.6–2.2 g/kg/day for strength adaptation, split into 20–40 g doses every 3–4 hours. The "30-minute anabolic window" is overstated; total daily intake dominates.
- Hydration: keep body mass loss under about 2%; replace ~1.25–1.5 L per kg of body mass lost, with sodium when sweat losses are high.
- Anti-doping: the WADA Prohibited List is updated annually; strict liability means the athlete is responsible for any substance found in their sample. A TUE is required for prohibited substances needed medically. Inhaled beta-2 agonists such as salbutamol are permitted only within defined dose limits.
- Supplements: use third-party tested products; contamination is a real cause of inadvertent positives.
Worked example
A 70 kg endurance cyclist preparing for a 4-hour event. Carbohydrate: 6–10 g/kg/day = 420–700 g/day in the loading days, then 60–90 g/h during the ride (≈240–360 g over four hours). Reasoning: daily intake builds glycogen stores, while hourly intake during exercise maintains blood glucose and delays fatigue; the two targets answer different questions and both matter.
Traps that cost marks
- Quoting protein needs in grams per meal without a daily total.
- Assuming a supplement is safe because it is sold legally.
- Forgetting that a TUE must be obtained before competition, not after a positive test.