New Opportunities to Advance the Field of Sports Nutrition

This mini-review delves into the evolution of sports nutrition as a discipline, detailing its growth from approximately 100 papers per year in the 1990s to over 3,500 today, and emphasizing the significant impact of university-based exercise physiologists in the early stages. These researchers developed methodologies that directly influenced the formulation of current sports nutrition guidelines through expert consensus statements. Despite these advancements, the review identifies a crucial gap in the current research landscape—namely, the scarcity of ecologically valid intervention studies on elite athletes in actual training and competition settings.

The review also highlights the recent surge in sports science technologies and innovations, particularly those that are field-based, which offer new opportunities for applying personalized sports nutrition interventions more directly. However, it cautions against the rapid adoption of novel biotechnological and software solutions that have not been adequately validated for their effectiveness or utility.

Looking forward, the review suggests that sports nutrition will benefit greatly from the integration of "big data" and field-based measurements, which will support more personalized and ecologically valid nutritional strategies. It calls for a cautious approach to new technologies, ensuring they are thoroughly evaluated for their impact on athlete health and performance before widespread use.