SSE #104: Should Athletes Stretch Before Exercise?

Traditional stretching routines performed during warm-up activities before exercise can increase flexibility for a short time, but there is little scientific evidence that such routines can improve exercise performance, reduce delayed-onset muscular soreness, or prevent injuries. Until stronger science emerges, sports medicine practitioners and coaches should offer cautious advice to athletes.

SSE #103: Sickle Cell Trait and the Athlete

Sickle cell trait is an inherited condition of the oxygen-carrying protein, hemoglobin, in red blood cells. This genetic trait is generally benign, but during maximal exercise, the oxygen levels in muscles can decrease sufficiently to cause some of the red cells to change. The focus of the article is on sickling in sports, but also reviews the research done on sickling collapse by the U.S. Military.

SSE #100: Nutrition to Promote Recovery from Exercise

Strategies for optimizing recovery from exercise depend on the specific sports or type of exercise, its intensity and duration, and the time between training sessions and competition. Successful recovery involvesmany physiological and metabolic processes that act in concert to prepare the athlete for the next bout of exercise.

SSE #98: Metabolic Factors in Fatigue

Fatigue is a multifactorial process that reduces exercise and sport performance. This article reviews in detail the potential fatigue mechanisms responsible for the decline in force and/or power output by skeletetal muscle during exercise and the role of metabolic factors in those changes.

SSE #96: Herbs and Athletes

Herbs have a long history of use and it is conceivable that some may have health benefits for athletes and non-active people alike. This article reviews research, published in English on herbs used by athletes for the purpose of obtaining general health benefits and improvement in exercise performance.

SSE #95: Collapse in the Endurance Athlete

Exercise-associated collapse is a relatively common occurrence in endurance events, especially those occurring in high heat and humidity. Collapse while exercising is usually more serious especially when the athlete has unstable vital signs or an altered level of consciousness. Early diagnosis is essential so that proper treatment can be initiated.

Preventing Dehydration: Sports Drinks or Water

Preventing Dehydration: Sports Drinks or Water - The Science of Sports Drinks, Gatorology Kit This articles describes the effects of dehydration on physiology and performance in athletes and explains why properly formulated sports drinks are usually more effective than plain water in preventing dehydration, enhancing rehydration, and improving exercise performance.

SSE #90: Diabetes, Exercise and Competitive Sports

Regular exercise is highly recommended for many people who have either Type 1 DM or Type 2 DM diabetes. During exercise there is a rapid uptake of glucose from the blood and people with diabetes must adjust their pre-exercise insulin dosage and carbohydrate intake, before, during and after exercise. The benefits of regular exercise in people with diabetes are similar to those in persons without the disease as long as the diabetic is in good glucose control and has no major complications of the disease.

SSE #91: Scientifically Debatable: Is Creatine Worth Its Weight?

Creatine is a commonly used supplement that could potentially benefit short high-intensity exercise or improve response to resistance exercise training. However, the performance and metabolic response to creatine ingestion is varied. Those starting with low muscle creatine levels are more likely to but don't always have the best response. Since creatine supplementation boosts performance in some individuals and not others, this could be construed as unfair advantage. Many questions remain about the value of creatine supplementation for performance of various sports and about how much and when to use creatine - if it should be used at all. Evidence suggests that performance benefits resulting from creatine ingestion are predominantly observed during multiple tests lasting between 30 to 90 seconds. Also, when consumed in moderate doses, there seems to be no adverse effects of creatine supplementation in healthy adults.

SSE #93: Highs and Lows of Carbohydrate Diets

The scientific truth is that the amount and type of dietary carbohydrate should vary directly with the intensity and volume of exercise. A low-carbohydrate diet in athletes impairs their exercise tolerance and their ability to beneficially adapt to long-term physical training.

SSE #94: Creatine, Carbs, and Fluids: How Important in Soccer Nutrition?

There is no persuasive evidence that creatine supplementation is beneficial to soccer play. Because most of the running in soccer is at less than maximal speed, it is unlikely that creatine supplementation would have any important benefits. However, adequate dietary carbohydrate in the days and hours before strenuous training and competition is critical to maintaining adequate glycogen level in the muscles. Also, even slight dehydration can be detrimental to impair performance in soccer.