Nutrition and Sport

Objectives

The subject Nutrition and Sport is part of the subject Dietetics, included in the module of Nutrition Sciences, Dietetics, Health and Community Nutrition, which is part of the compulsory education of the degree in Human Nutrition and Dietetics.

There are no prior requirements, but it is recommended to have taken the subjects of Basic Nutrition and Fundamentals of Dietetics.

The general objectives of this subject are:

• Know the physiological and biochemical adaptations of the organism during the practice of physical exercise.
• Know and be able to interpret nutritional and hydration recommendations during physical exercise.
• Know how to adapt nutritional and hydration recommendations to each type of physical activity or competition.
• Know how to interpret scientific evidence in relation to nutritional supplements and ergonutritional aids for physical exercise.
• Plan dietary advice and recommendations adapted to the athlete.

Learning outcomes

• LO1. Evaluate and calculate nutritional requirements in health and illness at any stage of the life cycle.
• LO2. Knows, detects early and evaluates deviations due to excess or deficiency, quantitative and qualitative, in the nutritional balance.
• LO3. Plans, carries out and interprets the assessment of the nutritional status of subjects or groups, both healthy (in all physiological situations) and with disease.
• LO4. Identifies the patient's dietary and nutritional problems, as well as risk factors and inadequate practices.
• LO5. Acquires teamwork skills in the unit in which professionals and other people related to the diagnostic evaluation and treatment of dietetics and nutrition are structured in a uni-, multi- and interdisciplinary way.
• LO6. Prescribes appropriate dietary treatment according to the needs of athletes.
• LO7. Know the basics of sports nutrition and the physiological and metabolic adaptations that occur during sports practice.
• LO8. Apply their knowledge of basic research to the search for updated scientific information related to healthy eating adapted to different user profiles.
• LO9. Apply the foundations of critical reflection in processes linked to the exercise of the profession.
• LO10. Identifies and resolves problems and situations specific to professional development taking into account the foundations of entrepreneurship.

Competencies

General skills

• Demonstrate commitment to the profession and its values, with continuous improvement in practice, striving for excellence in the care of individuals, families and the community.

Specific skills

• Act in accordance with ethical principles and manage healthcare and nutritional information securely, bearing in mind its essential importance for diet and nutrition specialists.
• Combine basic knowledge of science and foodstuffs, considering bio-psycho-social aspects, in assessing the nutritional status and dietary and nutritional problems of healthy children, pregnant women, sportsmen and women, etc., and sick individuals.
• Design and implement feeding plans for individuals and groups, composed of both healthy children, pregnant women, sportsmen and women, etc., and sick individuals, with due consideration of different nutritional techniques and support products for use by dietitians and nutritionists.
• Identify, classify and use foodstuffs through knowledge of their chemical composition, physical and chemical properties, organoleptic properties, nutritional value and bioavailability of nutrients.

Basic skills

• Students can apply their knowledge to their work or vocation in a professional manner and have competencies typically demonstrated through drafting and defending arguments and solving problems in their field of study.
• Students have the ability to gather and interpret relevant data (usually within their field of study) in order to make judgments that include reflection on relevant social, scientific and ethical issues.

Core skills

• Become the protagonist of one's own learning process in order to achieve personal and professional growth and acquire all-round training for living and learning in a context of respect for linguistic, social, cultural, gender and economic diversity.
• Project the values of entrepreneurship and innovation in one's academic and professional career, through contact with a variety of practical contexts and motivation for professional development.

Content

1. Calculation of energy expenditure
2. Nutritional needs in physical exercise: carbohydrates
3. Nutritional needs in physical exercise: lipids and proteins
4. Hydration needs during physical exercise
5. Body composition
6. Veganism and physical exercise
7. Supplementation and ergonutritional aids in physical exercise
8. Nutrition and women's sports

Evaluation

According to the Academic Regulations for undergraduate studies at UVic-UCC, there is only one official call for applications that provides for two different evaluation periods:

• Ordinary period, which takes place as part of the training process and within the school period.
• Complementary evaluation period, in which the student can be evaluated again for the tasks, activities or tests that he or she did not pass satisfactorily within the framework of the first period.

Ordinary period

Continuous evaluation of the activities carried out by the student is carried out through:

• Final exam: 40% of the final grade of the subject; recoverable
• Resolution of exercises and cases: 60% of the final grade for the subject; not recoverable. This section is obtained from the following exercises and scores:
  • Activity A1. Infographic about an article: 10%
  • Activity A2. Practical case of protein calculation: 15%
  • Activity A3. Oral presentation and planning a race: 20%
  • Activity A4. Women's sports activity: 15%

The final grade for the subject is the result of the weighting of the grades obtained in each of the parts.

* In order to calculate the average between the final exam section (40%) and the resolution of activities and cases (60%), it is essential that the grade for each of the 2 parts is 4.5 or higher.

Complementary evaluation period

Students who do not pass some of the activities considered retakeable may make them up during this period. The evaluation of this second period cannot account for more than 50% of the final grade for the subject.

The final grade for this period is obtained by taking the weighted average of the grades obtained during the ordinary period and, if some activities have been made up, in the complementary assessment.

Important

Plagiarism or copying someone else's work is penalized in all universities and, according to the UVic-UCC coexistence rules, constitute serious or very serious faults. Therefore, during the course of this subject, plagiarism or the improper appropriation of texts or ideas from other people (see What is considered plagiarism?) and the improper or undeclared use of artificial intelligence in an activity automatically result in suspension or other disciplinary measures.

To cite texts and materials appropriately, you must consult the academic citation guidelines and guidelines available on the UVic Library website.

Methodology

The subject is structured around:

• Theoretical sessions
• Practical sessions (sweat rate calculation; gels and bars workshop; nutritional recovery workshop; body composition measurements; preparation of vegan supplementation)
• Exercise resolution seminars
• Case resolution seminars

Bibliography

Key references

• Baker, L.B.; Jeukendrup, A (2014). Optimal Composition of Fluid-Replacement beverages. Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/261517517_Optimal_Composition_of_Fluid-Replacement_Beverages
• Burke, Louise (2010). Nutrición en el deporte: un enfoque práctico. Médica Panamericana, cop.
• Daries, Hayley (2012). Nutrition and Sport for Exercise. Wiley-Blackwell.
• González., Gross., M. (2021). Nutrición Deportiva: desde la Fisiología a la Práctica (2021 ed.). Panamericana.
• Impey, S.G.; Hearris, M.A.; Hammond, K.M; Bartlett, J.D.; Louis, J.; Close, G.L.; Morton, J.P. (2018). Fuel for the Work Required: A theoretical Framework for Carbohydrate Periodizatioin and the Glycogen Threshold Hypothesis. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29453741