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Sports Nutrition and Body Composition
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Sports Nutrition and Body Composition

A special issue of Journal of Functional Morphology and Kinesiology (ISSN 2411-5142). This special issue belongs to the section "Sports Medicine and Nutrition".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 September 2025 | Viewed by 1630

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Masaharu Kagawa

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Institute of Nutrition Sciences, Kagawa Nutrition University, 3-9-21 Chiyoda, Sakado 350-0288, Saitama, Japan
Interests: anthropometry; body composition assessments; body image; nutrition; public health; sports science
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Body composition is one of the most important components of physique and is also a crucial factor of performance. This is particularly significant among athletes as they are required to maximize their musculo-skeletal development regardless of their age and competition levels. Along with adequate training and recovery, diet with adequate energy and nutrient intakes are essential to optimize musculo-skeletal development and maintain an adequate level of adipose tissue. However, many issues pertain to athletes, including relative energy deficiency in sport (RED-s) and related health problems, hydration status and the management of heat stress, causing inappropriate weight management practices, especially among athletes that compete in weight category sports; this problem requires further investigation. In addition, assessments on the validity, accuracy and reliability of assessment techniques and on the usefulness of both conventional and novel indices and equations to better understand the nutritional status and body composition of athletes are also needed. This Special Issue aims to compile new knowledge from original studies and a review papers on a wide scope of sports nutrition and body composition obtained from athletes of varying age, gender, ethnicity, competition level and sports to improve our understanding of the issues that beset athletes and to provide valuable information to researchers and practitioners to support athletes. The submission of manuscripts from researchers around the world investigating the scope of this Special Issue is greatly appreciated.

Dr. Masaharu Kagawa
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Journal of Functional Morphology and Kinesiology is an international peer-reviewed open access quarterly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • body composition
  • anthropometry
  • dietary assessments
  • relative energy deficiency in sports
  • supplements
  • hydration
  • performance
  • weight category
  • body image
  • para-athletes

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

12 pages, 766 KiB  
Article
Lactobacillus plantarum Supplementation on Sport Performance, Biomarkers of Intestinal Damage, and Oxidative Stress in Recreational Athletes
by Asier Santibañez-Gutierrez, Julen Fernández-Landa, Natalia Busto, Nikola Todorovic, Julio Calleja-González and Juan Mielgo-Ayuso
J. Funct. Morphol. Kinesiol. 2025, 10(2), 131; https://doi.org/10.3390/jfmk10020131 - 15 Apr 2025
Viewed by 220
Abstract
Background: In recent years, interest in probiotic supplementation has increased among athletes due to its potential benefits on sports performance. Thus, the aim of this trial was to investigate Lactobacillus plantarum’s effects on sports performance, intestinal damage, and oxidative stress biomarkers. Methods [...] Read more.
Background: In recent years, interest in probiotic supplementation has increased among athletes due to its potential benefits on sports performance. Thus, the aim of this trial was to investigate Lactobacillus plantarum’s effects on sports performance, intestinal damage, and oxidative stress biomarkers. Methods: Twenty-two physically active participants, nine females and thirteen males (age: 32.8 ± 5.2 years; height: 1.73 ± 0.1 m (meters); body mass: 72.2 ± 10.3 kg (kilograms) volunteered in this randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel study. The participants performed a strenuous exercise session, and immediately after, their perceived exertion was assessed and blood samples were drawn to assess intestinal damage (IFABP: intestinal fatty acid binding protein) and oxidative stress (PC: protein carbonyls; TAC: total antioxidant capacity; total proteins; GSSG: glutathione disulfide; GSH: reduced glutathione and catalase). Twenty-four hours later, the participants ranked their recovery status and completed various sports performance tests: CMJ (countermovement jump), RAST (running-based anaerobic sprint), and YOYO IR1 (YOYO intermittent recovery test level 1). This was followed by a four-week supplementation period, in which the participants ingested one probiotic capsule per day containing 10 billion CFU (colony forming units) of Lactobacillus plantarum or a placebo capsule (dextrose). Results: The paired samples t-test revealed a significantly better result in the YOYO IR1 test in the probiotic group, while a significant reduction was observed in the TAC levels in the placebo group. Conclusions: The results suggest that Lactobacillus plantarum supplementation could increase YOYO IR1 sports performance test scores and may mitigate TAC value reduction. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sports Nutrition and Body Composition)
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15 pages, 1379 KiB  
Article
DXA-Measured Total and Regional Body Composition in Female Athletes with a Physical Impairment
by Valentina Cavedon, Ilaria Peluso, Elisabetta Toti, Marco Sandri, Anna Pedrinolla, Carlo Zancanaro and Chiara Milanese
J. Funct. Morphol. Kinesiol. 2025, 10(1), 49; https://doi.org/10.3390/jfmk10010049 - 28 Jan 2025
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Abstract
Background/Objectives: In recent years, awareness has been growing regarding the needs of female athletes with physical impairments. Despite the importance from both health and performance perspectives of assessing body composition in this athletic population, there is limited literature focusing on this topic. This [...] Read more.
Background/Objectives: In recent years, awareness has been growing regarding the needs of female athletes with physical impairments. Despite the importance from both health and performance perspectives of assessing body composition in this athletic population, there is limited literature focusing on this topic. This study explored whole-body and regional three-compartment body composition in female athletes with a physical impairment to assess the impact of impairment and sex on body composition parameters in this population. Methods: Twenty female athletes with a physical impairment were pair-matched by age with an able-bodied female athlete and a male athlete with a comparable physical impairment. All athletes underwent whole-body scanning with dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. Results: Female athletes with physical impairments showed body composition changes including higher amounts of fat mass, particularly in the lower body regions. Among athletes with a physical impairment, sex showed an independent effect on whole-body composition, with females showing higher fat mass and lower lean mass and bone mineral content compared with males, especially in the legs. Conclusions: Female athletes with physical impairments had a distinct body composition profile, characterized by sex-specific distribution of body tissue at the regional level. Nutritional and training strategies aimed at optimizing body composition in female athletes with physical impairments should be specifically tailored to meet the needs of this athletic population. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sports Nutrition and Body Composition)
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