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Improving Athletic Performance with Dietary Supplements: Focus on Fuel Substrate Availability

A special issue of Nutrients (ISSN 2072-6643). This special issue belongs to the section "Sports Nutrition".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 15 February 2026 | Viewed by 1071

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
Department of Physical Therapy Education, Elon University, Elon, NC 27244, USA
Interests: exercise physiology; cardiopulmonary physical therapy; brain; physical function; exercise performance; sport nutrition
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue will focus on current investigations examining how various dietary supplements impact athletic performance. To date, most research in this area has focused on strategies to improve the availability of fuel sources during athletic performance. This Special Issue will reexamine the value of dietary supplementation in improving fuel substrate availability during athletic performance and consider other physiologic mechanisms that dietary supplements can positively influence athletic performance. A sound scientific understanding of how dietary supplementation influences athletic performance is essential when establishing policies designed to ensure safety and equity during competition.

Prof. Dr. Stephen P. Bailey
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • carbohydrate
  • caffeine
  • metabolism
  • fat
  • protein
  • substrate
  • sensory

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

19 pages, 1580 KB  
Article
Effects of Paprika Xanthophyll Intake on Endurance and Cognitive Function in College Students: A Crossover Randomized Controlled Trial
by Donghyun Kim and Tsuyoshi Wadazumi
Nutrients 2025, 17(17), 2780; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu17172780 - 27 Aug 2025
Viewed by 771
Abstract
Background/Objective: Paprika xanthophylls (PXs) have potent antioxidant properties and are believed to improve oxygen delivery (DO2) efficiency by enhancing red blood cell (RBC) deformability. This study investigated whether PX ingestion improves endurance performance and subsequently enhances cognitive function by improving brain [...] Read more.
Background/Objective: Paprika xanthophylls (PXs) have potent antioxidant properties and are believed to improve oxygen delivery (DO2) efficiency by enhancing red blood cell (RBC) deformability. This study investigated whether PX ingestion improves endurance performance and subsequently enhances cognitive function by improving brain microcirculation. Methods: A crossover design was used to compare the effects of PX ingestion and a control condition in 21 healthy college students (18 males, 3 females). Each participant served as their own control, completing both conditions in a randomized order with a one-month washout period to eliminate any carryover effects. The participants underwent an incremental load test, a constant load test, the Trail Making Test Type B (TMT-B), and the Stroop test (ST). Results: In the incremental tests, the PX group showed a significantly lower heart rate (p = 0.032) and higher exercise efficiency (EE) (p = 0.004). In the constant load test, heart rate was lower (p = 0.020), and EE was higher (p = 0.030). No significant between-group differences were found in the cognitive tests; however, the PX group showed significant improvements in the TMT-B (p = 0.034) and ST interference rate I (p = 0.040). Conclusions: It is speculated that PX intake may improve DO2 efficiency, which could contribute to the observed enhancements in endurance performance and, in turn, positively affect cognitive function by optimizing the brain’s oxygenation state. However, due to the absence of a placebo control group and unmeasured RBC deformability and cerebral blood flow, as well as a significant male predominance, this study’s results should be interpreted with caution. Full article
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