CCSP Sports Nutrition Principles 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which electrolyte is lost in the greatest quantity through sweat and must be prioritized in fluid replacement strategies?
- Potassium
- Magnesium
- Sodium (Correct answer)
- Calcium
Correct answer: Sodium
Sodium is the primary electrolyte in sweat (~20–80 mmol/L) and its replacement is critical for maintaining plasma osmolality and preventing hyponatremia.
Question 2: Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport (RED-S) primarily results from:
- Excessive carbohydrate intake relative to fat oxidation capacity
- Low energy availability due to insufficient caloric intake relative to exercise energy expenditure (Correct answer)
- Overhydration suppressing appetite hormones
- High protein turnover reducing fat oxidation
Correct answer: Low energy availability due to insufficient caloric intake relative to exercise energy expenditure
RED-S occurs when dietary energy intake is insufficient relative to exercise energy expenditure, impairing hormonal, bone, and metabolic function.
Question 3: An athlete consuming a pre-exercise meal high in fat and protein but low in carbohydrate is MOST likely to experience:
- Enhanced glycogen resynthesis
- Delayed gastric emptying and potential GI discomfort (Correct answer)
- Improved insulin sensitivity during exercise
- Accelerated creatine phosphate regeneration
Correct answer: Delayed gastric emptying and potential GI discomfort
High fat and protein content slows gastric emptying, potentially causing GI distress and delivering less usable fuel during exercise.
Question 4: Beta-alanine supplementation improves performance primarily by:
- Increasing phosphocreatine resynthesis rate
- Elevating muscle carnosine content to buffer hydrogen ions (Correct answer)
- Enhancing mitochondrial biogenesis
- Stimulating erythropoietin secretion
Correct answer: Elevating muscle carnosine content to buffer hydrogen ions
Beta-alanine is the rate-limiting precursor for carnosine synthesis; higher muscle carnosine buffers H⁺ ions that accumulate during high-intensity exercise.
Question 5: Which vitamin functions as an antioxidant and is critical for collagen synthesis, making it particularly relevant for connective tissue recovery in athletes?
- Vitamin D
- Vitamin B12
- Vitamin C (Correct answer)
- Vitamin K
Correct answer: Vitamin C
Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) is essential for hydroxylation of proline and lysine in collagen synthesis and also acts as a water-soluble antioxidant.
Question 6: An endurance athlete with consistently low ferritin levels but normal hemoglobin is MOST likely experiencing:
- Iron-deficiency anemia
- Sports anemia (plasma volume expansion)
- Non-anemic iron deficiency potentially impairing aerobic capacity (Correct answer)
- Sickle cell trait
Correct answer: Non-anemic iron deficiency potentially impairing aerobic capacity
Depleted iron stores (low ferritin) without anemia can still impair maximal oxygen uptake by limiting mitochondrial enzyme function before red cell production drops.
Question 7: The recommended protein intake window immediately post-exercise to maximize muscle protein synthesis is:
- 6–8 hours after training
- Within 30–60 minutes post-exercise (Correct answer)
- Only at the next full meal, regardless of timing
- 24 hours later during sleep
Correct answer: Within 30–60 minutes post-exercise
Consuming 20–40g of high-quality protein within 30–60 minutes post-exercise maximizes the anabolic window when muscle sensitivity to amino acids is elevated.
CCSP Sports Nutrition Principles 3
Which electrolyte is lost in the greatest quantity through sweat and must be prioritized in fluid replacement strategies?