CPSS Nutrition and Supplementation for Sport Performance 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Beta-alanine supplementation improves performance primarily by increasing muscle concentrations of which compound?
- ATP
- Creatine phosphate
- Carnosine (Correct answer)
- Lactate dehydrogenase
Correct answer: Carnosine
Beta-alanine is a rate-limiting precursor to carnosine, which buffers intramuscular hydrogen ions during high-intensity exercise.
Question 2: Which dietary strategy is most effective for maximizing muscle glycogen stores before a competition?
- High-fat, low-carbohydrate diet for 7 days
- Carbohydrate loading with 8–12 g/kg/day for 1–3 days (Correct answer)
- Normal diet with no modification
- Intermittent fasting 24 hours before competition
Correct answer: Carbohydrate loading with 8–12 g/kg/day for 1–3 days
Carbohydrate loading at 8–12 g/kg/day for 1–3 days before competition supersaturates muscle glycogen stores, delaying fatigue in endurance events.
Question 3: Hyponatremia in endurance athletes is most commonly caused by:
- Excessive sodium intake from sports drinks
- Overdrinking hypotonic fluids, diluting serum sodium (Correct answer)
- Severe dehydration with no fluid intake
- Creatine supplementation causing water retention
Correct answer: Overdrinking hypotonic fluids, diluting serum sodium
Overdrinking plain water or low-sodium fluids during prolonged events dilutes serum sodium below normal levels, causing exercise-associated hyponatremia.
Question 4: What is the primary mechanism by which caffeine enhances endurance performance?
- Directly increasing muscle glycogen utilization
- Antagonizing adenosine receptors to reduce perceived exertion and fatigue (Correct answer)
- Increasing growth hormone secretion
- Stimulating glucagon release to elevate blood glucose
Correct answer: Antagonizing adenosine receptors to reduce perceived exertion and fatigue
Caffeine blocks adenosine receptors in the central nervous system, reducing perceived fatigue and exertion, thereby improving endurance capacity.
Question 5: Which statement best describes periodized nutrition in the context of sport science?
- Athletes consume the same macronutrient ratios every day regardless of training demands
- Nutritional intake is deliberately varied to align with the training phase, load, and competition schedule (Correct answer)
- Periodized nutrition focuses exclusively on reducing body fat throughout the year
- It refers to cycling dietary supplements on and off every 4 weeks
Correct answer: Nutritional intake is deliberately varied to align with the training phase, load, and competition schedule
Periodized nutrition strategically adjusts energy and macronutrient intake to match training phase demands, optimizing both adaptation and performance.
Question 6: Iron deficiency anemia in athletes most significantly impairs performance by:
- Reducing muscle protein synthesis rates
- Decreasing oxygen transport capacity and aerobic power output (Correct answer)
- Lowering testosterone levels
- Impairing glycogen storage in the liver
Correct answer: Decreasing oxygen transport capacity and aerobic power output
Iron is essential for hemoglobin synthesis; deficiency reduces red blood cell oxygen-carrying capacity, directly limiting aerobic performance and VO2max.
CPSS Nutrition and Supplementation for Sport Performance 2
Beta-alanine supplementation improves performance primarily by increasing muscle concentrations of which compound?