NTP Sports & Performance Nutrition 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which micronutrient deficiency most directly impairs oxygen-carrying capacity and therefore aerobic performance?
- Zinc
- Iron (Correct answer)
- Vitamin C
- Boron
Correct answer: Iron
Iron is a core component of hemoglobin and myoglobin; deficiency reduces oxygen transport, causing decreased VO2 max and endurance.
Question 2: What role does vitamin D play specifically in athletic performance?
- Acts as a primary fuel substrate during aerobic exercise
- Supports muscle protein synthesis, strength, and immune function (Correct answer)
- Directly buffers lactic acid in working muscles
- Inhibits cortisol release during training stress
Correct answer: Supports muscle protein synthesis, strength, and immune function
Vitamin D receptors in muscle tissue influence protein synthesis pathways, and adequate status is associated with improved strength, power, and reduced injury risk.
Question 3: An NTP client doing twice-daily training sessions needs to maximize glycogen resynthesis between sessions. What is the most time-critical strategy?
- Consume fat and protein only in the first hour post-workout
- Ingest 1.0–1.2 g carbohydrate per kg body weight within 30 minutes of finishing (Correct answer)
- Delay all food intake until 2 hours post-exercise
- Use branched-chain amino acids exclusively for recovery
Correct answer: Ingest 1.0–1.2 g carbohydrate per kg body weight within 30 minutes of finishing
Glycogen synthase activity peaks in the first 30–60 minutes post-exercise; high-dose carbohydrate intake during this window maximally accelerates resynthesis.
Question 4: Beta-alanine supplementation improves performance primarily by increasing which intramuscular buffer?
- Bicarbonate
- Carnosine (Correct answer)
- Creatine phosphate
- Glutathione
Correct answer: Carnosine
Beta-alanine is the rate-limiting precursor to carnosine, a dipeptide that buffers hydrogen ions in muscle, delaying acidosis during high-intensity efforts.
Question 5: How does sleep deprivation affect sports nutrition requirements according to an NTP framework?
- Reduces carbohydrate needs by downregulating glycolysis
- Increases cortisol and ghrelin, disrupting recovery, body composition, and hunger regulation (Correct answer)
- Has no measurable impact on nutritional status
- Lowers protein turnover, reducing the need for dietary protein
Correct answer: Increases cortisol and ghrelin, disrupting recovery, body composition, and hunger regulation
Poor sleep elevates cortisol and ghrelin while suppressing leptin, increasing catabolism, promoting fat gain, and impairing muscle repair.
Question 6: Which gut-health consideration is particularly relevant for endurance athletes running long distances?
- Constipation from reduced intestinal motility
- Exercise-induced gastrointestinal permeability ('leaky gut') from reduced splanchnic blood flow (Correct answer)
- Hypochlorhydria from excess HCl secretion
- Gallstone formation from excess bile production
Correct answer: Exercise-induced gastrointestinal permeability ('leaky gut') from reduced splanchnic blood flow
During prolonged running, blood is shunted away from the gut, reducing mucosal integrity and potentially increasing intestinal permeability and endotoxin translocation.
Question 7: A strength athlete wants to maximize mTOR activation for muscle protein synthesis. Which amino acid most directly stimulates this pathway?
- Glycine
- Leucine (Correct answer)
- Glutamine
- Tryptophan
Correct answer: Leucine
Leucine acts as a direct molecular sensor that activates mTORC1, making it the most potent single amino acid trigger for muscle protein synthesis.
NTP Sports & Performance Nutrition 3
Which micronutrient deficiency most directly impairs oxygen-carrying capacity and therefore aerobic performance?