Nutrition and muscle recovery

Abstract

Exercise-induced muscle damage (EIMD) is characterized by histopathological muscle tissue changes that originate skeletal muscle damage. The destruction of skeletal muscle fibers causes an inflammatory response that decreases the athlete’s physical work capacity and sports performance. Thus, muscle recovery becomes essential and has become a priority for elite athletes in different sports modalities. To achieve optimal muscle recovery, athletes often combine additional recovery strategies (biological, pharmacological, mechanical, and nutritional) in the hope of improving physiological responses and competitive performance. This extra preparation could contribute sensibly and legally to athletes to adequately complement their training to obtain better performance or try “shortcuts” to reach the sport’s elite in less time, with treatments and/or prohibited artificial methods that improve their ability to achieve more extraordinary physical performance. Among the strategies employed, the nutritional plan has a decisive influence on the stimulation of muscle recovery. However, it is necessary to optimize the consumption of adequate amounts of energy, nutrients, and liquids, establishing the correct frequency and associated with the temporality of training and competition. [Texto extraído del artículo de Diego Fernández Lázaro].