Miguel Hidalgo, 24 years old. Brazilian professional triathlete. Image credit: World Triathlon.

Gold medal at the Pan American Games 2023. 

A Functional Sports Dietitian considers important:

• The adequacy of vitamins and minerals according to individual biochemical needs, and considering the rest, training and competition phases.

• Improved immune function and management of inflammation.

• Improving mitochondrial function, controlling oxidative stress, and prescribing foods/supplements with antioxidant potential.

• The introduction of an anti-inflammatory diet: the athlete may be subject to injuries, which can result in joint and muscle pain, and loss of muscle strength.

• Special care with gastrointestinal function: as it is affected by intense and prolonged training/competition, sleep, physical and mental stress, and travel to competitive events.

• Maximizes muscle work and promotes muscle hypertrophy/maintenance (when necessary).

• Helps restore glycogen stores quickly.

• Delays the onset of fatigue in intense and long-lasting training or competitions.

• Ensures hydration and electrolyte replacement for proper cellular metabolism.

• Maintains adequate weight (adequacy of body fat percentage; and lean mass).

• The timing, quantity and quality of food to be consumed before, during and after training and competitions are tremendously important and make all the difference in your performance!

Julian Alaphilippe, 32 years old. French professional road cyclist. Image credit: Getty Images Sport.

World Champion in Road Race in 2020 and 2021.

Focus on professional cycling road

The professional cycling athlete requires incredible power to withstand the suffering of a tough cycling race. It requires aerobic and anaerobic energy. Professional road cycling competitions can last from 1 to 6 hours, while multi-stage races are characterized by several race days consisting of mass start stages, individual and team time trials. Athletes must cover approximately 3,500 km on a circuit across the country, normally divided into 21 race days, with approximately 225 km covered in each stage. Energy expenditure can reach up to 7,000 kcal per day.

Some stages are relatively flat, others windingly mountainous. The difference between the first and second place can be for minutes (e.g., when the athlete manages to escape the peloton and cross the finish line with a certain advantage over the others); but this difference can also be for less than a second!

Functional Sports Nutrition will always be a great ally in winning the medal, being the key to success, because it considers the biochemical individuality of each one to develop a food strategy aiming to improve the metabolic efficiency.

The genetic test came to bring more assertiveness in the elaboration of the food plan and proposal of supplementation to the athletes. And once we prescribe the "right fuel", it makes the athlete to have a better use of their full potential and also have a faster recovery.