The Efficacy of Nutritional Strategies and Ergogenic Aids on Acute Responses and Chronic Adaptations to Exertional-Heat Exposure: A Narrative Review.
Study Goal
The researchers aimed to evaluate the efficacy of caffeine and other ergogenic aids in improving physiological, cognitive, and recovery responses during acute and chronic exertional-heat exposure.
Results Summary
The review found robust evidence supporting caffeine's effectiveness in enhancing performance and health outcomes during heat exposure, though results varied based on exercise modality, duration, intensity, and sex-specific responses.
Population
Individuals frequently exercising in high-temperature environments.
Effective Dosage
Not specified
Duration
Not specified
Interactions
None mentioned
| Intervention | Direction | Endpoint | Population | Dosage | Impact | Claim # |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
carbohydrate loading | increase | physiological, cognitive, and recovery responses | individuals during acute exertional-heat exposure | - | improve | #1 |
fluid replacement strategies | increase | physiological, cognitive, and recovery responses | individuals during acute exertional-heat exposure | - | improve | #2 |
caffeine | increase | physiological, cognitive, and recovery responses | individuals during acute exertional-heat exposure | - | improve | #3 |
creatine | increase | physiological, cognitive, and recovery responses | individuals during acute exertional-heat exposure | - | improve | #4 |
nitrate | increase | physiological, cognitive, and recovery responses | individuals during acute exertional-heat exposure | - | improve | #5 |
tyrosine | increase | physiological, cognitive, and recovery responses | individuals during acute exertional-heat exposure | - | improve | #6 |
tailored supplementation practices | increase | magnitude and time course of chronic heat adaptations | individuals during chronic exertional-heat exposure | - | modified | #7 |
certain ergogenic aids and nutritional strategies | increase | performance and health outcomes | individuals during exertional-heat exposure | - | improve | #8 |
Global warming is attributed to an increased frequency of high ambient temperatures and humidity, elevating the prevalence of high-temperature-related illness and death. Evidence over recent decades highlights that tailored nutritional strategies are essential to improve performance and optimise health during acute and chronic exertional-heat exposure. Therefore, the purpose of this review is to discuss the efficacy of various nutritional strategies and ergogenic aids on responses during and following acute and chronic exertional-heat exposure. An outline is provided surrounding the application of various nutritional practices (e.g., carbohydrate loading, fluid replacement strategies) and ergogenic aids (e.g., caffeine, creatine, nitrate, tyrosine) to improve physiological, cognitive, and recovery responses to acute exertional-heat exposure. Additionally, this review will evaluate if the magnitude and time course of chronic heat adaptations can be modified with tailored supplementation practices. This review highlights that there is robust evidence for the use of certain ergogenic aids and nutritional strategies to improve performance and health outcomes during exertional-heat exposure. However, equivocal findings across studies appear dependent on factors such as exercise testing modality, duration, and intensity; outcome measures in relation to the ergogenic aid's proposed mechanism of action; and sex-specific responses. Collectively, this review provides evidence-based recommendations and highlights areas for future research that have the potential to assist with prescribing specific nutritional strategies and ergogenic aids in populations frequently exercising in the heat. Future research is required to establish dose-, sex-, and exercise-modality-specific responses to various nutritional practices and ergogenic aid use for acute and chronic exertional-heat exposure.