Science
The research the BLOCKS assistant answers from: 1,118 studies and 81 guides, each graded for how strong the evidence is and who it was measured on, with a link to the original paper.
139 entries in Nutrition & fuelling
ANitrate, pooled across 20 meta-analyses: it moves time to exhaustion, muscular endurance, distance covered and peak powerAnd no other performance outcome, time trial and VO2max includedPoon 2025B+The trained-athlete ceiling could move from 90 to 120 g/hAnd the 120-200 g/h now circulating in the field is a practice the authors say the evidence does not yet supportMorton 2026B+Host-diet-gut microbiome interactions influence human energy balance: a randomized clinical trialCorbin 2023B+Ultra-Processed Diets Cause Excess Calorie Intake and Weight Gain: An Inpatient Randomized Controlled Trial of Ad Libitum Food IntakeHall 2019BPostprandial energy expenditure in whole-food and processed-food meals: implications for daily energy expenditureBarr & Wright 2010BRole of Nonexercise Activity Thermogenesis in Resistance to Fat Gain in HumansLevine 1999BThe Response to Long-Term Overfeeding in Identical TwinsBouchard 1990BEnergy-balance studies reveal associations between gut microbes, caloric load, and nutrient absorption in humansJumpertz 2011B+Walnuts Consumed by Healthy Adults Provide Less Available Energy than Predicted by the Atwater FactorsBaer 2016B+Discrepancy between the Atwater factor predicted and empirically measured energy values of almonds in human dietsNovotny 2012B+Carbohydrate ingestion during prolonged exercise and net skeletal muscle glycogen utilization: a meta-analysisRothschild 2026B90, 120 and 150 g/h of glucose + fructose over 3 h of cycling in trained men: exogenous oxidation rose with the dose (1.23 → 1.48 → 1.62 g/min), whole-body carbohydrate oxidation did not rise from 120 to 150 g/h (2.6 g/min both), exercise capacity afterwards did not differ between 90, 120 and 150 g/h, and the modelled best dose was 107 g/h (95% CI 92-122) with wide individual variationMartyn 2026C+Fat-free mass accretion — limits, targets and best practices (narrative review): drug-free men typically gain ~1.4 kg of fat-free mass over 12 weeks of resistance training (IQR 1-2 kg); practical FFM-index ceiling ~28.5; modest surplus of 0.1-0.25% body weight gain per week, protein 1.6-2.2 g/kg/dTrexler 2026C+Off-season nutrition for natural bodybuilders (narrative review): a ~10-20% energy surplus aiming at ~0.25-0.5% of body weight gained per week for novice/intermediate lifters, more conservative for advanced ones; protein 1.6-2.2 g/kg/day in 3-6 meals of 0.40-0.55 g/kgIraki 2019B+Weight gain in elite athletes (8-12 weeks, 4 extra strength sessions a week): a counselled energy surplus raised body weight more (3.9% vs 1.5%) but mostly as fat (+15% vs +3% fat mass); lean-mass gain did not differ from eating ad libitum, and 40 m sprint 'decreased' in the counselled group (read as slower; the abstract gives no times)Garthe 2013BMaintenance vs 5% vs 15% energy surplus for 8 weeks in trained lifters: no group evidence for more muscle thickness or squat 1RM with a bigger surplus, more skinfold gain with the high surplus, and body-mass gain predicted fat (skinfold) gain far better than muscle gainHelms 2023AResistance training in an energy deficit: lean-mass gains are impaired (ES −0.57) but strength gains are comparable (ES −0.31, p = 0.28), and a meta-regression put the deficit that prevents lean-mass gain at ~500 kcal/dayMeta-analysis of RCTs lasting ≥3 weeksMurphy & Koehler 2022ASports Dietitians Australia position statement: sports nutrition for the adolescent athleteAdolescent athletes have unique nutritional needs from training plus growth; eat for long-term health, match eating to the day's exercise, spread quality carbohydrate and protein across the day…Desbrow 2014AThe Female Athlete Triad — American Academy of Pediatrics clinical report: the triad (menstrual function, bone health and energy availability, each ranging from optimal health to disease) arises when energy intake falls short of covering the energy spent in exercise, can appear as one component or any mix of them, and can weigh more on adolescents than adults since adolescence is the key window for building bone massWeiss Kelly 2016C+Effects of Low-Carbohydrate and Ketogenic Diets on Aerobic Performance in Trained Athletes: A Systematic Review and Meta-AnalysisGawelczyk 2026C+Comparative Effects of Dietary Protein, Creatine, and Omega-3 Supplementation on Muscle Strength, Endurance, and Recovery in Trained Athletes: A Systematic Review and Network Meta-AnalysisWang 2026B+Effects of time-restricted eating on body composition and performance in athletes: a systematic review and meta-analysisLin 2026B+Does chronic polyphenol supplementation modify resistance training-induced strength and muscle morphology adaptations in adults? A systematic review and multilevel meta-analysis of randomized controlled trialsZhu 2026C+Aggravation of exercise-induced intestinal injury by ibuprofen in athletesVan Wijck 2012AInternational Society of Sports Nutrition Position Stand: ProbioticsJäger 2019BLow FODMAP: A Preliminary Strategy to Reduce Gastrointestinal Distress in AthletesLis 2018BTwo weeks of repetitive gut-challenge reduce exercise-associated gastrointestinal symptoms and malabsorptionMiall 2017B+Gut-training: the impact of two weeks repetitive gut-challenge during exercise on gastrointestinal status, glucose availability, fuel kinetics, and running performanceCosta 2017BDaily training with high carbohydrate availability increases exogenous carbohydrate oxidation during endurance cyclingCox 2010BLongitudinal assessment of total daily energy expenditure in professional cyclists supports a maximal sustainable metabolic ceilingVan Hooren 2026BUltra-endurance athletes and the metabolic ceilingBest 2025BExtreme events reveal an alimentary limit on sustained maximal human energy expenditureThurber 2019BCarbohydrate mouth rinse and performance in cyclists: effects of different types of carbohydrates and the placebo effect induced by mouth rinseMendonça 2026BBody Image, Disordered Eating, and Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport Risk in Female Athletes: Associations Across Psychological and Behavioral FactorsWilliamson & Hannah 2026B+The effects of coenzyme Q10 supplementation on exercise-induced oxidative stress and related physiological outcomes in athletes: a systematic review and meta-analysisLu 2026C+Effects of exercise followed by a low-carbohydrate diet on peak fat oxidation and mitochondrial coupling control and efficiency in healthy trained menLange 2026B+Sweating Rate and Sweat Sodium Concentration in Athletes: A Review of Methodology and Intra/Interindividual VariabilityBaker 2017B+Hyponatremia among Runners in the Boston MarathonAlmond 2005B+The Anabolic Response to Plant-Based Protein IngestionPinckaers 2021B+High-Protein Plant-Based Diet Versus a Protein-Matched Omnivorous Diet to Support Resistance Training Adaptations: A Comparison Between Habitual Vegans and OmnivoresHevia-Larraín 2021