ISSN exercise & sport nutrition review: research & recommendations

Sports nutrition is a constantly evolving field with hundreds of research papers published annually. For this reason, keeping up to date with the literature is often difficult. This paper is a five year update of the sports nutrition review article published as the lead paper to launch the JISSN in 2004 and presents a well-referenced overview of the current state of the science related to how to optimize training and athletic performance through nutrition. More specifically, this paper provides an overview of: 1.) The definitional category of ergogenic aids and dietary supplements; 2.) How dietary supplements are legally regulated; 3.) How to evaluate the scientific merit of nutritional supplements; 4.) General nutritional strategies to optimize performance and enhance recovery; and, 5.) An overview of our current understanding of the ergogenic value of nutrition and dietary supplementation in regards to weight gain, weight loss, and performance enhancement. Our hope is that ISSN members and individuals interested in sports nutrition find this review useful in their daily practice and consultation with their clients

How might intensification of farming influence dung beetle diversity (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) in Maputo Special Reserve (Mozambique)?

There are concerns over the increasing encroachment of humans, domestic livestock, and farming onto Maputo Special Reserve because of the potential for habitat modification. Therefore, differences between an undisturbed area of the reserve and a neighbouring farming area are assessed using dung beetle as indicators. In each of the two areas, pig-dung-baited pitfall traps were used to sample dung beetle assemblages in two contrasting habitats, grassland and forest. Distributional analysis of the 57 species and 36 942 individuals that were captured, showed that species richness, species turnover, relative abundance patterns, and biogeographical composition differed strongly between both habitats and areas under different land usage. However, in analyses that apportion variation, the greatest amounts were related to habitat rather than land usage. Even so, in both habitats, the total and mean number of species per trap was higher in the farmed area than in the reserve although this was a significant trend only in grassland. Furthermore, in grassland, widespread species were better represented in the farmed area than in the reserve whereas in forest, widespread species were poorly represented compared to grassland. Also in forest, Maputaland endemics were better represented in the reserve than in the farmed area. Further work is necessary to separate the different geographical, ecological, and land usage factors responsible for the patterns detected in this preliminary study. Even so, there are clearly differences between the Maputo Special Reserve and the farmed area

O papel do esteroide anabolizante sobre a hipertrofia e força muscular em treinamentos de resistência aeróbia e de força

INTRODUÇÃO: Os efeitos dos esteroides anabolizantes (EA) sobre a massa muscular e força são controversos e dependentes do treinamento realizado e das fibras musculares recrutadas. Com isso, o objetivo deste estudo foi avaliar os efeitos da associação de EA ao treinamento de força ou aeróbio sobre a hipertrofia e força muscular. MÉTODOS: Ratos Wistar (42) foram divididos em seis grupos: sedentário (SC, n = 7), sedentário anabolizante (SA, n = 7), treinado natação controle (TNC, n = 7), treinado natação anabolizante (TNA, n = 7), treinado força controle (TFC, n = 7) e treinado força anabolizante (TFA, n = 7). O EA foi administrado duas vezes por semana (10mg/kg/semana). Os protocolos de treinamento foram realizados durante 10 semanas, cinco sessões semanais. Foram avaliadas a hipertrofia dos músculos sóleo, plantar e gastrocnêmio (massa muscular corrigida pelo comprimento da tíbia), a proteína total muscular (Bradford) e a força muscular em patas traseiras (testes de resistência à inclinação). RESULTADOS: Não foram observadas diferenças significantes na hipertrofia do músculo sóleo. Os grupos TFC e TFA apresentaram, respectivamente, hipertrofia de 18% e 31% no músculo plantar comparado ao grupo SC. A hipertrofia foi 13% maior no grupo TFA em relação ao grupo TFC. Resultados semelhantes foram encontrados no músculo gastrocnêmio. Os grupos TFC e TFA apresentaram significantes aumentos na quantidade total de proteína nos músculos plantares, sendo essa mais pronunciada no grupo TFA e positivamente correlaciona a hipertrofia muscular. Observamos aumento de força nas patas traseiras nos grupos TCF e TAF. CONCLUSÃO: A administração de EA ou sua associação ao treinamento aeróbio não aumenta a massa muscular e força. Porém, à associação ao treinamento de força leva a maior hipertrofia muscular em fibras glicolíticas. Portanto, o tipo de treinamento físico, recrutamento muscular e características das fibras musculares, parecem ter importante impacto sobre as respostas anabólicas induzidas pelo E