Macronutrients in athletes

In sports nutrition, macronutrients play a very important role. Composed of proteins, carbohydrates and lipids, they provide energy and essential elements to the athlete's body. Understanding their importance and how to optimize them can significantly improve performance and recovery.
In food we find 3 main families of macronutrients:

• Proteins
• Lipids
• Carbohydrates

In order to ensure a balanced diet and optimized performance, a balance must be respected.

Proteins

Proteins are molecules made up of amino acids.
There are 20 amino acids belonging to 2 different families:

• 12 “standard” amino acids: that the body is capable of synthesizing

• 8 essential amino acids (EAA): which the body cannot synthesize, which must be provided by food

Standard amino acids	Essential amino acids
Alanine, Arginine, Asparagine, Aspartate, Cysteine, Glutamate, Glutamine, Glycine, Histidine, Proline, Serine, Tyrosine.	Methionine, Leucine, Valine, Lysine, Isoleucine, Phenylalanine, Tryptophan, Threonine.

 

Proteins have many roles, in athletes the most important are the structural role at the muscular level and that of oxygen transporter.


Daily protein requirements vary depending on the sport practiced, frequency and intensity, but we can establish a range: 1.2 - 2.2g/kg of body weight.


Proteins can be provided by foods of plant or animal origin, but what is essential is to ensure that you find all the essential amino acids mainly for plant proteins (see our article on plant proteins here) because animal proteins contain them all naturally.

Lipids

Lipids are hydrophobic molecules. There are 2 families of lipids:

• fatty acid-based lipids
• isoprene lipids

We will focus on fatty acid-based lipids because they are the ones most present in the diet.

Lipids have many roles, such as energetic (the breakdown of fat releases a large amount of energy), structural (main constituent of the body's cells)...

There are no real differences in lipid intake for athletes, but it is suggested to ensure that you consume at least 1g/kg of body weight.

There are different types of fatty acids:

• saturated fatty acids (SFA): these are the ones to limit, their dietary intake must be less than or equal to 12% of daily energy intake.
• monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA): they correspond to omega 9, they are important fatty acids but we tend to take them in excess, their daily intake should represent 15-20% of daily energy intake.
• polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs): these are those represented by omega 3 and omega 6.

Omega 3 should represent 1% of daily energy intake while omega 6 represents 4%.
Omega 3s play a very important role in reducing inflammation, which is why their intake must be optimized as part of sports practice.
It is therefore necessary to ensure that an omega 6/omega 3 ratio is maintained at 5.

• Trans fatty acids: these are the most harmful to health and those whose consumption should be reduced as much as possible; they should not exceed 2% of daily energy intake.

Carbohydrates

Carbohydrates are the “sugars” in food, there are two types:

• simple carbohydrates: fruits, vegetables, sugar, milk…
• complex carbohydrates: cereals, bread, potatoes, etc.

Carbohydrates are so-called “non-essential” molecules because the body knows how to synthesize glycogen (which is the “active” form of glucose in the blood and usable by the different organs) from other nutrients.
But carbohydrates are the body's main source of energy because it is glycogen that is used first to provide energy to the muscles so they can function.

There is a certain concept that is important to focus on, the concept of Glycemic Index (GI), high GIs tend to increase blood sugar levels which implies a permanent production of insulin by the body which can cause hypoglycemia (= lack of “sugar” in the blood) and therefore a considerable drop in sports performance.

Carbohydrates help to meet daily energy intake, so we can consider that they can represent 5g-12g/kg of body weight, or 55-60% of daily energy intake.

What you need to remember

I hope I didn't lose you in all this information 😅

But to make sure you remember the most important information, here's a little recap 😉

Macronutrients are molecules that are essential to providing you with energy so that your performance can improve.
The energy needs of each of these macronutrients differ depending on who you are, the sport you practice, the intensity of practice, etc.
So be careful, what I'm giving you are averages from data for different sports.
In short:

• Protein: 1.2-2.2g/kg body weight
• lipids: minimum 1g/kg of body weight
• Carbohydrates: 5-12g/kg body weight

It remains essential to keep in mind that everyone's energy needs are different and that nutritional management must be individual and carried out by a professional.

See you soon 👋🏼

Thess

Sources

• CASCUA Stéphane, ROUSSEAU Véronique (2005).” Nutrition for athletes”. Amphora

• “Nutrition and Athletic Performance”. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise vol 48, no 3, p 543-568, March 2016.