Sports Medicine

Featuring Lauren M. Simon, MD, MPH, FACSM, FAAP No abstract available

Fatal Exertional Heat Stroke in Football: The Coaches Are the Culprits No abstract available

Web Alert No abstract available

Pelvic Floor Dysfunction in Female Athletes: Is Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport a Risk Factor? Due to the unique demands of sport participation on the body, female athletes are at increased risk for pelvic floor dysfunction (PFD) and relative energy deficiency in sport (RED-S). A high number of female athletes suffer from PFD, especially urinary incontinence. Several biomechanical and physiological risk factors may play a role in the development of PFD in female athletes. RED-S has been shown to be associated with PFD. The goal of this commentary is to discuss RED-S as a risk factor for PFD and propose a mechanism for this relationship.

Strategies to Counter Weight Loss-Induced Reductions in Metabolic Rate A significant percentage of the population is classified as obese, and there is a growing need to develop novel therapy to reduce body weight. It has long been appreciated that caloric restriction and exercise are the cornerstones of any weight loss method. This review outlines the challenges faced when attempting to achieve weight loss and the metabolic adaptations that ensue upon reductions in body weight which make sustaining weight loss extremely difficult. We discuss the need for novel approaches to weight loss that would increase basal metabolic rate and counter the biological adaptations that provide barriers for maintaining weight reduction. We introduce two metabolic processes, hypobaric hypoxia and cold exposure, which, when activated, cause increased metabolic rate even in the presence of reduced caloric intake. While we do not suggest that these are long-term viable options for methods to achieve weight loss, we are introducing these as pathways that may be targeted to eventually develop novel therapies to achieve sustainable weight loss.

Intermittent Fasting and Its Effects on Athletic Performance: A Review Intermittent fasting (IFast) has been around for most of human history, and its proposed health benefits have been mentioned in ancient civilizations. However, recently, there has been a renewed public interest in IFast. Given the importance of nutrition in optimizing athletic performance, there is a concern about the effects of IFast on athletics. Most of the studies looking at performance and fasting are regarding athletes who observe Ramadan. Looking at high-intensity, endurance, and resistance exercises, studies have been varied but are uniform in showing that there is no benefit to athletic performance while fasting. More long-term studies need to be done to evaluate specific fasting protocols during sport.

Nutrition Considerations for Athletes with Physical Disabilities Nutrition, which is an important factor that improves physical performance, has a major place in the lives of both disabled and nondisabled athletes. The main purpose of nutritional assessment of disabled athletes is to assess the individual's consumption to determine the insufficiencies and to suggest the necessary changes to design the most appropriate nutrition plan. Nutrition strategies play a key role in confirming the performance of disabled athletes. Considering the nature of the disability and the specific sports branch, it is important to determine the necessary nutrition solutions to ensure the best protection for the athletes concerned. The literature on the specific nutritional needs for the best sports performance of disabled athletes is insufficient and should be considered in light of current information on specific disability physiology.

Dogs as Support and Motivation for Physical Activity Physical activity behavior change theorists are actively shifting the field to better align with the science of motivation and decision making. With this shift has come increasing interest in the role of affective judgments, habit, and identity in long-term physical activity maintenance, as well as the importance of framing physical activity in ways that protect autonomy and support personal values. This special communication makes the case for dog walking as a physical activity modality that fits well with the field's new focus. The authors provide an overview of dog walking research performed to date and discuss unanswered research questions. Given the large percentage of U.S. households that own a dog and the mainstream animal welfare movement to rehome adoptable shelter pets, there are innumerable opportunities to leverage the human-dog bond to increase physical activity levels. Dog walking interventions may be a highly practical approach to population-level physical activity promotion.

Alexandros Sfakianakis
Anapafseos 5 . Agios Nikolaos
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2841026182

6948891480

alsfakia@gmail.com