Limits of Human Endurance

[Extract] Nutrition is one of the key factors that modulate exercise performance. A healthy diet, adapted to the specific demands imposed upon by the individual athlete’s training and competition, is required to allow optimal performance. Specific nutritional interventions have been developed to increase exercise endurance, allowing us to further improve sports performance in a variety of exercise tasks. In the 76th Nestlé Nutrition Institute Workshop, a group of expert scientists in the field of nutrition and exercise discussed the ergogenic properties of various nutritional interventions and presented research to show that dietary strategies can be applied to extend the limits of human endurance. Recent scientific findings on topics such as caffeine and its effect on the brain, carnitine and fat oxidation, ergogenic properties of β-alanine, dietary protein and muscle reconditioning, nutrition and immune status, and the importance of proper hydration were discussed. Last year, London hosted the 2012 Summer Olympics. Such an event provides a challenging landscape for nutritionists not only to ensure proper dietary management throughout the games but also to apply effective nutritional interventions that have been developed in the years preparing for the event. Success and failures of nutritional intervention were discussed from the perspective of 3 key nutritionists during the 2012 Olympics: Louise M. Burke for the Australian Institute of Sports, Nanna L. Meyer for the United States Olympic Committee, and Jeni Pearce for the English Institute of Sport. This workshop explored some of the many properties of dietary intervention to improve exercise performance capacity and, as such, to extend the limits of human endurance. We hope that the following chapters will provide the reader with many novel insights into the complex interaction between nutrition and exercise, allowing them to define more effective dietary strategies to improve health and performance.