Writing in the journal Scientific Reports, researchers in Asia found that sodium bicarbonate combined with caffeine, creatine alone, creatine combined with sodium bicarbonate, and beta-alanine alone can enhance an athlete’s mean power, peak power and the number of throws performed.
“Based on our comprehensive examination of the current evidence, elite combat athletes can benefit from a variety of dietary supplements that are both safe and effective,” the researchers wrote. “These supplements have the potential to enhance evidence-based practices in food and nutrition for this specific population.”
Meeting nutritional needs
Combat sports include activities such as striking (punching and kicking), grappling (gripping, throwing, joint locking) and surrendering techniques. For the various sports that involve combat, athletes must develop explosive movements of the upper and lower body.
“Intermittent high-intensity work, marked by short but intense bursts of force and strength movements, is a hallmark of combat sports,” the researchers noted. “This demands effective participation in anaerobic metabolism, involving the generation of energy through intramuscular adenosine triphosphate (ATP) and creatine phosphate and/or anaerobic glycolysis during short periods of exercise. This is evident in elevated blood lactate levels post-fight.”
Aerobic metabolism is also at play when it comes to the energy needed for repetitive low-intensity movements in combat sports.
Considering the physicality of these disciplines, athletes must undergo a swift recovery process to meet the demands of these sports.
“Achieving and maintaining optimal nutritional status is a crucial component of combat training regimens,” the scientists added. “Among these, dietary supplements play a pivotal role in addressing the unique nutritional needs of combat athletes…The evidence supporting the benefits of dietary supplements is of particular interest to teams collaborating with elite combat athletes, including nutritionists, doctors and sports scientists. Successfully implementing nutritional interventions involves understanding the potency of dietary supplements and how to use them based on individual goals and requirements.”
In combat sports, dietary supplements are part of a performance and recovery regime for athletes, though the researchers suggested that studies have not used the most effective statistical approaches to compare the benefits of various supplements for this demographic.
Study details
The study analyzed 67 randomized controlled trials with 1,026 participants from a variety of sports, including judo, jiu-jitsu, wrestling, taekwondo, karate and mixed martial arts. Although most participants were men, two studies recruited female athletes, and 12 studies included both men and women.
The scientists examined the benefits of 26 dietary supplements for these athletes. Caffeine was the most studied, as well as sodium bicarbonate + caffeine. The studies explored the impact of beta-alanine alone, carbohydrate alone, carbohydrate + electrolyte or branched-chain amino acids + carbohydrate + arginine.
Three studies explored arginine and beetroot juice while two studies examined the supplementation of vitamin C + vitamin E. Two studies investigated vitamin D alone or vitamin D + probiotics.
Other studies explored antilactate, citrulline malate, creatine, Coenzyme Q10, creatine malate, beta-hydroxy-beta-methylbutyrate, hydrogen-rich water, omega-3 fatty acids + policosanol, polyphenol, sodium citrate and branched-chain amino acids + arginine + citrulline.
To understand the effects of the different dietary supplements for elite combat athletes, the researchers examined certain measures such as perceived exertion, final heart rate, blood lactate concentration, mean power, peak power, number of throws, special judo fitness test index, taekwondo-number of kicks, number of attacks and grip strength.
“Dietary supplements such as sodium bicarbonate + caffeine, caffeine, beta-alanine and sodium bicarbonate were found to be associated with a statistically significant improvement in blood lactate levels in comparison to placebo,” the researchers wrote. “Notably, compared to placebo, CAF was associated with a statistically significant enhancement of final heart rate, the number of taekwondo kicks and the number of throws. Compared to placebo, other dietary supplements that were associated with a statistically significant enhancement of mean and peak power included [creatine-sodium bicarbonate, creatine and sodium bicarbonate].”
Supplements were not associated with statistically significant gains in perceived exercise, special judo fitness test index and the number of attacks in this group of athletes, the researchers suggested.
There were other unremarkable findings, according to the scientists. For example, beta-alanine was not linked to a statistically significant improvement in the special judo fitness text index, the number of throws or in an increase in the rating of perceived exertion.
“Our research is centered on elite combat athletes, who may already possess a high baseline performance level,” the researchers wrote. “This could reduce the likelihood of significant further improvements from [beta-alanine] supplementation. Previous studies have encompassed athletes of different competitive levels, thereby making the impact of [beta-alanine] more apparent.”
Source: Scientific Reports
doi: 10.1038/s41598-024-84359-3
“Advantages of different dietary supplements for elite combat sports athletes: a systematic review and Bayesian network meta-analysis”
Authors: Hua Luo
