UCI Sports Nutrition Project: The Role of Nutrition in the Prevention and Management of Illnesses and Injuries in Elite Cycling

Elite/professional cyclists often experience injuries and illnesses that lead to loss of training time/quality and reduced performance. Consequently, mitigating these problems is a high priority for multiple stakeholders, including athletes, coaches, sports medicine and allied health practitioners, and race organizers. This Union Cycliste Internationale-endorsed paper reviews the evidence for nutritional interventions in preventing and managing common injuries and illnesses in elite cycling, including skin injuries, upper respiratory tract infections, gastrointestinal disturbances, and sports-related concussions. Ensuring adequate protein (1.5-2.0 g·kg-1·day-1) and consumption of key micronutrients involved in wound healing (e.g., vitamin C and zinc) may optimize skin healing, albeit with no direct evidence in cyclists. Nutritional management strategies for upper respiratory tract infection include ingesting appropriate amounts of carbohydrate and protein to support training loads, optimizing vitamin D status, and possibly probiotic and polyphenol supplementation. Supplementation with other nutrients (omega-3 fats, glutamine, and vitamin C) also has come with some supportive, albeit mixed, evidence. Short-term low fermentable oligosaccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharides, and polyols diets; gut training; and use of mixed saccharide (glucose/maltodextrin-fructose) foods/supplements are evidence-supported strategies for reducing gastrointestinal symptoms, while probiotic supplementation, carbohydrate hydrogels, and cool/cold beverages currently have equivocal evidence. Promoting personal hygiene and food safety principles are important factors in avoiding gastrointestinal infections. Long-chain omega-3 fats and creatine monohydrate may reduce the severity of traumatic brain injuries, though supportive evidence is largely from animal models or based on head injury biomarkers in humans. Nutritional needs will ultimately vary depending on cycling discipline (road, track, cyclocross, mountain, and BMX), training and competitions loads, lifestyle, and environmental factors.