Nutrition for Athletes Quiz

Grade 11 · Health · Quiz

Challenge your knowledge of sports nutrition science, including macronutrients, hydration, timing, and performance-impacting deficiencies.

Questions

1. During exercise lasting longer than 90 minutes at moderate intensity, which fuel source becomes progressively more important as glycogen stores decline?

   1. Dietary fiber
   2. Fat (free fatty acids)
   3. Vitamins B6 and B12
   4. Water-soluble antioxidants
   Show answer

   Answer: Fat (free fatty acids)

   As muscle glycogen depletes during prolonged exercise, the body increasingly relies on fat oxidation (free fatty acids) for energy, though this process is slower and less efficient for high-intensity work.

2. An athlete weighing 70 kg is in heavy training. According to sports nutrition guidelines, their daily carbohydrate intake should be approximately:

   1. 70–140 grams
   2. 210–280 grams
   3. 420–700 grams
   4. 700–1400 grams
   Show answer

   Answer: 420–700 grams

   At 6–10 g/kg/day for heavy training, a 70 kg athlete needs 420–700 grams of carbohydrates daily. This supports glycogen replenishment and fuels both training and recovery.

3. Which of the following best explains why sodium is included in sports drinks consumed during prolonged exercise?

   1. Sodium enhances the flavor, increasing voluntary fluid intake and preventing overhydration
   2. Sodium stimulates muscle protein synthesis during aerobic activity
   3. Sodium replaces electrolytes lost in sweat and helps the body retain fluid
   4. Sodium provides a direct energy source during endurance events
   Show answer

   Answer: Sodium replaces electrolytes lost in sweat and helps the body retain fluid

   Sweat contains sodium and other electrolytes. Replacing sodium helps maintain osmotic balance, supports fluid retention, and prevents hyponatremia during extended exercise.

4. Which supplement is backed by the strongest body of peer-reviewed evidence for improving high-intensity, short-duration athletic performance?

   1. Branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) in isolation
   2. Creatine monohydrate
   3. Glutamine
   4. Vitamin C megadosing
   Show answer

   Answer: Creatine monohydrate

   Creatine monohydrate has decades of randomized controlled trial evidence supporting its efficacy for increasing strength, power output, and performance in high-intensity activities. It is safe and legal.

5. A distance runner with iron-deficiency anemia will most likely experience which primary performance impairment?

   1. Reduced joint flexibility and increased injury risk
   2. Decreased aerobic capacity due to impaired oxygen transport
   3. Slower reaction time due to reduced nerve conduction velocity
   4. Increased body fat percentage from altered lipid metabolism
   Show answer

   Answer: Decreased aerobic capacity due to impaired oxygen transport

   Iron is a key component of hemoglobin, which carries oxygen in red blood cells. Deficiency reduces oxygen delivery to working muscles, directly impairing VO2 max and aerobic endurance.

6. What is the recommended protein intake range per kilogram of body weight per day for athletes engaged in regular resistance and endurance training?

   1. 0.4–0.6 g/kg/day
   2. 0.8–1.0 g/kg/day
   3. 1.4–2.0 g/kg/day
   4. 3.0–4.0 g/kg/day
   Show answer

   Answer: 1.4–2.0 g/kg/day

   The ISSN and IOC both recommend 1.4–2.0 g/kg/day for athletes in combined training; some research supports up to 2.2 g/kg/day during caloric restriction phases.

7. Drinking excessive amounts of plain water during a prolonged endurance event can lead to hyponatremia, a potentially dangerous drop in blood sodium levels.

   Show answer

   Answer: True

   Exercise-associated hyponatremia occurs when excess plain water dilutes blood sodium. It is most common in slower endurance athletes and can cause nausea, confusion, and seizures.

8. The condition caused by chronically low energy availability in athletes that affects hormonal, bone, and metabolic health is called Relative Energy Deficiency in _______ (RED-S).

   Show answer

   Answer: sport

   RED-S (Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport) is the current comprehensive term replacing the older 'Female Athlete Triad'; it affects both male and female athletes and has wide-ranging health consequences.

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