Author(s): Jils Varghese

Abstract:
Minerals are required for a wide variety of metabolic and physiologic processes in the human body. Some of the physiologic roles of minerals essential to athletes are their involvement, such as muscle contraction, normal heart rhythm, and conduction of nerve impulses, oxygen transport, oxidative phosphorylation, enzyme activation, immunity, antioxidant activity, bone strength, and acid-base balance of the blood. Athletes should pay attention to their bone strength and physical stature, whether this links to their longer-term bone health (e.g., risk of osteopenia and osteoporosis) or their shorter-term risk of bone injuries. Conceivably the most apparent method to do this would be to revise their practice loads, although this view seldom shows common with coaches and athletes for apparent reasons, so various circumstances to support the athletes’ bone strength need to be explored. Energy availability is vital in the athlete's bone health, although improving energy balance points is highly unreliable for many athletes. On the balance of the possible evidence, it would seem dubious that higher animal protein intakes, in the amounts suggested to athletes, are detrimental to bone health, especially with sufficient calcium intake. Dermal calcium losses might be a vital consideration for endurance athletes, particularly during long training periods. In these circumstances, some forethought should be given to pre-exercise calcium intake. Vitamin D is essential for an athlete to conserve their bone health. There remains a lack of knowledge about the longer-term effects of different dietary and nutritional practices on athletes' bone strength, which needs to be addressed soon.

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