Sports Nutrition (HLTH90017)

This subject will build on students’ knowledge of sports nutrition, particularly as it applies to exercise participation, training, competition sport and recovery in sport and exercise for athletes of all ages and abilities (inclusive of children, adolescents, adults and senior athletes). Focus will be on fluids and fuels essential to good health and optimal performance in a variety of sporting contexts (summer, winter) and sporting needs (including strength, power, endurance). Attention will be paid to the individual athlete as well as to the needs of team players and to individuals with specific nutritional needs, including for those in weight conscious sports.

Students will be expected to use this knowledge to supplement their clinical decision-making in the assessment and management of athletic conditions in the sports and exercise contexts. Attention will also be paid to the evidence on the efficacy of supplements and ergogenic aids and their potential risks to athletes. Students will engage in informed debates on some of the current controversies and innovations in the use of nutrition agents in sports. They will be expected to comprehend and uphold the obligations and procedures in accordance with the WADA code. This further includes interpreting and applying these in diverse sporting contexts and for athletes in and out of competition.

Through this subject students will build on their understanding of the role of the sports nutritionist, and of their own role within the sports medicine team in contributing to the nutritional health of athletes. Students will be required to interview a sports nutritionist/dietician to complete one of the assessment tasks and to further build on some of the listed learning outcome in this subject.

The subject will commence with four-week module on the language, foundational principles and theory of nutrition in sports medicine. Students will than have the option of selecting two from three modules that explore nutrition relevant to three athletic populations: paediatrics & adolescent athletes, female athletes, and performance athletes. These modules are relevant to management of athletes of all ages and abilities, and also specifically relevant to three areas of practice specialisation.

This fully online subject will be taught with the use of case studies, video presentations, selected readings, webinars and discussions with colleagues, as well as through the completion of assessment tasks. This subject can be taken as a single subject or as part of a Graduate Certificate in Sports Medicine, Graduate Diploma in Sports Medicine, Masters of Sports Medicine and Master of Sports Rehabilitation.