Vegetarian diet and the relationship with sport

Resumo

The relationship between the vegetarian diet and sports performance is very much investigated since there are many doubts about its results, justified by the main protein source of the diet being of vegetable origin, which, consequently, raises more attention on the levels of some vitamins and minerals, immune function, hormonal relationships and even on the nutritional needs for athletes. Immune functions are also very much emphasized, because they may present small alterations related to prolonged overtraining, causing chronic performance reduction. However, vegetarian diets associated with moderate and regulating workouts have a positive result. Vegetarians have a low level of creatine in their bodies, because this amino acid is more present in animal foods. This may affect a higher performance in supra-maximal workouts; however, a good creatine supplementation is a good alternative. Thus, this study aimed to To understand the effectiveness of vegetarian diet associated with sport performance. This work was an exploratory literature review, with a qualitative approach. Several articles were investigated from 2002 to 2018, in Scielo and Medline databases. However, it was possible to review that the aerobic capacity of vegetarian and omnivorous athletes did not present differences, and with the monitoring of routine tests and a good professional nutritionist, these results can be very well controlled.