Ronald J. Maughan

TL;DR: The results indicate that moderate changes in diet composition during training do not affect the performance of high-intensity exercise in trained individuals when the total energy intake is moderately high.

TL;DR: The present experiment demonstrates that an alteration in pre-exercise substrate availability will influence the accumulation of plasma NH3 during exercise and the use of plasmaNH3 as an index of exercise intensity and the onset of fatigue should be viewed with some caution.

TL;DR: The available evidence supports the idea that ingestion of fluids during prolonged exercise can improve performance, and heart rate and rectal temperature will generally be lower, and plasma volume will be better maintained when fluids are given.

TL;DR: Evidence clearly indicates that sports drinks which contain an energy source in Dr R. J. Maughan the form of carbohydrate together with electrolytes, particularly sodium, are more effective than plain water in improving performance.

Abstract: In a recent editorial (Journal of Sports Sciences, 20, 949), Mary Nevill outlined some of the reasons for ensuring that all studies involving human volunteers are carried out only after approval by an ethics committee or institutional review board. These bodies protect the well-being of the individuals who participate in studies, and also protect the investigators in the case of an unforeseen problem arising. This journal, along with almost every journal that publishes papers in the medical and biological sciences, expects that studies have been subject to such approval. In recent years, however, sports science has evolved into a new form. In today’s world of elite sport, the monitoring of various aspects of physiological and psychological function of elite athletes is commonplace. Such monitoring may comprise something as simple as monitoring of body mass and body composition over the course of a season. Alternatively, it may be more invasive, with the collection of blood samples for health screening or for the assessment of the blood lactate response to exercise. Sports scientists are routinely employed by the governing bodies of sport or, in the case of sports such as football and rugby, by individual teams seeking to gain an edge over their rivals. Inevitably, most of the data collected in this way is no more than a description of the physical characteristics of individuals. Equally, however, there is some value in much of the information that is collected. How, for example, does the body fat content of Premier League football players change over the course of a season, or over several seasons? How does the fitness of football players compare with that of hockey players? Does routine blood monitoring over a season identify those players who develop symptoms of staleness or overtraining? There are many reasons why these questions cannot easily be answered by prospective studies: the cost usually cannot be justified and those who might want to conduct such studies have no access to a suitable pool of participants. Almost invariably, such data are collected without any thought being given to publication and, in many cases, publication is not sought. This may be because the club or the governing body does not wish the results to be made public, or it may be because there is no career advantage to the sports scientists involved in accumulating publications. Sometimes, however, information does emerge that should be published. What can those who have collected the data then do? No responsible ethics committee will give retrospective approval for a study that has already been completed. The picture becomes more complicated when individuals are required, as a condition of their employment or their selection, to participate in such tests. This poses a dilemma for the editorial boards of journals which require a statement of ethics committee approval and of informed consent from volunteers. Here, there is clearly no voluntary participation and no informed consent is possible – even though it is very likely that many of the athletes who participated in the measurement programme would have done so willingly. Anyone who has worked with team sports will know that some players do not want to have their fitness measured and others do not want their body fat measured. They participate only because they are required to do so, and no ethics committee would condone such an approach to experimental work. This is not experimental work, however, but sport science support carried out by sports scientists as part of their duties on men and women who are legitimately required by their employer, their funding body, their coach or their selection panel to do so. Other circumstances are less clear and some real issues emerge when, for example, young athletes are involved. The coach may want measurements made, and young athletes in a dependent relationship with a coach may find it difficult to refuse. Who, then, is responsible for the protection of the individual? These are issues that affect everyone involved in sports science support. Many sports scientists currently working in support roles will seek to change careers at some stage, and evidence of published research may well be an advantage. The editorial board of the Journal of Sports Sciences is aware of these issues and is actively seeking a way forward that protects the interests of the individual, while at the same time ensuring that sports science practitioners can gain recognition for their work.