Nutrition Recommendations for Table Tennis Players-A Narrative Review

Abstract

Table tennis (TT) is the second most popular racket sport globally and was the sixth most widely played Olympic sport in 2005. It is an indoor racket sport requiring a mixture of power, agility, alertness and fast reactions. Players need to move quickly around a table to receive the ball and produce powerful returns. New rules such as increased ball size and a change in ball material have changed the ball's trajectory, increasing the overall duration and intensity of game play. Scientific research on TT is growing but there has been no systematic review of nutrition for the sport. This review provides nutritional recommendations for TT athletes based on the physiological demands of TT, including energy expenditure during training and competitions, and the main metabolic pathways of TT. Guidelines on the daily intakes of carbohydrate, protein and fat are discussed in addition to hydration strategies. Micronutrients of concern for TT athletes include iron, magnesium and vitamin D and their recommended intakes are also provided. The timing and dose of ergogenic aids that may improve TT performance such as caffeine, creatine, lutein and zeaxanthin and beta-alanine are reviewed. Specific nutritional strategies for intakes leading up to competitions, post training and competition recovery and nutritional strategies for travel are also addressed.

Keywords: diet; indoor sport; ping pong; racket sport; recovery.

Figure 1

Summary of the physiological demands of table tennis game play and training determined through data collected from official Games and tournaments and simulated game play from research studies.

Figure 2

Commonly used rubber coverings on table tennis rackets and their impact on table tennis playing styles.

Figure 3

Summary of nutritional recommendations (macronutrients, key micro-nutrients of interest and hydration) for table tennis players based on the physiological demands of table tennis game play and training.