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Review
. 2023 Nov 24;15(23):4916.
doi: 10.3390/nu15234916.

The Potential Role of Nutrition in Overtraining Syndrome: A Narrative Review

Maria Ester la Torre  1 , Antonietta Monda  2 , Antonietta Messina  3 , Maria Ida de Stefano  1 , Vincenzo Monda  4 , Fiorenzo Moscatelli  5 , Francesco Tafuri  6 , Emma Saraiello  4 , Francesca Latino  5 , Marcellino Monda  2 , Giovanni Messina  1 , Rita Polito  1 , Domenico Tafuri  4
Affiliations
Review

The Potential Role of Nutrition in Overtraining Syndrome: A Narrative Review

Maria Ester la Torre et al. Nutrients. .

Abstract

Competition between athletes and an increase in sporting knowledge have greatly influenced training methods while increasing the number of them more and more. As a result, the number of athletes who have increased the number and intensity of their workouts while decreasing recovery times is rising. Positive overtraining could be considered a natural and fundamental process when the result is adaptation and improved performance; however, in the absence of adequate recovery, negative overtraining could occur, causing fatigue, maladaptation, and inertia. One of the earliest forms of fatigue is overreaching. It is considered to be an accumulation of training that leads to reduced sports performance, requiring days or weeks to recover. Overreaching, if followed by adequate recovery, can lead to an increase in athletic performance. Nonetheless, if overreaching becomes extreme, combined with additional stressors, it could lead to overtraining syndrome (OTS). OTS, caused by systemic inflammation, leads to central nervous system (CNS) effects, including depressed mood, further inflammation, central fatigue, and ultimately neurohormonal changes. There are therefore not only physiological, biochemical, and immunological but also psychological symptoms or markers that must be considered, independently or together, being intrinsically linked with overtraining, to fully understand OTS. However, to date, there are very few published studies that have analyzed how nutrition in its specific food aspects, if compromised during OTS, can be both etiology and consequence of the syndrome. To date, OTS has not yet been fully studied, and the topic needs further research. The purpose of this narrative review is therefore to study how a correct diet and nutrition can influence OTS in all its aspects, from prevention to treatment.

Keywords: dietary intake; nutrition; overreaching; overtraining syndrome (OTS); physical activity.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Process of development of overtraining syndrome in athletes.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Basic notions and applications of the nutritional approach to preventing overtraining.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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