Sportkun Start WOW 2.4 kg

The nutritional needs of animals are modified by exercise. The amount of energy required for exercise depends on the total work performed and this is very variable for sporting animals that perform intermediate activity. Their energy needs range from 2 to 5 times their resting energy requirements, with athletes performing endurance activity requiring more than 5 times their resting energy needs. Due to its energy concentration, fat is an ideal nutrient to incorporate significantly into the diet of animals that engage in long-duration exercise. Additionally, medium-chain fatty acids (fatty acids with a length of 8 to 12 carbons) do not depend on L-carnitine for transport across the mitochondrial membrane, avoiding this limiting step in fatty acid oxidation.

Physical activity increases the animal's protein needs due to an increase in the synthesis of structural and functional proteins, as well as an increase in tissue catabolism. Branched-chain amino acids (leucine, isoleucine, valine) are "essential" and, therefore, must be replaced through food. Supplementation with branched-chain amino acids decreases exercise-induced protein degradation and the release of muscle enzymes (indicators of muscle damage). Thus, supplementation with branched-chain amino acids during intense training helps increase lean muscle mass.

L-Carnitine is the transporter of fatty acids from the cytosol to the mitochondria of cells, being responsible for the rate-limiting step of lipid oxidation. Increasing cellular carnitine levels improves the transport of fatty acids to the mitochondria and, consequently, fat metabolism.

Under conditions of low oxygen availability, nitrate is converted into nitric oxide, which plays an important role in vascular and metabolic control. Dietary nitrate supplementation increases plasma nitrite concentration and reduces resting blood pressure as well as the oxygen cost of submaximal exercise, potentially improving exercise tolerance and physical performance.