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There has been considerable interest recently in the concept of sweat biomarkers, which is generally defined as the use of sweat as a non-invasive alternative to blood analysis to provide insights into human physiology, health, and performance. Despite recent technological advances in wearable devices the application of sweat diagnostics in sports science has been limited to date. This course will discuss the challenges of utilizing sweat biomarkers and wearable technologies as well as where future work is needed.
Course Objectives
Course
Credits
Course Expiration
ACSM
1
02/06/2026
BOC
1
02/06/2026
In this course, Dr David Kennedy discusses caffeine from a research and real-world perspective. Caffeine, when taken alone in a research context, is associated with consistent ergogenic and psychological benefits, although within differing optimal dose ranges. In a real-world sport/exercise context, caffeine is often consumed alongside other bioactive compounds in the form of manufactured energy drinks or naturally occurring, plant-derived, caffeinated products. This SSE course explores the state of the research and where further exploration is needed.
Course Objectives
Course
Credits
Course Expiration
ACSM
1
02/06/2026
BOC
1
02/06/2026
Aging is associated with the progressive loss of skeletal muscle mass and decline in physical function which may result in reduced mobility and subsequent loss of independence. Exercise is a potent stimulator of muscle protein synthesis in both athletic populations and in older adults. Dietary practices by athletes to augment performance and recovery may be relevant to the preservation of skeletal muscle mass and strength in older adults such as the supplementation with creatine, long chain n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 PUFAs), and inorganic nitrate.
Course Objectives
Course
Credits
Course Expiration
ACSM
1
12/19/2025
BOC
1
12/19/2025
Commission on Dietetic Registration
1
03/31/2024
Long chain n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (LC n-3 PUFAs) are a class of biologically active fatty acids that play fundamental roles in the production of anti-inflammatory signalling molecules as well as serving as vital components of phospholipid membranes. The most well studied LC n-3 PUFAs are eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA; 20:5 n-3) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA; 22:6 n-3). Often associated with improved cardiovascular health, there is now emerging evidence that ingestion of LC n-3 PUFAs above population recommendations enhances skeletal muscle anabolism in older adults. Indeed, daily intake of ~ 5g/d of LC n-3 PUFAs has been shown to potentiate the muscle protein synthetic response to the infusion of insulin and amino acids and increase gains in skeletal muscle strength with resistance exercise training in older women. These findings suggest that LC n-3 PUFA intake could have ergogenic effects in older exercising adults. However, more recent work has failed to detect a positive impact of LC n-3 PUFA intake towards skeletal muscle in older persons. Yet, few studies have been conducted in highly-trained older adults, or ‘master athletes’ thus it is unclear if there is a benefit to increased LC n-3 PUFA intake in this specific population. Aside from the potential ergogenic benefit, as some older adults possess sub-optimal LC n-3 PUFA status, there may be utility in increasing LC n-3 PUFAs ingestion in older persons to support healthy aging.
Course Objectives
Course
Credits
Course Expiration
ACSM
1
12/19/2025
BOC
1
12/19/2025
Commission on Dietetic Registration
1
05/31/2024
Because of the discussions on more sustainable food production and the need to improve lifestyle and health, there is a growing interest in the transition towards consuming a more plant-based diet. As a result, daily protein intake will be derived more from the consumption of plant-based proteins at the expense of animal-based proteins. There are many questions on whether this has impact on the capacity of an athlete to recover and recondition following exercise. So far, basic research indicates that the ingestion of plant-derived proteins may not stimulate muscle protein synthesis to the same extent when compared to the ingestion of an equivalent amount of animal-derived proteins. The proposed lesser anabolic properties of plant- versus animal-based proteins have been attributed to differences in protein digestion and amino acid absorption kinetics. Furthermore, most plant-derived proteins have lower essential amino acid contents and can be deficient in one or more specific amino acids. However, it should be noted that very few studies have directly compared muscle protein synthesis rates following the ingestion of plant- versus high quality animal-derived proteins. Theoretically, a lower bioavailability and/or functionality of plant-based protein sources and/or plant-derived protein concentrates may result in greater daily protein requirements for athletes transitioning towards a (more) plant-based diet. However, as athletes typically consume a diet that provides more than 1.5 g protein per day, a lesser protein bioavailability or protein quality will unlikely compromise muscle conditioning in athletes adopting a (more) plant-based diet. However, when athletes are changing to a plant-based diet under conditions of low(er) energy and/or protein intake, a sports dietitian should be consulted to ensure ample protein provision.
Course Objectives
Course
Credits
Course Expiration
ACSM
1
11/09/2025
BOC
1
11/09/2025
Commission on Dietetic Registration
1
05/31/2024
Dietary protein is essential for an athlete’s recovery and adaptation as it provides the requisite amino acid building blocks to repair and remodeling old and/or damaged proteins, especially within working skeletal muscle. Amino acids may also be used as a source of fuel during exercise that requires high mitochondrial flux (e.g. repeated sprint and steady state endurance exercise) and therefore must be consumed in the diet to replenish these exercise-induced losses of the essential amino acids (e.g. branched chain amino acids). The majority of research on protein requirements for athletes have been performed in young individuals, which opens debate as to whether Master athletes would require similar or greater intakes. Available evidence suggest current recommendations for younger athletes would also translate to Master athletes. As opposed to daily protein targets that have been the focus of past research, current practice suggests the most efficient strategy to consume the daily protein requirement is to focus on consuming meals with a moderate amount of protein spaced regularly throughout the day. There is little evidence to suggest that protein requirements in older Master athletes are different between men and women, although estrogen is generally ‘protein-sparing’ and therefore can reduce protein requirements by ~10-15%. There appears to be an opportunity to educate Master athletes as to their meal protein requirements, which may be a safe and effective way to improve their training recovery and adaptation.
Course Objectives
Course
Credits
Course Expiration
ACSM
1
11/09/2025
BOC
1
11/09/2025
Commission on Dietetic Registration
1
05/31/2024
Adolescence is a period of natural experimentation and is particularly important in terms of establishing the connection between diet, exercise and body image. An adolescent’s peers become increasingly powerful moderators of all behaviors, including eating. The pathway to elite sports performance is complex, and rarely forecast by success at junior levels. Stakeholders involved in managing developing athletes have a responsibility to prioritize sound physical and mental development while integrating principles of sport nutrition success.
Course Objectives
Course
Credits
Course Expiration
ACSM
1
11/09/2025
BOC
1
11/09/2025
Commission on Dietetic Registration
1
05/31/2024
The majority of published sport nutrition recommendations are based on studies conducted with male athletes. In female athletes, the menstrual cycle may affect optimal nutrition strategies for performance, but menstrual cycles can be quite variable. Authors Bryan Holtzman and Kate Ackerman review the nutritional recommendations for female athletes from a variety of perspectives. Within the review, the energetic requirements for athletes and the negative effects of failing to meet these requirements are discussed. The authors also establish a model for meeting nutritional needs of increasing complexity and personalization for female athletes and provide baseline recommendations for female athletes. This course aims to provide practical advice for athletes, coaches, physicians, and other members of the athlete entourage.
Course Objectives
Course
Credits
Course Expiration
ACSM
1
05/26/2025
BOC
1
05/26/2025
Commission on Dietetic Registration
1
03/31/2024
Cannabidiol (CBD) is a non-psychotropic cannabinoid found in the cannabis plant and is no longer prohibited by the World Anti-Doping Agency; however, all other cannabinoids remain on the prohibited list. The legal status of CBD is complicated and varies from country to country. Athletes and coaches must be aware of the country (and state) specific legal status of CBD. Dr. Graeme Close and colleagues discuss the benefits of CBD that have been reported both anecdotally and within the literature as well as the risks with CBD use on health, safety and potential for inadvertent doping via the presence of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) or other cannabinoids in CBD supplements.
Course Objectives
Describe an overview of the endocannabinoid system (ECS)
Appraise the current evidence and efficacy in relation to CBD use in sport
Discuss the issues and risks surrounding inadvertent doping following the use of CBD
Course
Credits
Course Expiration
ACSM
1
01/26/2025
BOC
1
01/26/2025
Commission on Dietetic Registration
1
01/26/2025
Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids are traditionally associated with cardiometabolic health with implications for reducing risk of cardiovascular disease. More recently, omega-3 fatty acids have received considerable attention in the context of athlete health and performance, specifically with regards to promoting training adaptation and exercise recovery.
Course Objectives
Course
Credits
Course Expiration
ACSM
1
11/06/2024
BOC
1
11/06/2024
CSCCa
1
11/06/2024
Team sport athletes are at risk of training and competing in a hypohydrated state when fluid losses are large and/or there are challenges with fluid availability or opportunity to drink. Technical skill and cognitive function are essential to team sport athlete performance and may be impaired with hypohydration, especially when combined with heat stress. The mechanism of cognitive impairment with hypohydration is not fully understood. Decrements in cognitive function, skill and physical performance in team sports are more likely to occur when hypohydration levels are > 2% body mass loss, but there is significant inter-individual variability in the effect of hypohydration on team sport performance.
Course Objectives
Course
Credits
Course Expiration
ACSM
1
09/09/2024
BOC
1
09/09/2024
Commission on Dietetic Registration
1
09/09/2024
CSCCa
1
09/09/2024
Fatigue during high intensity sports or activities (~1-10 minutes in length) is caused by several components with strong evidence that muscle acidosis via accumulating hydrogen ions is a key performance inhibitor. To address this issue, skeletal muscle has intra and extracellular buffering mechanisms to attenuate exercise induced acidosis. Carnosine is an intracellular buffer that is key in slowing the decline of muscle pH. Carnosine has a nitrogen containing imidazole side ring which accepts or buffers hydrogen. This buffering can contribute as much as 15% of total buffering capacity. Additionally, carnosine has been shown to be a calcium/hydrogen exchanger, delivering calcium back to the sarcoplasmic reticulum and hydrogen away to the cell membrane. This suggests that carnosine may increase calcium sensitivity and muscle contraction efficiency. Plasma beta-alanine is the rate limiting substrate of carnosine. Approximately 3-6 g/d of beta-alanine supplementation over at least four weeks can elevate muscle carnosine stores by 30-60%. Several meta-analyses have been conducted and has shown 2-3% increased performance in non-elite athletes, followed with just 0.5-1% increased performance in elite athletes.
Course Objectives
Course
Credits
Course Expiration
ACSM
1
06/24/2024
BOC
1
06/23/2024
Commission on Dietetic Registration
1
06/23/2024
CSCCa
1
06/23/2024
Dehydration (>2% reduction in body mass) can result in decreased performance and delayed recovery. Although it has not been largely studied, there is limited evidence that suggests that dehydration may exacerbate exercise induced muscle damage (EIMD) and prolong recovery. The proposed mechanisms for the adverse effects of dehydration on EIMD include alterations in cell volume and ion flux, cell membrane disruption, impaired excitation-contraction coupling, decreased skeletal blood flow, modified red blood cell properties, and/or intensification of maladaptive signaling.
Course Objectives
Course
Credits
Course Expiration
ACSM
1
10/21/2023
BOC
1
10/21/2023
Commission on Dietetic Registration
1
10/21/2023
CSCCa
1
10/21/2023
During exercise, both fat and carbohydrate are metabolized to produce energy. At lower intensities and rest, fat is the predominate substrate that is metabolized. As intensity increases, carbohydrate metabolism increases and fat metabolism decreases. Incremental exercise tests have been developed on both a cycle ergometer and treadmill to measure the maximal fat oxidation (MFO) and at what intensity MFO occurs (FATMAX). It has been shown that there is large individual variation in MFO and FATMAX, and that individuals may have a unique FATMAX curve. Increasing an athlete’s fat oxidation may be beneficial as it could preserve the limited amount of muscle and liver glycogen, which could then delay fatigue. Several nutritional supplements thought to increase fat oxidation have been studied, such as; green tea, New Zealand blackcurrants, caffeine, and Omega-3. In addition to supplementation, training strategies to decrease muscle and liver glycogen availability prior to exercise have been shown to increase fat oxidation during exercise. It is important to note that an increase in fat oxidation during exercise has not been associated with improved performance.
Course Objectives
Course
Credits
Course Expiration
ACSM
1
10/20/2023
BOC
1
10/20/2023
Commission on Dietetic Registration
1
10/20/2023
CSCCa
1
10/20/2023
Understanding an athlete’s blood biomarkers is an objective way to measure performance, recovery, and nutritional status. Since an athlete is exposed to different stressors such as increased workload, sleep loss, and travel, it is important to monitor an athlete’s blood biomarkers to prevent injury and illness. Common issues that can be found my measuring blood biomarkers is low Vitamin D and Iron status, low energy availability, and decreased hormone levels. Analyzing blood biomarkers can help to keep an athlete healthy, however, the results can be jeopardized by faulty pre analytic approaches. Ensuring appropriate pre analytic approaches are taken are likely to increase the probability of measuring physiological changes in an athlete. In addition to blood biomarkers, other subjective, physical, and metabolic measurements should be taken to measure physiological changes during an athlete’s season.
Course Objectives
Course
Credits
Course Expiration
ACSM
1
10/08/2023
BOC
1
10/08/2023
Commission on Dietetic Registration
1
10/08/2023
CSCCa
1
10/08/2023
Caffeine is one of the most studied supplements and has shown ergogenic effects in almost every sport scenario it has been studied. The benefits of ingesting moderate to high doses of caffeine (5-9 mg/kg of body mass) before and during exercise have been well established in endurance exercise. Although the moderate to high doses of caffeine improves endurance performance, side effects such as gastrointestinal upset, nervousness, mental confusion, inability to focus and disturbed sleep have been reported. Lower doses of caffeine (<3 mg/kg of body mass) have been shown to have similar performance benefits as the moderate to high doses, and without the side effects. In addition to endurance performance, caffeine also improves performance in stop-and-go and team sports that require short-term, high intensity movements. Caffeine seems to have an antagonistic interaction with adenosine receptors in the central and peripheral nervous system, which increases central drive and reduces the perception of fatigue and pain during exercise. There is some variation between individuals in response to the effects of caffeine and it is unclear whether genetic polymorphisms can explain the inter-individual seen during caffeine administration.
Course Objectives
Course
Credits
Course Expiration
ACSM
1
10/08/2023
BOC
1
10/08/2023
Commission on Dietetic Registration
1
10/08/2023
CSCCa
1
10/08/2023
Bone health is an important aspect that the general population should pay attention to, especially the athlete population. Good bone health will not only prevent immediate injuries such as stress fractures but will prevent long lasting damage later in an athlete’s life such as osteoporosis. Even though athletes need to pay special attention to their bone health, the general recommendations to support bone health is not very different from the general population and it is not clear whether the recommendations for the general population will adequately support an athlete’s needs through periods of intense training. Athletes should consider consuming additional supplements if their food preferences or intolerances do not allow them to get sufficient nutrients needed to support their bone health. Athletes also need to be aware of their energy intake and expenditure to ensure they are maintaining a positive energy balance.
Course Objectives
Course
Credits
Course Expiration
ACSM
1
10/07/2023
BOC
1
10/07/2023
Commission on Dietetic Registration
1
10/07/2023
CSCCa
1
10/07/2023
High altitude training camps are commonly used by endurance athletes in order to increase their fitness prior to competition. Energy availability (EA) requirements may be altered by low to moderate altitudes, and it is suggested that EA may play a role in an athlete’s ability to adjusts to hypoxic conditions. Iron is a micronutrient with known importance to an athlete’s health while at altitude and is important for increasing hemoglobin mass. While studies investigating physiological adaptations at extreme altitudes (>3,000 m.) have been conducted, there is a call for more studies at low to moderate altitudes (1,600-2,400 m.). Since the effects of training at low to moderate altitudes are not yet fully confirmed, it is best to apply sea-level nutrition and hydration guidelines to an athlete’s training at altitude.
Course Objectives
Course
Credits
Course Expiration
ACSM
1
10/07/2023
BOC
1
10/07/2023
Commission on Dietetic Registration
1
10/07/2023
CSCCa
1
10/07/2023
Sickness absence from training is incompatible with success in elite sport, which demands a consistently high training volume, i.e. the less sick, the more an athlete can train. Nutrient availability influences immunity because macro and micronutrients are involved in a multitude of immune processes. Macronutrients are involved in immune cell metabolism and protein synthesis and micronutrients are involved in antioxidant defenses. A new paradigm for exercise immunology is presented that considers resistance (the strength of the immune weaponry) and tolerance (the ability to endure microbes and dampen defense activity). This new paradigm of resistance and tolerance helps to explain why nutritional supplements with tolerogenic effects (e.g., probiotics, vitamin C and vitamin D) are the new targets, as these may reduce the infection burden in athletes.
Course Objectives
Course
Credits
Course Expiration
ACSM
1
05/28/2023
BOC
1
05/08/2023
NSCA
0.1
05/08/2023
Commission on Dietetic Registration
1
05/08/2023
CSCCa
1
05/08/2023
Dehydration is known to impair physical performance. Additionally, dehydration and hyperthermia take a toll on other systems and organs of the body such as the cardiovascular and musculoskeletal systems and the brain. Dehydration is influenced by environmental conditions as well as the athlete’s training status, thus influencing an athlete’s core temperature. The impact of dehydration varies among individuals and depends upon factors such as training status, intensity of exercise, environmental conditions and acclimatization status. Hydrating during training or competition by consuming fluids is the best way to prevent or alleviate the effects of dehydration on performance.
Course Objectives
Course
Credits
Course Expiration
ACSM
1
05/27/2023
BOC
1
05/27/2023
Commission on Dietetic Registration
1
05/27/2023
CSCCa
1
05/27/2023
The mechanism of how polyphenol supplementation affects performance is complex and not fully understood. Polyphenols are derived from fruits and vegetables and are associated with color and taste. Approximately 90% of polyphenols are not absorbed in the small intestine, thus they are subsequently made available by colon gut bacteria in the source of phenolic acids. The phenolic acids are then able to be absorbed. Beneficial effects of polyphenol supplementation may include improved endurance, repeated sprint performance, and faster recovery of muscle strength however, only a small number of studies have been conducted to date and more research is needed to understand the ergogenic potential of polyphenol supplementation.
Course Objectives
Course
Credits
Course Expiration
ACSM
1
05/26/2023
BOC
1
05/26/2023
Commission on Dietetic Registration
1
05/26/2023
CSCCa
1
05/26/2023