Efficient Delivery of Oxygen

It is difficult to imagine how an athlete could be successful without fully functional mechanisms for pulling in enough oxygen, transporting oxygen through the blood to working cells, using the delivered oxygen efficiently by having sufficient oxidative enzymes in mitochondria, efficiently excreting oxygen by-products (carbon dioxide), and dealing with the side effects of excess oxygen exposure through adequate antioxidant intake. Every one of these functions has an important nutrition component, with iron playing the critical role for oxygen delivery and carbon dioxide removal; vitamins B₁₂ and folic acid playing a role in red blood cell formation; and the antioxidant nutrients beta-carotene, vitamin C, vitamin E, and selenium protecting cells from oxidation reactions. Strenuous physical activity, in and of itself, may increase the rate of energy utilization 20 to 100 times above the energy expended in a resting state, and the nutrient-oxygen relationship is a critical factor in ensuring that this can continue to happen.¹ This chapter reviews the nutrient relationship in the utilization of oxygen, as well as the critical relationship between oxygen, nutrition, and human performance.

Oxygen Uptake

Oxidative Stress