Cyclists must take 1.4 to 2.4 liters of extra fluid during an altitude training session due to increased urine output and breathing. In addition, they have to take more iron than they normally do because extra red blood cells are produced.
For many top athletes, altitude internships are indispensable from the training schedule. Especially athletes who make intensive and especially aerobic efforts during competitions, such as runners and cyclists, regularly travel into the mountains to train at heights. By going on altitude training, athletes try their capacity for oxygen to include a little to increase their performance at sea level.
The oxygen pressure is lower at altitude and it is more difficult for athletes to absorb oxygen than at sea level. As a result, processes are started in the body so that the absorption of oxygen can increase somewhat. An example of these processes is the creation of new red blood cells. In addition, athletes will breathe faster and deeper at altitude. A disadvantage of this is that an athlete loses more moisture, because exhaled air contains a relatively large amount of moisture.
These adjustments to the body and the stay at heights in itself may require specific nutritional advice. Polish researchers have now investigated, based on a literature study, whether cyclists staying at heights (2000-3000 meters) should adjust their dietary intake.
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