Each week in my Research Update, I distill the latest sports science research into practical insights to help you improve your training, performance, and recovery.
In this week's update:
- The hidden cost of travel and jet lag on athletes
- How beet juice may help agility under fatigue
- When protein, creatine, and omega-3s support performance
How Travel and Jet Lag Impact Performance and Recovery
This review examined how long-haul travel and jet lag influence performance, physiology, and recovery in athletes. Across the included studies, crossing multiple time zones commonly disrupted sleep, altered hormonal and immune markers, and impaired aspects of performance such as strength, anaerobic power, reaction time, and decision-making. Eastward travel generally causes greater disruption than westward travel since it’s harder to advance the body clock than delay it. The authors highlight that travel planning, sleep management, light exposure, and time to acclimatize are key tools for minimizing performance loss before competition.
My thoughts: This is an excellent and informative overview of the research on how your body responds to jet lag as an athlete. It covers useful details like how travelling east and west can affect blood pressure, strength, anaerobic power, and more. A great one to bookmark before the next international race, and if you’re traveling soon, check out our guides to less stressful travel and traveling with supplements.
Beet Juice Supports Repeated High-Intensity Efforts, Not Just Endurance
This study tested whether acute beetroot juice supplementation could preserve agility performance after repeated maximal sprints in soccer players. After performing repeated sprint efforts, players who consumed beetroot juice showed better agility performance than a placebo group, suggesting nitrate supplementation may help maintain movement quality under fatigue. The findings add to growing evidence that beetroot supplementation supports repeated high-intensity efforts, not just endurance exercise.
My thoughts: Another addition to the research on beet juice as a natural and effective performance enhancer. This time, the benefit showed up in agility after repeated sprints, which moves beyond the usual endurance narrative. All you football, CrossFit, and Hyrox athletes should be paying attention to this one! A consistently-dosed product with 400mg of nitrates from beet juice, like Beet It Sport Nitrate 400, makes it easy to apply in the real world.
How to Strategically Use Protein, Creatine, and Omega-3s In Your Routine
This review compared dietary protein, creatine, and omega-3 supplementation in trained athletes and their impact on strength, endurance, and recovery outcomes. Overall, protein and creatine showed the clearest benefits for muscle strength and performance, while omega-3s were more consistently linked to recovery-related outcomes such as reduced soreness and inflammation. The findings suggest these supplements may be most useful when matched to the athlete’s primary goal rather than viewed as interchangeable.
My thoughts: This is a unique study that thoroughly and quantitatively compares common supplements to show how they should be applied in sport. The authors suggest more head-to-head studies like this should be carried out, and I completely agree! Anything that helps athletes make better decisions around sports nutrition is valuable, and I recommend trying a real-food protein supplement like Egg White Protein Isolate or a scientifically-precise creatine supplement like HMB+ Creatine.
That’s all for this week.
If you learned something new and are curious to know more, check out more articles and my growing list of weekly Blonyx Research Updates where I help you further improve your athletic performance by keeping you up to date on the latest findings from the world of sports science.
— That's all for now, train hard!
Looking for more ways to keep up with Blonyx?
Now, you can join the Blonyx Strava Club to track your progress, share training tips, and connect with athletes who share your athletic ambition.
You can also follow us on Instagram and Facebook for additional sports science information, announcements, exciting giveaways, and more!