Mixed
Rapid weight loss via caloric and fluid restriction (approx. 5% body weight over 7 days) impairs physical performance, alters mood negatively, and disrupts endocrine balance in judo athletes.
If you are an athlete in a weight-class sport, avoid losing 5% of your body weight in the week before competition through severe restriction. This study shows that doing so significantly reduces your grip strength and negatively impacts your mood (increasing fatigue and tension) and hormonal balance, even if you have time to rehydrate and eat before the event. Prioritize maintaining your natural weight to preserve performance capacity.
our results suggest that the combination of energy restriction and intense exercise training, which causes weight reduction before a competition, adversely affects the physiology and psychology of judo athletes and impairs physical performance before the competition.
Why this rating
Randomized controlled trial with clear intervention and control groups, though sample size is small (n=20).
Source
Food Restriction, Performance, Biochemical, Psychological, and Endocrine Changes in Judo Athletes
Fabrice Degoutte et al. · International Journal of Sports Medicine · 2006
DOI 10.1055/s-2005-837505
Related findings · Mixed
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