How do diet manipulation and ergogenic aids affect performance, and at what cost?
Diet, nutrition and ergogenic aids: the dietary components and their functions, energy balance, diet manipulation for performance (carbohydrate loading and hydration), and the effectiveness and risks of legal and illegal ergogenic aids.
A focused answer to Eduqas A-Level PE on diet and ergogenic aids: the macronutrients and micronutrients and their functions, energy balance, diet manipulation (carbohydrate loading, pre and post-event meals, hydration), and the benefits and risks of legal and illegal ergogenic aids such as creatine, caffeine, anabolic steroids, EPO and blood doping.
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What this dot point is asking
Eduqas wants you to describe the dietary components and their functions, explain energy balance, explain diet manipulation for performance (carbohydrate loading, pre and post-event meals and hydration), and evaluate the effectiveness and risks of legal and illegal ergogenic aids.
The dietary components and their functions
Energy balance
Diet manipulation for performance
Endurance athletes use carbohydrate loading to supercompensate glycogen stores before a long event, delaying glycogen depletion ("hitting the wall"). A pre-event meal (about 3 hours before) is high in carbohydrate and low in fat and fibre to top up glycogen without gastric discomfort. A post-event meal within the glycogen window (the first hour or two) combines carbohydrate (to refill glycogen) and protein (to repair muscle). Hydration strategies replace fluid and electrolytes lost in sweat, using water for short events and sports drinks (with carbohydrate and electrolytes) for prolonged ones, to prevent the fall in plasma volume and the cardiovascular drift that reduce performance.
Ergogenic aids
Exam-style practice questions
Practice questions written in the style of WJEC Eduqas exam questions on this dot point, with worked answer explainers. The year tag is the paper they imitate, not the source.
Eduqas 20184 marksExplain what carbohydrate loading is, which type of performer benefits from it, and describe how it is carried out before an endurance event.Show worked answer →
A Component 1 nutrition question. One mark for the definition, one for the performer, two for the method.
Carbohydrate loading is a diet manipulation that maximises the muscle and liver glycogen stores before a prolonged endurance event so the athlete can work aerobically for longer before glycogen depletion (hitting the wall). It benefits endurance performers such as marathon runners, triathletes and long-distance cyclists whose events last over about 90 minutes. The classic method depletes glycogen with hard training and a low-carbohydrate diet about a week out, then loads with a very high carbohydrate intake (around 8 to 10 grams per kilogram of body mass per day) and reduced training (tapering) in the final three days, so the muscles supercompensate and store extra glycogen.
A common dropped mark is naming a sprinter as the beneficiary; the benefit is for endurance events where glycogen is the limiting fuel.
Eduqas 20226 marksA coach is asked about two ergogenic aids, creatine and anabolic steroids. Compare them in terms of what they do, their effectiveness, their legality and their risks.Show worked answer →
A Component 1 ergogenic-aids question. Markers reward a point-by-point comparison covering effect, effectiveness, legality and risk.
Award marks for: creatine supplementation increases the muscle phosphocreatine store, so the ATP-PC system can resynthesise ATP for slightly longer, improving repeated high-intensity efforts (sprints, weightlifting). It is legal (not on the WADA banned list), reasonably effective for power athletes, but can cause water retention, weight gain and gastrointestinal discomfort. Anabolic steroids mimic testosterone to promote protein synthesis and muscle growth, allowing harder training and faster recovery, increasing strength and lean mass. They are illegal (banned by WADA) and carry serious risks: liver damage, cardiovascular disease, aggression (roid rage), infertility and, in adolescents, stunted growth. So creatine is a legal, modest aid for power athletes, while steroids are a banned, high-risk method.
A top answer contrasts a legal aid working on the PC store against an illegal hormone working on protein synthesis, and weighs benefit against risk.
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Sources & how we know this
- Eduqas A Level Physical Education Specification — Eduqas (2016)