Dear coaches,
This week: how elite practitioners are rethinking calcium for cramp prevention, what real mentorship looks like inside high-performance environments, whether athletes and nutritionists are ready for genetic testing, and the latest performance nutrition news.
🧠EXPERT OPINION
The Calcium Question
During a recent Performance Nutrition Network mentorship call, a community practitioner brought Dr. James Morehen a cramping problem. His athletes were seizing up during games.
James’ advice:
"I've got notes about who cramps in games. Five or six players that are prone to cramping."
His strategy for those players: pregame high-carb electrolyte solution with an actual gram of table salt mixed in. Labeled bottles with their names.
But here's where the mentorship shifted.
"The other thing we use is calcium. Have you used calcium?"
The practitioner hadn't. Not as a cramp preventative.
James explained the physiology. Every muscle contraction releases calcium within the muscle fibre.
His observation from elite practice: Athletes focus so heavily on carbohydrate before games that they may not get adequate calcium.
"Are they potentially starting the game calcium deficient? I don't know that. It's just an anecdotal observation."
James now supplements athletes with 1,200 milligrams of calcium at pre-match meal. Three Healthspan Elite tablets.
"To get a gram of calcium from milk, you need about a pint. I'm not convinced my players are having that amount from food."
Elite-level mentorship means thinking through the physiology, connecting it to applied practice, and questioning your own protocols in real time—not just answering the question asked.
The practitioner left with an entirely new strategy around calcium supplementation that most practitioners aren't even considering yet.
Get mentored by James and watch the full mentorship conversation here →
📈NEWS
Munster Rugby hiring academy performance nutritionist.
Myprotein joins forces with Mars to create co-branded sports nutrition products.
Rachel Scrivin awarded Sports Dietitians Australia ‘Excellence in sports nutrition research- young sports nutrition researcher award.
NutraIngredients release the advance programme for the 2026 Sports & Active Nutrition Summit USA. sportsnutritionsummit-usa.com
The IOPN push a last-call reminder for November PGDip/MSc Sports Nutrition cohort applications.
Sports dietitian Dr Gemma Sampson hosts an online “Supplements for Cyclists” performance nutrition workshop.
The Association for Nutrition lists a 19 Nov CPD webinar on “Sex and gender in sports nutrition research: bridging the gap.” Webinar link.
Hexis are hiring a customer success executive.
Myprotein are hiring a new product development technologist.
Deadline for lead nutritionist role at Nottingham Forest Football Club approaching soon.
💡PERFORMANCE TECH
Genetic Testing For Personalised Nutrition
Athletes want it. Practitioners remain cautious. Companies are delivering it.
Research published in Performance Enhancement & Health surveyed 81 professional footballers and 54 registered sports nutritionists on attitudes toward genetic testing for personalised nutrition.
Efstathiou et al. found 63% of footballers expressed strong willingness to undergo genetic testing. Interest spiked dramatically—77% indicated greater willingness if testing were required to sign with a desired club.
Sports nutritionists demonstrated far more caution. Only 48% reported moderate awareness of how genetic makeup influences nutritional requirements.
While practitioners evaluate the evidence, commercial services are expanding rapidly.
Testing-only services analyse genetic markers related to weight management, metabolism, nutrient processing, and injury susceptibility. Reports cover 100+ genetic markers. Implementation left to athlete and support staff. Costs range £50-£500. CircleDNA represents this model.
Performance protocol platforms analyse performance-related genes around recovery, energy metabolism, and injury prevention. Services like ReviveDNA deliver structured protocols for nutrition and training based on genetic data.
Testing-plus-manufacturing services represent the newest model. Whole genome sequencing (all 3 billion base pairs) processed through AI engines. Personalised supplements manufactured with NSF and Informed Sport certification. Reports cover nutrient requirements, caffeine sensitivity, injury risk factors (ACL, Achilles, lower back), trainability markers, and recovery efficiency. Myoform exemplifies this approach.
The Loughborough research emphasises urgent need for education among athletes and practitioners regarding genetic testing capabilities and limitations.
Thanks for reading. If you missed last week’s issue you can read it here →
Written by Alfie Gordon