Nutrition & Skateboarding

"I consider skateboarding an art form, a life form and a sport." - Tony Hawk

The (delayed) 2020 Olympics are starting this week in Tokyo. With spectators banned from attending, there'll be a historically low attendance, plus hundreds of athletes have declined invites due to the risk of COVID-19. This year Team GB will have around 30 athletes of 375 present. Despite this, it is still going ahead, athletes who have been working had these past 4-5 years are ready to claim podium places.

New to the games this year are: surfing, climbing, baseball, karate and skateboarding, the latter of which I’m most excited about as I remember clearly the debate that occurred within the skateboarding world for and against whether skating should be considered an Olympic sport. Some argue it’s not even a regular sport: it’s an art, a culture, a lifestyle. It does involve rules, equipment and athleticism but it’s also renowned for distancing itself from institutionalised competitive structures. Including more “urban” sports was a way for the Olympics to garner more appeal from younger audiences and you can’t argue that more encouragement in getting kids to participate in sporting activities is a bad thing.. (even if these activities do have high injury risks..). (Heads up: Cheerleading might appear at the Paris 2024 games!) There is currently no Paralympic Skateboarding team for Team GB. The US is hoping to get adaptive skateboarding into the 2028 Paralympics.

Skate competitions have been around since the 1960’s with categories such as vert, park, street, bowl and big air. It wasn’t until the 1980’s that skateboarding became a profession, with athletes getting endorsements and legends such as Tony Hawk, Shaun White, Steve Caballero, appearing on the scene. If you’ve ever skated, or observed park skating from a safe distance, you’ll know that there is a lot of technique and physics involved in getting the board to move, fly and land with a person still standing at the end of it. A lot of this is to do with centre of gravity which can be manipulated when you change your stance - and there's a lot of crouching quick foot movement going on mid-air. There are no weight categories in skating and generally your body type may determine your skating-style before you even know it. Tony Hawk is super tall and lean, watching him in the air is nothing short of breath-taking (they don’t call him The Bird Man for nothing), but shorter bodies may excel at tricks, delivering “explosive” movements with ease. Generally smaller bodies can perform better in the air, similar to gymnasts – hence why kids are so good! (Team GB is being repped by wee 13 year old Sky Brown and Bombette Martin). But skateboarding is for every shape, size, age and gender, just find a good mentor/instructor, or friend who can give you safe guidance. (I remember attending an all girl's skating session years ago alongside a 60 year old woman who had recovered from cancer and with a new lease of life, decided to tick off the things she'd always wanted to do!)

The Olympic skateboarding is split into 2 disciplines (for both men and women): Park and Street. "Athletes are judged on speed, difficulty, originality, timing and overall flow of performance" You can read more about the events here.

The idea of skateboarders needing nutritionists would absolutely be rejected by traditional skaters. The lifestyle sport was once (mostly unfairly) tied to a diet of drugs and alcohol, but as being mindful of health has become more ‘en vogue’ recently and we know how much physical health impacts everyday life, let alone performance, I did a bit of research as to whether nutritional plans for pro-skaters has become a thing yet. It hasn’t really, but I reckon a good plan wouldn’t be too dissimilar from that of a gymnast’s, snowboarder’s, figure skater’s, or martial artist’s – all require quick, agile movement and excellent overall body strength – core, legs and shoulders are integral in movement, and being a lighter weight may have its benefits.

Of course a good all round diet is something every nutritionist would recommend to everyone, something balanced yet accommodating to any allergies or underlying health conditions (yawn). But for skaters, much like all athletes, injuries are not just common, they are inevitable. All limbs are at risk, as well as the face, head, back and neck. Even with protective gear, the heights on some of the jumps are too enormous for knee guards to offer much protection. the biggest recommendations I would give would revolve around injury prevention and recovery.

Injuries can be categorised into acute and overuse. Acute injuries are immediate/sudden, for example sprains, fractures, or breaks from falling. These need immediate attention from a medical professional, but an ice pack can help with swelling in the mean time. Overuse injuries happen over time, such as shoulder or back strain, or tendonitis in the lower limbs from constant pressure placed on the feet. These injuries can cause serious permanent damage to your body.

Biological Risk Factors

These include genetics, gender (women in particular are more prone to lower limb and hip injuries due to higher laxity in our ligaments), age, fitness level and immune system (which are both genetic to an extent)

Exterior Risk Factors

These include diet, lifestyle (smoking and drinking), immune system (which can be improved through diet and exercise), the weather (cold, wind and rain can cause more falls), and general personality - how much of a risk taker you are, how able are you to perceive/judge levels of risks, how good is your spatial awareness, and of course your training status and level of ability. (Whilst amateurs are injury prone, pro skaters may be doing tricks that have more risk potential.)

An injury is considered severe if you're out of action for > 3 weeks - imagine not being able to skate for that long and having to start your progress again!

Evidence suggests that paying special attention to nutrition/your diet can help prevent injury and also help with injury recovery. There are lots of thoughts and opinions out there on nutrition and recovery, mainly relating to elite athletes who also have a training program to go alongside their rehabilitation, and there's a lot of pressure on them to get back out performing as soon as possible - so of course, whilst the research has been done, not all of it is translatable or relevant to the real world, particularly when we're addressing recreational athletes.

I'm going to tell you what role diet CAN potentially play, - what has been researched extensively enough to show reliable evidence for me to share with you.

1. Sufficient Calorie Intake

The number one most important factor that comes up is ENERGY BALANCE – it’s critical for recovery. This is because we really want to avoid nutrient deficiencies which can be caused by severe calorie restriction. There are 2 reasons why: It slows down wound healing and it speeds up muscle loss.

The overriding nutritional recommendation for injured exercisers should be to consume a well-balanced diet based on whole, minimally processed foods or ingredients. Certain diets may put people at risk of deficiencies such as being vegan or vegetarian. Vegan athletes are a whole other topic, but there is nothing to suggest that following these diets will result in deficiencies so long as they are well planned. Supplements will be a necessity for vitamins such as B12, and if you need more guidance on vegan DIETS some reliable resources are the NHS website and the British Dietetics Association website

2. Protein

The macronutrient most prominently associated with nutrition support for injuries is protein. If there's a reduction in calorie intake then there may be a reduction in protein intake. This will hinder wound healing and increase inflammation having possibly detrimental effects. We know that Adequate protein is essential for muscle growth and recovery, but in the scenario of injuries, increasing protein even further to between 1.5-2g per kg of body mass can help, though this may be dependent on the severity of your injury. Now The Amino Acid Leucine is particularly important for muscle growth as it triggers muscle synthesis. Good sources are meat, fish, poultry, eggs, milk and soya products such as tofu, the latter of which will have to be consumed in higher quantities to get an adequate amount.

90% of peak bone mass is achieved by the age of 20 and amount of bone mass acquired by age 30 is about the maximum amount that will be attained. There are potential performance consequences of poor bone health in athletes that can result in stress fractures which can significantly reduce training time, hence why taking care of your bones should absolutely be a priority.

Calcium and Vitamin D

Studies have shown that athletes who have higher serum levels of vitamin D are less likely to get injured and also have a better overall performance in terms of endurance, this is due to the relationship vitamin D has with calcium absorption and bone strength, as well as immune function. Improving bone health with adequate vitamin D and calcium intake could potentially help reduce the risk of stress fractures (which happen as a result of over training) or at least reduce the severity of them.

We should all technically be taking vitamin D supplements now, assuming we're all UK based - it's going to be a while before we can top up our levels through exposure to sunshine. government currently recommends 400 IU a day which is 10 micrograms. Studies have shown that supplementing on 4000iu a day can help the recovery of athletes suffering from musculoskeletal injuries. But I would advise speaking to your GP before considering increasing any of your supplement intakes

Omega 3?

Some studies allude to potential use for Omega-3 in faster injury recovery, however the literature is not 100% clear. It may play a role in recovery from concussion (something a lot of skaters have experienced to various extents) due to its anti-inflammatory effects. Omega 3 may be worth supplementing if your diet lacks oily fish (salmon, mackerel, sardines, trout). Whilst you can get omega 3 from plants, the body struggles to effectively convert it into EPA/DHA compared to when it’s from a fish source.

Sky Brown, who’ll be skating for GB suffered a severe concussion last year (and would not have been able to compete had the games gone ahead in 2020). She’s thankfully made a full recovery – which involved a lot of rest, recuperation and rehab (and is more determined than ever. Head injuries are probably the worst kind of injuries you can incur, (alongside neck and spine), you can read more about concussion and skateboarding here.

Hydrolysed Collagen & Vitamin C?

Collagen is the most abundant protein in mammals and makes up around 25-35% of the whole protein content in the human body. It’s found in tendons, skin, bones, muscles and ligaments. Vitamin C is required for the synthesis of collagen so taking the two together may be of some benefit. RCTs have shown that injured athletes taking 10g of hydrolysed collagen over 6 months may help alleviate knee pain, which may be due to the improvement of collagen synthesis in the knee cartilage as cartilage thickness can increase with long term consumption of 10g hydrolysed collagen. However, further studies are still needed and collagen supplements can be quite pricey. Alternatively, you can consume foods containing compounds that boost collagen production in fish, shellfish, chicken, bone broth, egg whites, citrus fruits, berries, garlic, leafy greens, tomatoes, legumes, cashew nuts.

Turmeric?

Further research is most definitely needed, but turmeric, (which contains curcumin) is a polyphenol known for its an anti-inflammatory, antioxidant effects. Studies have shown that it may reduce exercise induced muscle damage (EIMD) and improve performance. It has also been used in clinical trials to help improve symptoms of arthritis. Turmeric supplements are safe for ingestion, but there is no dosage recommendation in the treatment of general inflammation, or injuries.

Alcohol

Lastly, in terms of what to avoid, alcohol unfortunately impairs muscle protein synthesis which in turn will slow down the recovery process.

Regardless of what level skater you are, a balanced diet can help with your practise and ensure that if you are injured, you can recover efficiently. Needless to say, wear protection, skate with caution (and not under the influence) and make sure you skate with others around, in case help is needed.

Enjoy watching the Olympic skateboarding events for inspiration and entertainment!

Check out the skateboarding schedule here.

To find your nearest skatepark (UK) go here

For more general skateboarding info (UK) go here

Skateboarding foundation

London lessons

References & Further Reading

Bailes, J.E., Abusuwwa, R., Arshad, M., Chowdhry, S.A., Schleicher, D., Hempeck, N., Gandhi, Y.N., Jaffa, Z., Bokhari, F., Karahalios, D. and Barkley, J., 2020. Omega-3 fatty acid supplementation in severe brain trauma: case for a large multicenter trial. Journal of neurosurgery, 133(2), pp.598-602.

Batuev, M. and Robinson, L., 2017. How skateboarding made it to the Olympics: an institutional perspective. International journal of sport management and marketing, 17(4-6), pp.381-402.

Close, G.L., Sale, C., Baar, K. and Bermon, S., 2019. Nutrition for the prevention and treatment of injuries in track and field athletes. International journal of sport nutrition and exercise metabolism, 29(2), pp.189-197.

Jäger, R., Purpura, M. and Kerksick, C.M., 2019. Eight weeks of a high dose of curcumin supplementation may attenuate performance decrements following muscle-damaging exercise. Nutrients, 11(7), p.1692.

Hewlings, S.J. and Kalman, D.S., 2017. Curcumin: a review of its effects on human health. Foods, 6(10), p.92.

Gupta, A., Summerville, G. and Senter, C., 2019. Treatment of acute sports-related concussion. Current reviews in musculoskeletal medicine, 12(2), pp.117-123.

Daily, J.W., Yang, M. and Park, S., 2016. Efficacy of turmeric extracts and curcumin for alleviating the symptoms of joint arthritis: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials. Journal of medicinal food, 19(8), pp.717-729.

de la Puente Yagüe, M., Collado Yurrita, L. and Cuadrado Cenzual, M.A., 2020. Role of vitamin d in athletes and their performance: Current concepts and new trends. Nutrients, 12(2), p.579.

Fernández-Lázaro, D., Mielgo-Ayuso, J., Seco Calvo, J., Córdova Martínez, A., Caballero García, A. and Fernandez-Lazaro, C.I., 2020. Modulation of exercise-induced muscle damage, inflammation, and oxidative markers by curcumin supplementation in a physically active population: a systematic review. Nutrients, 12(2), p.501.

Wilson‐Barnes, S.L., Hunt, J.E.A., Lanham‐New, S.A. and Manders, R.J.F., 2020. Effects of vitamin D on health outcomes and sporting performance: Implications for elite and recreational athletes. Nutrition Bulletin, 45(1), pp.11-24.

Sale, C. and Elliott-Sale, K.J., 2019. Nutrition and athlete bone health. Sports Medicine, 49(2), pp.139-151.

Scrimgeour, A.G., Condlin, M.L., Loban, A. and DeMar, J.C., 2021. Omega-3 Fatty Acids and Vitamin D Decrease Plasma T-tau, GFAP, and UCH-L1 in Experimental Traumatic Brain Injury. Frontiers in nutrition, 8, p.286.