Dear Performance Nutrition Leaders,
This week: Protein sources during Ramadan, the latest news, and a new cherry juice supplement on the market.
🧠 LATEST RESEARCH
A new study has shed light on how different protein sources consumed during the pre-dawn meal (sahur) can impact the athletic performance of combat sport athletes observing Ramadan fasting.
The research, conducted by Dr. Abdullah Demirli and colleagues, examined 24 male combat sports athletes, all competing at the national level.
Using a single blind, randomised, placebo-controlled, counterbalanced crossover study design, the researchers tested four different conditions to measure their effects on anaerobic power and strength performance.
The study compared four experimental conditions: non-fasting control, fasting with placebo (maltodextrin), fasting with whey protein, and a fourth condition involving micellar casein.
Ramadan fasting significantly lowered Wingate peak power, mean power, and bench press strength compared to the non-fasting control.
Micellar casein supplementation reduced these declines, outperforming whey protein isolate (WPI) and the placebo in peak power and mean power, and surpassing the placebo in bench press strength, although not WPI.
📈NEWS
Amy Wood appointed Nutrition Manager at Huel
Sarah Ptak recruiting Performance Nutrition Coordinator for Nebraska Football
James Firth appointed Academy and Pathway Performance Nutritionist at Munster Rugby
Taylor Cunningham appointed Student Nutrition Intern for Kansas Football
Bryce Allison celebrates National RD Day and performance nutrition leaders
Josh Petersen recruiting assistant Registered Dietitian for Arizona Football
Kristina Martinez recruiting Part-Time Sports Nutrition Fellow in Athletics and Sports Medicine
Kailey Smith recruiting Performance Nutrition Intern for the San Francisco Giants
Ewan Williams shares Ramadan nutrition support for West Bromwich Albion academy players
Rachel Gaffen criticises low-pay Summer Associate nutrition role with the Detroit Tigers
Megan Lautz announces new contract role as Performance Dietitian for the Baltimore Orioles Major League team
💡PERFORMANCE TECH
Cherry juice has been at elite finish lines for over a decade.
Amacx Cherry Juice+ is an updated formula from the Dutch sports nutrition brand, developed and tested with elite cyclists including Jonas Vingegaard and Tom Pidcock.
Each 500 ml ready-to-drink bottle delivers 125 mg of standardised anthocyanins — the active compound in tart cherry associated with reduced muscle soreness and faster recovery between sessions. According to Amacx, the dose has been increased by 25% compared to their previous formula.
The bottle also provides 30 g of carbohydrates in a 2:1 glucose-to-fructose ratio and 500 ml of fluid, covering glycogen replenishment and rehydration in one product.
Amacx recommends it for competition-dense periods — multi-day events, stage races, back-to-back match weeks — rather than standard training blocks, where the inflammatory response to hard sessions supports adaptation.
It's Informed Sport certified.
For practitioners working in high-competition-density environments, this is a product worth knowing.
