Sport & Exercise Nutrition BSc (Hons) (with Foundation Year)

The Foundation Year is a great opportunity if you have the ability and enthusiasm to study for a degree, but do not yet have the qualifications required to enter directly onto our degree programmes. A significant part of the Foundation Year focuses upon core skills such as academic writing at HE level, becoming an independent learner, structuring academic work, critical thinking, time management and note taking.

Successful completion of the Foundation Year will enable you to progress into the first year (Level C) of your chosen honours degree. Further details can be found here.

Example topics include (subject to course validation):

Principles of human nutrition

During this part of the course students will learn about optimum macro and micronutrient intakes, as well as the implications of excesses and deficiencies. How digestion occurs in the human body will also be considered, as well as fluid and energy balance and the impact of alcohol and non-nutritive substances.

Exercise physiology

Understanding the foundations of the physiological basis for exercise, with particular reference to the anatomy and physiology of the respiratory, cardiovascular, muscular and metabolic systems. Introduction to the regulation and integration of these physiological systems alongside an overview of neural, digestive and urinary systems. A highly applied section of the program supported by an intensive programme of laboratory work where you will learn the fundamentals of human exercise testing and physiological evaluation.

Nutritional biochemistry and metabolism

Students will have an opportunity to develop their understanding of key principles regarding biochemistry, with a focus on the biochemical assemblage of macronutrients and their metabolism.

Food systems

This part of the course will equip students with a clear understanding of the food supply chain and how this is liked to sustainability and health. Furthermore, students will also learn about key principles regarding food safety and allergen awareness, as well as having the opportunity to become certified in these areas by the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health.

Physical activity and health

Physical activity is central to the maintenance of health and the prevention of non-communicable disease. You will consider the “Landmark” studies that for the first time provided evidence for the prevention of disease through physical activity and exercise. You will also examine recommendations for how much physical activity should be undertaken and how this contrasts with typical physical activity undertaken by UK adults and children.  

Nutritional modification

Dietary modification is of core importance for a variety of career pathways in nutrition and sports nutrition. Students will learn how to assess and modify the diet of an individual using dietary analysis software and will have the opportunity to try out their own reformulated diet plans in our state-of-the-art food laboratories during several practical sessions.

Principles of muscular strength and conditioning

An introduction to muscular anatomy and physiology, assessment of muscular function and the adaptations to muscle anatomy and physiology due to the training process

Example topics include (subject to course validation):

Nutritional assessment

Nutritional assessment is used to determine the nutritional status of individuals via the collection and interpretation of measures and information. Students will explore the ABCD of nutritional assessment. A is for Anthropometry, the measurement of the body. B for the Biochemical analysis of nutritional status. C for the Clinical signs of malnutrition and D for assessment of Dietary intake.

Physiology of exercise training

With a focus on the physiology of aerobic function, you will understand adaptations to exercise training and the measurement of key aerobic parameters such as the lactate threshold and maximal oxygen uptake. This forms a basis for understanding functional decline in disease and training intensity distribution for aerobic performance. Accompanied by a series of laboratory-based workshops where you will make direct measures of aerobic function.

Nutrition throughout the lifecycle

Energy and nutrient requirements differ depending on sex and stage of life. During this block, students will acquire knowledge and understanding of specific nutritional requirements needed for development, growth and optimal health. They will explore how dietary intakes and nutritional status during the early stages of the lifecycle, i.e. fetal, childhood and adolescence, influence health, by increasing or decreasing the risk for dietary related disease at later life stages.

Sport Nutrition

You will study foundational principles of the role of muscle glycogen and carbohydrate ingestion on exercise performance and consider the volume, frequency and type of carbohydrate feedings that maximise sport performance. The controversial field of a high fat diet for sports performance will be addressed in addition to learning practical techniques to quantify fat and carbohydrate oxidation.

Training programme design

Effective training programme design and evaluation is central to maximising the effects of training. You will learn about the fundamental principles of strength, speed and agility training and how to program them within an overall training programme. Lectures are supplemented with practical sessions in the field to understand best practice in the measurement of these parameters.

Influencing factors that affect health and nutritional status

Students will have the opportunity to explore how factors such as ethnicity, culture, religion and socioeconomic status influence food choice, dietary behaviours and health. Students will learn how nutrients interact with the human genome influencing long term health, with a focus on the contribution genes make to obesity.

Nutritional status and intakes can be enhanced at population level via the fortification and enrichment of commonly consumed foods. In addition, the possible interactions between nutrients and/or drugs and how these can potentially impede optimal nutritional status will be explored.

Physical activity, health & health promotion

Building on your first year of study, you will develop your understanding of the relationship between physical activity and health to examine the effectiveness of different health promotion campaigns to promote physical activity across a range of different communities and environments, such as disability, minority groups and the workplace.

Nutritional epidemiology and public health nutrition principles

Nutritional epidemiology is the study of the relationship between dietary exposure and the causes and pattern of diseases in populations. Students will critically appraise nutritional assessment, in addition to different research methods and study designs. Students will also explore the principles of Public Health Nutrition in promoting good health through healthy eating and preventing dietary related diseases in the population.

Research methods

During this section of the course, you will learn about how research data can be collected and analysed. This will involve developing your knowledge in areas such as statistics, questionnaire design and qualitative research and will prepare you well for your final year where you will have the opportunity to conduct your own independent research study and put your research methods skills into practice. 

Example topics include (subject to course validation):

Nutrition, physical activity, and sport

Students have an opportunity to learn about several key perspectives in the interrelationship between nutrition, physical activity, exercise, and health within this area. The role of body composition within health and disease and methods of assessment of body composition will be discussed. The difference between physical activity, physical fitness, sport, and exercise will be established with the critical appraisal regarding the impact of the complex association between these constructs with nutrition and health. 

Clinical nutrition

Within this area, the interrelationship between nutrition, obesity, and non-communicable diseases such as cardiovascular disease, hypertension, diabetes, and cancer together with cognitive function and impairment will be discussed. The role of nutrition and weight management in the prevention of the above clinical conditions will be critically appraised as part of broader discussions of the association between lifestyle, holistic health, and wellbeing.

Sports Nutrition

You will study the evidence and practical applications underpinning the role of diet and dietary supplementation of carbohydrate and protein to promote sports performance and training adaptations. You will learn to critically evaluate the evidence in this space, particularly in respect of the typical diet and training status of the individual. 

Ergogenic aids

You will consider key ergogenic aids such as creatine, bicarbonate, beetroot juice and caffeine, and evaluate whether not they can enhance exercise performance. You will learn how to form judgements about the potential efficacy of ergogenic aids based on their potential mechanisms of action.

Public health nutrition

The topic area explores the key principles of public health nutrition, reflecting on the international, national, and local perspectives in the development of food and nutrition policies, to incorporate public health nutrition models into practice and explore practical considerations in devising and evaluating local food and nutrition policies. 

Food choice, behaviour modification and nutrition education

The theoretical models underlying food choice, and the ones explaining nutritional health behaviour will be explored while students critically appraise the traditional and modern strategies used for nutrition education and behaviour modification for enhancing nutritional status.

Physical activity, exercise & health

With ever increasing rates of non-communicable disease, you will study best practice in prescribing exercise for the promotion of health in a range of different diseased and healthy populations, such as diabetes, osteoporosis, pregnancy and children.

Food product development

This section of the course will focus on the development of sports nutrition products and will also consider wider global health issues and the enhancement of sustainable food systems. You will also develop skills regarding the assessment of a product’s organoleptic properties using sensory analysis. Time will also be spent developing an in-depth knowledge of the processes and laws that guide global food and drink packaging systems, all of which are crucial when producing sports nutrition products. 

Food safety, authenticity, and food quality management

Acknowledgement of food allergens and sensitivities and maintaining food safety standards are legal requirements for food manufactures. Students will develop a comprehensive understanding of underlying legislation and obligations concerning these aspects and will learn about the specific steps and processes needed to achieve effective food safety and quality management.

Sport nutrition practice

Translating scientific evidence to best practice in the field requires the consideration of athlete lifestyle, overall training program, age, periodisation and training goals. Practitioners also need to acquire “soft skills” in order to transfer knowledge to the athlete and persuade them to change habits. In this focused area of study, you will learn these skills that can set you on a path to becoming a sport nutrition practitioner.

Research dissertation

An independent research project with the purpose of discovering new findings in the field of Sport and Exercise Nutrition.