Advanced Sports and Health Nutrition, 7.5 Credits

Contents

The course consists of theoretical and practical elements focused on nutritional and physiological aspects of body composition, anthropometry, energy expenditure, and fat and carbohydrate utilization at rest and during physical activity. Furthermore, it addresses the nutritional and physiological mechanisms of interventions with diet and dietary supplements, as well as the physiological effects of nutritional deficiencies and obesity. The course includes a limited in-depth group project, a client project focusing on nutritional physiological and clinical measurements of health-related factors, nutritional status, and a dietary analysis. The client can be an athlete or an individual who wants to improve their physical fitness, health, and nutritional status. Great emphasis is placed on reflection, analysis, and application of information from scientific articles and the client project, considering risks, weaknesses, and opportunities with dietary and nutritional strategies from a client perspective.

Expected learning outcomes

Knowledge and Understanding:
The student must be able to
1. Describe how physical training and inactivity affect nutritional physiological functions related to the metabolism of macronutrients.
2. Describe subclinical and clinical signs of nutritional deficiencies.
3. Explain dietary recommendations for athletes in relation to their goals and nutritional status.
4. Explain the strengths and weaknesses of various methods for analysing body composition and bone density, as well as the utilization of energy substrates at rest and during physical activity.

Skills and Ability:
The student must be able to
5. Apply established methods for dietary assessments, calculation of physical activity/training and energy acquirements, and evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of the methods.
6. Design a dietary program and provide nutritional advice to a healthy, active individuals, based on their goals, clinical nutritional status, body composition, nutritional needs, and physical activity level.
7. Advise on dietary supplements for athletes based on their nutritional status and subclinical nutritional deficiencies, using scientific evidence.

Judgement and Approach: 
The student must be able to
8. Identify and evaluate the risks of subclinical nutritional deficiencies and positive effects and risks with weight optimization and dietary supplements based on scientific evidence.
9. Demonstrate evaluative skills and a scientific approach to their own and others' results during oral presentations.

Required Knowledge

Bachelor's degree that includes at least 180 credits or equivalent foreign degree. At least 90 credits are required in either exercise physiology/sports medicine or physiotherapy, or the student can have a degree from the Biomedical Scientist programme with specialisation Clinical Physiology. English 6 must also be completed.

Form of instruction

The course is conducted in English if students with a mother tongue other than Swedish participate in the course. The course consists of a mix of digital and physical meetings with lectures, laboratory work, and seminars. During the physical meetings on campus in Umeå, the focus is on practical educational elements such as laboratory work, group learning activities, examinable seminars, and a written examination.

Examination modes

Learning Outcomes 1-4, 7-8: Assessed individually through a written examination with grades of Pass with Distinction, Pass, or Fail.

Learning Outcomes 5-6: Assessed in groups with individual evaluation through practical tests and written assignments, graded as Pass or Fail.

Learning Outcomes 9: Assessed in groups with individual evaluation, based on active* participation in an oral seminar, graded as Pass or Fail.

* Active participation means that the student is prepared and contributes with oral, analytical, and relevant comments during discussions, which are assessed individually.

To achieve a passing grade for the course, the student must receive at least a Pass on all assessed components. A grade of Pass with Distinction requires a Pass with Distinction on the written examination.

The examiner may decide to deviate from the examination format specified in the syllabus. Adaptations for students with disabilities must be requested from the course coordinator at least 10 days before the examination.

Other regulations

If the course is discontinued or the syllabus undergoes significant changes, examinations based on the original syllabus will be offered for two years after the student's first registration.