ABSTRACT
Mounting evidence indicates that physical activity influences immune function and risk of certain types of infection, such as upper respiratory tract infections (URTI). In contrast to moderate physical activity, prolonged and intensive exertion causes numerous negative changes in immunity and an increased risk of URTI. Footballers, as elite athletes, must train intensively to compete at the highest levels and therefore may also be at increased risk of URTI and suppressed immune function. There is a growing interest in potential nutritional countermeasures to exercise-induced immune dysfunction. This article is a current review of these nutritional countermeasures. To date, only a few studies have observed susceptibility for URTI and immunological changes in profes-sional footballers (with fewer still examining nutritional countermeasures); most studies in this area have been conducted on endurance athletes. However, wherever possible data will be highlighted from footballers collected over a season or in response to a match, or from studies employing football-specific protocols. Where this is not possible, any extrapolation of findings from endurance athletes to football play should be made with caution, since the physiological demands of football training and play are not necessarily the same as those of endurance training and competition. This highlights the need for further football-specific research in this area.
