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Why the nutrients you’re ignoring may be the missing piece in your training puzzle
As an ultra-endurance athlete and dietetic student, I am endlessly curious about performance nutrition. I have come to believe one of the most important aspects of training is adequate fueling. I live by the mantra:
And I think it can basically be as simple as that, if you want it to be. The nutrition pyramid below breaks down performance nutrition in a meaningful way: getting enough calories builds the foundation, and without that, nothing else provides much benefit. But if you’re eating enough — with roughly the right macronutrient distribution at the right times — then micronutrients and targeted supplements can make a real difference, especially when it comes to inflammation and recovery.
Each tier builds on the one below. Supplements deliver minimal benefit without the foundation of adequate calories and macronutrients.
Table of Contents
Inflammation is not the enemy
When we think about recovery, inflammation often gets labeled as something to reduce or avoid. But in reality, inflammation is a necessary part of training adaptation. Exercise creates a temporary increase in inflammation and oxidative stress — this is what signals the body to repair, rebuild, and ultimately get stronger.1
However, problems arise when that response becomes excessive or poorly regulated. This can happen with high training loads, inadequate fueling, poor recovery, or chronic life stress. Intense or prolonged exercise can also place stress on the gut, leading to increased intestinal permeability (commonly called “leaky gut”) and triggering a downstream inflammatory response.1
Key principle: The goal is not to eliminate inflammation — it’s to support your body’s ability to regulate it effectively. Acute inflammation drives adaptation; chronic, dysregulated inflammation impairs recovery and increases injury risk.
Whatever the cause, when inflammation goes unmanaged it can prolong muscle soreness, impair recovery, and increase the risk of illness or injury. Supporting the body’s regulatory capacity — not silencing inflammation entirely — is the real goal.1
The Stress Response and the HPA Axis
The hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis is your body’s primary stress-response system. It plays a key role in regulating inflammation and responding to both physical and psychological stress. During periods of intense training, this system is constantly being activated.
How the HPA Axis Responds to Training Stress
When stress isn’t matched with adequate recovery support, this cycle can tip toward dysregulation.
When stress is not matched with adequate recovery support, it can contribute to dysregulated inflammation, fatigue, and impaired recovery. Some supplements — particularly adaptogens — may help support this system. Ashwagandha, for example, has been shown to help stabilize cortisol levels and improve recovery perception in athletes during high training stress periods.2
Micronutrients: The Missing Piece for Many Athletes
Even when calorie intake is adequate, micronutrient status can significantly influence recovery, performance, and overall resilience. Athletes often have increased micronutrient needs due to higher metabolic demand, sweat losses, and repeated physiological stress.
It’s also important to recognize that the Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDAs) are designed to prevent deficiency in the general population — not to optimize performance or recovery in athletes. As a result, some athletes require higher intakes of certain micronutrients to support training demands, even if they are not clinically deficient.
Magnesium & inflammation
In one study of athletes, magnesium supplementation reduced inflammatory markers (IL-6) and helped regulate stress hormone responses after intense exercise.3 Most athletes fail to meet daily magnesium requirements despite higher overall calorie intake — sweat losses and shifts of the mineral into working muscles contribute to this deficit.
Vitamin D & athletic performance
Current evidence indicates that 2,000–6,000 IU/day of Vitamin D may be beneficial for athletes, though the exact dose depends heavily on the athlete’s baseline status, geography, and training environment.4 Despite assumptions that outdoor athletes have adequate vitamin D, recent studies show their levels are similar to the general population.
Practical note: Magnesium and Vitamin D are closely linked — Vitamin D aids magnesium absorption, while magnesium is essential for Vitamin D synthesis, transport, and activation. Deficiency in either can impair the function of both.
Common Supplements Athletes Use for Inflammation & Recovery
When the nutritional foundation is solid, these evidence-backed supplements can meaningfully support the body’s ability to regulate inflammation and recover between training sessions.
It’s All Connected
Inflammation, micronutrient status, and the stress response don’t operate in isolation. Training increases physiological stress. Stress influences inflammation and recovery. Micronutrients affect how well the body adapts and repairs. And the gut — increasingly recognized as central to both immune regulation and nutrient absorption — is a key player in all of it. You can learn more about supporting the gut as part of a holistic recovery approach in this comprehensive leaky gut diet guide.
The goal is not to eliminate the inflammatory process, but to support it. That support starts with adequate energy intake and is reinforced by consistent recovery habits: quality sleep, strategic fueling, and managing overall stress load. From there, micronutrients and targeted supplements can play a meaningful role in helping your body regulate inflammation and recover more efficiently between sessions.
References
- Dinetz E, Bocharova N. Inflammation in elite athletes: a review of novel factors, the role of microbiome, and treatments for performance longevity. Cureus. 2024;16(10):e72720. doi:10.7759/cureus.72720
- Coope OC, Otaegui E, Suárez M, et al. Ashwagandha root extract stabilises physiological stress responses in male and female team sports athletes during pre-season training. Nutrients. 2026;18(2):230. doi:10.3390/nu18020230
- Dmitrašinović G, Pešić V, Stanić D, et al. ACTH, cortisol and IL-6 levels in athletes following magnesium supplementation. J Med Biochem. 2016;35(4):375-384. doi:10.1515/jomb-2016-0021
- Ip TST, Fu SC, Ong MTY, Yung PSH. Vitamin D deficiency in athletes: laboratory, clinical and field integration. Asia Pac J Sports Med Arthrosc Rehabil Technol. 2022;29:22–29. doi:10.1016/j.asmart.2022.06.001
- Dehghani E, Beba M, Danandeh K, et al. The effect of tart cherry juice supplementation on exercise-induced muscle damage (EIMD) in an athletic population. Ann Med Surg (Lond). 2025;87:880-890. doi:10.1097/MS9.0000000000002914
- Cannataro R, Abrego-Guandique DM, Straface N, Cione E. Omega-3 and sports: focus on inflammation. Life (Basel). 2024;14(10):1315. doi:10.3390/life14101315
- Fernández-Lázaro D, Mielgo-Ayuso J, Seco Calvo J, et al. Modulation of exercise-induced muscle damage, inflammation, and oxidative markers by curcumin supplementation in a physically active population: a systematic review. Nutrients. 2020;12(2):501. doi:10.3390/nu12020501
