GLOSSARY

Nutrigenetics The study of how genetic differences between people influence nutrient metabolism or dietary responses.

Personalization combines established nutrition principles with the person's training, health, food access, preferences and measured response. Genetics can influence nutrient metabolism, but a commercial gene report rarely determines a complete optimal diet or proves a performance benefit from a specific supplement. Distinguish a reproducible clinical finding from exploratory associations. Nutrigenetics examines variation between people, while nutrigenomics examines interactions between nutrition and genomic function. Use relevant validated information with informed consent and privacy, and avoid replacing ordinary assessment with an attractive but unproven personalized score.

Choose a dietary assessment method according to the question, population and resources. A recent intake record can explore meal timing around training; a frequency questionnaire can describe longer-term patterns. Neither automatically establishes exact habitual intake. Combine food details with training, access, symptoms, medication and relevant measurements. Explain uncertainties and what the method cannot answer. Good assessment produces a decision that can be reviewed, rather than an impressive nutrient report whose apparent precision exceeds the quality of the information collected.

For example, a genetic report may suggest a possible variation in nutrient metabolism without showing that a specific diet will improve the athlete's performance. Check clinical relevance and validated evidence first. Basic information about training, intake, symptoms and food access often supports a more defensible individual plan.

Accuracy concerns closeness to an appropriate reference, while precision concerns repeatability; consistent measurements can still be systematically wrong. Validity asks whether a method supports its intended interpretation, and reliability asks how consistently it performs. Reporting error can reflect memory, burden, food omission or social pressure. An implausible estimate should prompt review rather than an accusation. Calibration may reduce specific errors under defined assumptions, but it does not turn every self-report into an exact measurement of an athlete's habitual intake.