Nutritional Strategies for Optimizing Health, Sports Performance, and Recovery for Female Athletes and Other Physically Active Women: A Systematic Review

Nutritional Strategies for Optimizing Health, Sports Performance, and Recovery for Female Athletes and Other Physically Active Women: A Systematic Review. Mar Larrosa and colleagues. Nutrition Reviews, 2025; published online in 2024. DOI: 10.1093/nutrit/nuae082. PMID: 38994896. https://doi.org/10.1093/nutrit/nuae082

Study type: Systematic review. Open access; this note is based on the full text.

Which nutrition strategies actually help active women perform, recover, and stay healthy? The researchers gathered 71 studies of dietary changes and supplements, published from 2000 to July 2023. Results depended on the intervention and the exercise being tested. Carbohydrate helped most clearly when exercise depleted muscle fuel stores. Some protein and supplement interventions showed benefits, while others changed laboratory measurements without improving performance. The review also exposed a major gap: only 22 studies considered menstrual function, and just four compared nutrition interventions across different cycle phases.

This is a broad survey of an uneven evidence base, rather than a single experiment establishing an ideal diet. A change in an inflammation marker does not automatically mean less soreness or a better next workout. Equally, a benefit in one small trial does not establish that the same approach works across sports, ages, or menstrual circumstances.

So What Does This Actually Mean for You?

The useful question is what problem a nutrition strategy is meant to solve. Replacing carbohydrate after fuel-depleting exercise addresses a different need from correcting an iron deficiency. Treating both as general “recovery boosters” hides that difference. For someone training regularly, this review supports building nutrition around the demands of the activity and checking for genuine dietary shortfalls. It does not provide a convincing basis for buying a collection of supplements simply because they are marketed to women. It also gives you a way to judge recovery claims: look for changes in performance or how someone functions, not just a promising blood result. Precise menstrual-phase meal plans remain much less established than their confident presentation might suggest.

Where the Evidence Runs Out

Only four studies were rated at low risk of bias. Interventions, participants, and outcomes varied substantially, making broad comparisons difficult. Menstrual function was often poorly documented, and women with irregular cycles or after menopause were scarcely represented. Longer, better-controlled trials need to test meaningful health and performance outcomes in these groups.

Why We Cite This Source

We cite this review to make the strength of female recovery-nutrition evidence visible. It helps readers distinguish practical dietary support from preliminary supplement findings, while explaining why recommendations based on a woman's cycle need more careful qualification than general nutrition principles.

The Bottom Line in One Paragraph

The review identifies useful nutrition approaches, but also shows how thin much of the female-specific research remains. Its strongest contribution is helping separate a plausible benefit from a well-established one. A promising supplement result is not a universal recovery prescription.

Read the Original Research: DOI https://doi.org/10.1093/nutrit/nuae082 · PubMed https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38994896/ · Journal https://academic.oup.com/nutritionreviews/advance-article/doi/10.1093/nutrit/nuae082/7712679