Logical Reasoning Questions for CLAT | QB Set 49

The high-stakes case, of the disqualification of Indian woman wrestler Vinesh Phogat from the women’s 50kg wrestling final at the Paris Olympics 2024, was a setback for India. She was found to be 100 grams heavier than permissible limits. This incident highlights the role of support staff including the sports nutritionist, doctors, and the team management in the Indian contingent.

A myopic view indicates a slip, but the situation highlights the need to integrate precision nutrition in sport. Precision nutrition tailors dietary recommendations based on specific individual requirements, characteristics and circumstances. This process focuses on better understanding and meeting an athlete’s individual requirements, particularly their nutritional needs before and after competition, and measuring athlete’s intakes and avoiding a one-size-fits-all approach.

The science

Precision nutrition involves understanding an individual’s metabolism, microbiome, and how their body responds to food and calorie expenditure to determine the best dietary practices for them. It focuses on systems biology and a multi-omics approach (including genomics, proteomics, metabolomics, and more), sometimes integrating it with bioinformatics and machine learning to provide evidence-based personalised recommendations. Recommendations are based on an athlete’s physiological responses, ensuring they are on edge and optimally prepared for competition. The integration of bioinformatics and machine learning will help in the identification of patterns and ways in which different nutritional strategies affect an athlete’s performance. The gut microbiome may be influenced by diet, especially a plant-based diet under certain exercises, resulting in the production of short chain fatty acids which may support athletic performance and post-exercise metabolic recovery.

An effective nutrition recommendation rides on the granularity of an individual’s dietary intake and physical activity data. Traditional questionnaire/interview-based methods of collecting such data are found wanting as subjective reporting, memory bias, high respondent self-surveillance, and other drawbacks such as social desirability bias.

Combining this subjective information with targeted individual continuous monitoring (for example, continuous glucose monitoring) can provide more specific and individualised recommendations for athletes that not only address dietary requirements but also check the regulatory requirements of sport. Many wearable sensors track and provide information on physical activity levels, stress, sleep, quality, and heart rate monitoring. This incident with Ms. Phogat underscores the importance of continuous and real-time tracking of targeted outcomes for athletes during competitions, making it easier to achieve and maintain target weight.

Glucose monitoring

Continuous glucose monitors (CGM) are commonly used by people with diabetes to monitor interstitial blood glucose responses to food. These devices, implanted in the subcutaneous layer (just under the skin), record blood glucose levels minute by minute. The use of CGMs, under the supervision of a trained nutritionist, can help monitor athletes’ blood glucose responses to food. The information collected can be helpful for personalised recommendations for building muscle, boosting energy, reducing risks of bonking (sudden energy depletion — important marathoners), and maintaining weight.

A few players have reportedly improved their sports performance using CGM. Retired Olympic gold medal-winning Australian swimmer Chelsea Hodges and Kenyan marathon runner Eliud Kipchoge have been using CGM since 2021 to build competitive advantage. The Union Cycliste Internationale has banned the use of CGM in competition due to the perception of a likely advantage. However, these could potentially be used during training for selected players by personal nutritionists, though their use on the field in competition for Indian sportspersons is still in its early stages.

Weight-based sports and risk

The limitations of traditional methods are even more apparent in weight-based sports, such as boxing, wrestling, and martial arts, often struggle to stay within their designated weight class. To do so, they resort to extreme measures and starvation, restricting carbohydrates and water, and adjusting salt intake so weight is reduced quickly before match performance. Reports indicate Ms. Phogat and her team may not have focused on the right nutritional strategies, resulting in the ultimate loss.

A role for sports nutritionists

A study of court matches and fellow players play an influential role in deciding what dietary strategies work best. The incident that led to disqualification, based on athletes’ nutrition, intake, and understanding of their body composition and metabolism. These process and inputs from nutritionists are assigned to different types of athletes. Athletes need sports nutritionists trained in precision nutrition to follow the most accurate intake, maintain target weight, and avoid bans from competitions. They should be familiar with procedures, and methods relevant to key competitions, and ensure athlete’s compliance with rules while also optimising their health.

Integrating precision nutrition into sports planning and support systems can have a big impact on the health and wellness needs of athletes. This can be achieved by involving nutritionists in the process, and aligning sports support apparatus, health care, and scientific research in nutrition practices.

Phogat underscores that there is a critical gap in the support for sports support system. Precision nutrition, as part of a pre-competition diet planning, is imperative to prevent such setbacks for professional athletes everywhere. Integrating nutritionists into sports management can revolutionise sports training, ensuring that sportspersons reach their winning potential, while prioritising their health and their well-being.

Question -1) Which of the following best represents the central theme of the passage?

A) The role of continuous glucose monitoring in improving athlete performance.
B) The challenges faced by Indian athletes in international competitions.
C) The importance of integrating precision nutrition in sports to avoid disqualification.
D) The impact of traditional dietary practices on athlete performance.

Question -2) Based on the passage, which of the following assumptions underlies the use of precision nutrition for athletes?

A) Athletes universally respond to food and supplements in the same way.
B) Precision nutrition can eliminate the need for athletes to monitor their weight.
C) Traditional methods of weight management are sufficient for modern athletes.
D) Tailored dietary recommendations can help avoid drastic weight management practices.

Question -3) Which of the following, if true, would most weaken the argument for the adoption of precision nutrition in sports?

A) Precision nutrition has been shown to improve athlete performance in multiple studies.
B) The cost of implementing precision nutrition is prohibitive for most sports teams.
C) Athletes can achieve similar performance improvements with traditional nutrition methods.
D) Continuous glucose monitoring is already banned in competitive sports by several governing bodies.

Question -4) What can be inferred about the use of Continuous Glucose Monitors (CGMs) during competitions, based on the passage?

A) CGMs are encouraged for use during competitions to ensure athletes are in peak condition.
B) CGMs are universally accepted in all sports competitions worldwide.
C) The use of CGMs during competitions is considered controversial and is banned by some sports governing bodies.
D) Athletes using CGMs during competitions have a distinct advantage over those who do not.

Question -5) Which of the following statements, if true, would most strengthen the case for implementing precision nutrition in weight-based sports?

A) Weight-based sports have the highest incidence of disqualifications due to weight-related issues.
B) Precision nutrition has no significant impact on athletes in non-weight-based sports.
C) The majority of athletes in weight-based sports already use precision nutrition.
D) Precision nutrition is more effective at maintaining long-term health than other methods.

Question -6) According to the passage, which of the following is a potential drawback of traditional dietary data collection methods?

A) They require too much technology.
B) They are cost-prohibitive for most athletes.
C) They rely heavily on subjective information, which may be inaccurate.
D) They provide more precise information than modern methods like CGMs.