Structure and trends of international sport nutrition research between 2000 and 2018: bibliometric mapping of sport nutrition science

Abstract

Background The tool kits of bibliometrics and science mapping provide a standard methodology to map the knowledge base of specific fields of science. The aim of the present research is the analysis of the recent international trends of sport nutrition science, as well as the primary identification of the research topics and results of sport nutrition science via enhanced bibliometric methods for the 2000–2018 time period. Methods Altogether, 3889 publications were included in this study. We identified the most relevant sport nutrition topics by running a community detection algorithm on the proximity network constructed via network text analysis. The key issues and key concepts of sport nutrition topics as well as their relations were evaluated via network analysis. Besides, we carried a chronological analysis of topics out and a scientometric evaluative analysis was also created. Results We identified the four main basic groups from which the 18 most characteristics topics were analyzed. The 18 topics are the following: ‘soccer and physiology’, ‘carbohydrate metabolism’, ‘muscle physiology: alkalosis and acidosis’, ‘muscle mass gain and dietary supplementation’, ‘fluid balance and hydration’, ‘dietary intake and nutrition knowledge’, ‘determination of energy need of athletes’, ‘bone health and female athlete triad’, ‘hydration strategy’, ‘body weight management’, ‘nutritional strategies and human skeletal muscle’, ‘dietary supplementation of nitrates’, ‘oxidative stress and dietary supplement use’, ‘dietary supplement use and doping’, ‘oxidative stress and inflammation and dietary antioxidants’, ‘exercise adaptation and nutritional strategies’, ‘gut microbiota’, ‘celiac disease’. Regarding the size of the topic, researches on sport nutrition science have put the focus on the following three groups: ‘muscle mass gain and dietary supplementation’, ‘carbohydrate metabolism’, ‘oxidative stress and dietary supplement use’. The greatest scientific impact can be ascribed to the following topics: ‘nutritional strategies and human skeletal muscle’, ‘dietary supplementation of nitrates’, ‘body weight management’, and ‘gut microbiota’. Conclusions Scientific output on sport nutrition has continuously been rising between 2000 and 2018. The ratio of topics related to sport nutrition but predominantly connected to basic research has decreased significantly within all publications. The results of this study confirm the role of science mapping in the identification of specific research topics and primary research directions in the field of sport nutrition science.

Bibliometric Analysis of Studies on Coffee/Caffeine and Sport

“…In terms of bibliometric studies in nutrition, our study provides several advantages, such as the coverage of multiple journals, including the calculation of Bradford zones, unlike other bibliometrics in nutrition that focus on a single journal [ 41 , 47 , 64 , 65 ], and geographical coverage at a global level and not restricted to a specific country [ 65 ]. We also identified other bibliometric articles referring to specific nutritional topics [ 37 , 38 , 40 , 66 ] and others on sport and nutrition [ 46 ], but no specific bibliometrics relating coffee/caffeine to sport; therefore, this article is a novelty in this topic.…”

“…The resulting set of articles was analyzed bibliometrically, a meta-analytic method [36] previously used in nutrition and dietetics journals for analyzing a general bibliometric [37][38][39][40], scientific production [41][42][43], science mapping [44][45][46], and scientific trends [44,[46][47][48] in terms of their exponential growth, to ensure a critical mass of documented scientific production that ensures interest in the international scientific community and gives meaning to the subsequent analysis [49,50], determining the time median and its contemporary and obsolete periods. In terms of concentrations, Bradford's law of concentrations was applied to the journals, fragmented into thirds of articles, avoiding the exponential decrease in decreasing performance by expanding the search of references in scientific journals peripheral to the topic under study [51,52].…”

A Glimpse of the Sports Nutrition Awareness in Spanish Basketball Players

“…It may be theorized that older players could have received a greater number of messages about the importance of following adequate hydration. In the last two decades, hydration has been a subject widely addressed by the scientific community [ 68 ]. Consequently, transferring and communicating these recommendations into practice is relatively easy for coaches [ 69 ].…”

Mapping the landscape and structure of global research on binge eating disorder: Visualization and bibliometric analysis

“…An examination of the published literature would aid in determining the density of research and the gaps. We found some bibliometric publications related to certain nutritional subjects[ 19 - 22 ], but none related to BED; therefore, this article is a novelty in this field. This study investigates the global performance and progress of BED research and maps the research patterns and trends using a visualization tool to address this gap.…”