How to Make Better Sports Nutrition Decisions | Prof. Michael Gleeson

We Do Science with Dr Laurent Bannock returns, now with video! In this first episode back, Laurent welcomes Professor Michael Gleeson, Emeritus Professor of Exercise Biochemistry at Loughborough University, to explore the four Ps of performance nutrition: personalise, periodise, pre-fuel and prepare.

Drawing on his research and experience in sports nutrition, Michael explains how this framework can help practitioners turn scientific evidence into practical decisions for their athletes. The conversation covers carbohydrate fuelling, hydration, gut training and supplements, alongside the importance of adapting nutrition strategies to training demands, individual preferences and the realities of competition.

Laurent and Michael also discuss the role of wearables and testing in personalised nutrition, the challenges of supplement marketing, and why more information doesn’t always lead to better decisions. With examples from football and endurance sport, this episode offers sports nutritionists, coaches, students and athletes a practical look at choosing, applying and evaluating nutrition strategies.

Subscribe for more conversations exploring the science and practice of sports nutrition.

Connect with Michael:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-gleeson-218565b9/

Connect with Laurent:

Substack: https://substack.com/@laurentbannock

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laurentbannock/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/laurent_bannock

Website: ⁠https://www.laurentbannock.com

Chapters:

00:00 Introduction
02:47 Welcoming Michael back to We Do Science
04:18 Michael’s background and research
08:06 Why develop the four P's of performance nutrition?
14:18 Using the framework to guide decisions
19:40 Personalise: tailoring nutrition to the athlete
24:22 Personalisation, testing and getting the basics right
30:28 Periodise: matching nutrition to training demands
34:11 Gut training and rehearsing competition nutrition
37:23 Pre-fuel: preparing for competition
43:22 Prepare: hydration, fuelling and supplements
49:19 Athlete preferences and practical problem-solving
52:27 Cultural considerations and World Cup nutrition
55:29 Choosing what belongs in the framework
56:35 Supplement evidence and marketing
1:03:38 Applying and evaluating the four Ps
1:05:35 The future of personalised sports nutrition
1:09:05 The future of sports nutrition textbooks