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Committee on Military Nutrition Research Activity Report 1992-1994 (1994) / Chapter Skim
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Can Food Components Be Used to Enhance Soldier Performance?
Pages 33-36

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From page 33...
... However, today's soldiers face increasing demands, both physically in the loads they must carry and mentally in the cognitive abilities required to use the more sophisticated weaponry; both sets of factors place additional burdens on their nutritional needs. Military personnel in combat settings endure highly unpredictable timing and types of stresses as well as situations that require continuing vigilance for hours or days.
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From page 34...
... by evaluating the performance-enhancing capabilities of food components specifically tyrosine, other amino acids, complex carbohydrates, caffeine, carnitine, choline, and long-chain fatty acids. The Committee was asked to indicate which if any of these food components offered the most promise for future research that could lead to the development of prototype ration components for testing in laboratory and controlled field settings.
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From page 35...
... of a 10-15 percent enhancement in performance of its well-fed, physically-fit soldiers by fiscal year 1998 can be obtained through consumption of specific rations or nutrients is overly optimistic. The CMNR believes there might be opportunities to meet this objective only if enhanced performance is defined as preventing or restoring all or part of the decrease in performance that is usually encountered overextended field operations (since troops in such circumstances tend to reduce food intake, lose weight, and sometimes dehydrate)
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From page 36...
... Tyrosine supplements have reduced the adverse effects of hypoxia, cold, body negative pressure, and psychological stress both in humans and animals. Additional research is needed on tyrosine to demonstrate the generalizability of its effects across a wider range of stressors, establish a dose-response function for its beneficial effects, determine whether it is helpful in chronic stress paradigms, determine the safety of its administration, assess the risks and benefits of acute versus chronic administration, and determine the most appropriate method for providing it as a supplement.
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Key Terms

  • soldier performance
  • military operations
  • percent enhancement
  • supplements enhance
  • choline supplements

  • physical activity
  • army science
  • enhance memory
  • neuroscience research
  • pennington biomedical

  • animal research
  • aids fall
  • provides responses
  • performance psychology
  • stressful conditions

  • highly stressful
  • unpredictable timing
  • settings endure
  • combat settings
  • sufficient evidence

  • rations containing
  • food science
  • current scientific
  • dietary allowances
  • anticipated conditions

  • improving performance
  • army natick
  • chronic stress
  • fatty acids
  • baseline levels


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