[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":60},["ShallowReactive",2],{"navigation":3,"cms-page-/gamers-its-time-you-ate-like-a-real-athlete":42,"blog-gamers-its-time-you-ate-like-a-real-athlete":43,"page-/gamers-its-time-you-ate-like-a-real-athlete":42},{"headerItems":4,"footerItems":22,"ctaButton":38,"footerHeading":40,"footerDescription":41},[5,9,12,15,18],{"label":6,"path":7,"external":8},"About","/about",false,{"label":10,"path":11,"external":8},"Technologies","/our-technology",{"label":13,"path":14,"external":8},"Team","/team",{"label":16,"path":17,"external":8},"Learn","/blog",{"label":19,"path":20,"external":21},"Shop","https://intentionaleveryday.com/",true,[23,26,29,32,35],{"label":24,"url":25,"external":8},"Partner With Us","/partner",{"label":27,"url":28,"external":8},"Investors","mailto:investors@turtletree.com",{"label":30,"url":31,"external":21},"Careers","https://apply.workable.com/turtletree/",{"label":33,"url":34,"external":8},"Press","/blog?section=media",{"label":36,"url":37,"external":8},"Contact us","mailto:hello@turtletree.com",{"text":39,"link":25},"Get a Sample","Join the Revolution","Get exciting updates from TurtleTree",null,{"id":44,"path":45,"title":46,"description":47,"date":48,"category":49,"tags":50,"image":55,"author":56,"published":57,"slug":58,"body":59,"blocks":42,"seo_title":47,"seo_description":47,"og_image":42},42,"/gamers-its-time-you-ate-like-a-real-athlete","Gamers, It’s Time You Ate Like a Real Athlete","","2022-02-18T10:39:00.000Z","blog",[51,52,53,54],"e-sports","gut-health","iron-regulation","lactoferrin","/cms-media/gamers-its-time-you-ate-like-a-real-athlete.jpg","TurtleTree",1,"gamers-its-time-you-ate-like-a-real-athlete","\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Are e-athletes real athletes? It certainly seems like global sporting organizations are issuing a verdict on this: esports is debuting at major sporting events like the Commonwealth Games and the Asian Games this year. Additional signs that esports is being taken seriously? The global esports market was valued at over $1.08 billion in 2021, a whopping almost \u003C/span>\u003Ca href=\"https://www.statista.com/statistics/490522/global-esports-market-revenue/#:~:text=In%202021%2C%20the%20global%20eSports,billion%20U.S.%20dollars%20in%202024.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">50%\u003C/span>\u003C/a>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> growth from 2020. \u003C/span>\u003C/p>\n\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">While there are plenty who still insist that esports isn’t an actual sport at all, the esports community has consistently flown in the face of such detractors. Certainly not least with the launch of \u003C/span>\u003Ca href=\"https://complexity.gg/complexity-gaming-launches-complexity-stars-the-worlds-first-gaming-division-for-celebrities-and-professional-athletes/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Complexity Stars\u003C/span>\u003C/a>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> last year, the world’s first initiative bringing traditional sports athletes together with e-athletes. Think: pro-am tournaments featuring football and esports stars, and even the sharing of training facilities (what that looks like: e-athletes receiving the same rigorous workout and nutritional coaching as NFL players.) \u003C/span>\u003C/p>\n\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">These game-changing milestones are set to redefine the legitimacy of esports and how e-athletes see themselves. Guzzling G Fuel and scarfing down chips for a quick energy boost should become a thing of the past. Gaming, like any sport, requires mental and physical dexterity. Just like any bona fide athlete, it’s time for e-athletes to start taking their health and wellness seriously. \u003C/span>\u003C/p>\n\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">One easy way e-athletes can support their health is through functional nutrition. Instead of a dated one-size-fits-all approach to nutrition, functional nutrition instead recommends dietary sources tailored to your body and lifestyle’s unique needs. With e-athletes requiring consistent peak mental and physical performance, a powerhouse protein like lactoferrin is a fitting addition to every e-athlete’s diet. Here are 3 reasons why. \u003C/span>\u003C/p>\n\u003Ch3>\n\u003Cp>1. Iron Regulation and Optimal Physical Performance\u003C/p>\n\u003C/h3>\n\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It’s no secret that gaming requires fast reflexes (here’s looking at you \u003C/span>\u003Ca href=\"https://www.nbcnews.com/technolog/how-fast-fast-some-pro-gamers-make-10-moves-second-8c11422946\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">StarCraft II\u003C/span>\u003C/a>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> players). In fact, what sets professional gamers apart from average gamers is their faster-than-average reaction time. \u003C/span>\u003C/p>\n\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Key to maintaining peak performance like sustained energy levels and excellent reaction timings is \u003C/span>\u003Ca href=\"https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19429029/#:~:text=There%20was%20a%20significant%20decrease,the%20ability%20of%20cognitive%20processing.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">oxygen availability\u003C/span>\u003C/a>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, or the delivery of oxygen to the brain and muscles. And before you think that the way to achieving oxygenation is simply taking deeper breaths, newsflash: it’s actually iron metabolism that drives oxygen availability. \u003C/span>\u003C/p>\n\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Iron is the essential mineral enabling hemoglobin (a protein found in red blood cells) to bind and transport oxygen to tissues throughout our body. To have the appropriate oxygen levels required for carrying out even simple activities like \u003C/span>\u003Ca href=\"http://spotify.com/us/login/?continue=https%3A%2F%2Fopen.spotify.com%2F__noul__%3Fl2l%3D1%26nd%3D1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">walking\u003C/span>\u003C/a>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, supporting one’s iron metabolism is key. \u003C/span>\u003C/p>\n\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">To maintain optimal physical performance, it’s hence crucial that the body metabolizes iron efficiently. To that end, researchers have found that lactoferrin displays exceptional iron-binding capabilities—possibly even exceeding that of serum transferrin (\u003C/span>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">the main protein that transports iron throughout the body\u003C/span>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">) by \u003C/span>\u003Ca href=\"https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24793588/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">300 times\u003C/span>\u003C/a>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">! When taken according to recommendations, lactoferrin is ideal for regulating iron absorption and the delivery of iron to our cells, helping to support optimal physical performance. TLDR: Don’t let a laggy iron metabolism lag your gameplay. \u003C/span>\u003C/p>\n\u003Ch3>\n\u003Cp>2. Gut Health and Stress\u003C/p>\n\u003C/h3>\n\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">How stressed can gamers be? After all, they’re just sitting in a chair and barely moving, right? Well, it turns out that the amount of stress they experience is equivalent to that of being in a sports car race. \u003C/span>\u003C/p>\n\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Scientists at the \u003C/span>\u003Ca href=\"https://www.dw.com/en/science-shows-that-esports-professionals-are-real-athletes/a-19084993\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">German Sports University\u003C/span>\u003C/a>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> found that gamers typically clocked up 400 movements on the keyboard and mouse per minute (an impressive four times that of the average person). The physiological effects of these rapid-fire movements culminated in physical stressors like a 160-180bpm pulse rate which, for context, is what happens when you’re sprinting. Top that off with elevated cortisol levels worthy of a competing race car driver, and you’ve basically got a Formula 1 situation happening in a gaming chair. \u003C/span>\u003C/p>\n\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The connection between\u003C/span>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> stress and \u003Ca href=\"/gut-feeling-an-underrated-tool-for-work-performance\">gut health\u003C/a>\u003C/span>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> has been well documented. Stress can lead to\u003C/span>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> changes in the gut bacteria\u003C/span>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, \u003C/span>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">which may then affect the resiliency of the gut's ecosystem. \u003C/span>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">With the stressful nature of esports matches, it’s not surprising that the gut health of e-athletes could take a back seat and\u003C/span>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> potentially lead to compromised \u003C/span>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">performance. But who wants to get pwned by their own tummy? \u003C/span>\u003C/p>\n\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Including lactoferrin in one’s diet is an easy way to maintain a healthy gut. The protein encourages the \u003C/span>\u003Ca href=\"https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/20/19/4707\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">growth of beneficial bacteria\u003C/span>\u003C/a>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and supports the diversification of the gut microbiome, setting the stage for a happy and healthy tummy—even when you’re getting headshot for the 10th time. What’s more, lactoferrin also maintains our \u003C/span>\u003Ca href=\"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8655231/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">gut barrier system\u003C/span>\u003C/a>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. This ensures good nutrient absorption, and the tolerance of food allergies. Now that’s poggers!\u003C/span>\u003C/p>\n\u003Ch3>\n\u003Cp>3. Maintaining a Healthy Immune System\u003C/p>\n\u003C/h3>\n\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Long training sessions and drawn out best-of matches can take a toll on an e-athlete’s energy levels. \u003C/span>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Physical strain, coupled with mental lethargy, is the perfect recipe for an unbalanced immune system. \u003C/span>\u003C/p>\n\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Lactoferrin is a \u003C/span>\u003Ca href=\"https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18364398/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">core component\u003C/span>\u003C/a>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> of our body’s innate immune system aka the physiological defense system with which you were born. So whether it’s taking lactoferrin supplements or sipping a lactoferrin-enhanced beverage, incorporating this powerhouse protein into your daily diet can help support a tip-top immune \u003C/span>\u003Cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">system. After all, no serious gamer has the time to be AFK to blow their nose or even pause for a sneeze.\u003C/span>\u003C/p>\n\u003Cp>\u003Cb>\u003Ci>Ready to take your game even further? Sign up for the TurtleTree newsletter to keep up with a brand new world of food that does more.\u003C/i>\u003C/b>\u003C/p>",1784790788244]