Nutrition for Tactical Athletes: Insights, Applications and Research Gaps

Tactical athletes, including military personnel, firefighters and rescue responders, operate in unpredictable and extreme environments that impose high physical and cognitive demands with life-and-death stakes. Tactical operations demonstrate metabolic demands akin to elite sports. Unlike sports competitions, tactical operations often involve prolonged exertion, limited food/water, disrupted recovery windows and circadian rhythms. This review draws on sports nutrition research to adapt evidence-based strategies for tactical athletes, highlighting key overlaps and distinctions. First, achieving adequate optimal energy availability in tactical athletes is challenging because of unpredictable demands, which makes it important to leverage training sessions to optimise nutrition strategies and energy availability. Second, when operational timelines are predictable, sport nutrient timing principles can be applied. However, under tight operational timelines, tactical athletes should aim for 1-4 g·kg^-1 body mass of portable, easily digested carbohydrates with fluids in the 1-4 h before deployment, guided by practicality, logistics and individual gastrointestinal tolerance. When operations are expected to involve moderate-to-high intensity activity within the first 2 h, lower fibre, lower fat and rapidly digestible carbohydrate forms (e.g. gels, sports drinks or soft bars) may be preferred to minimise gastrointestinal discomfort. In such situations, aggressive recovery and rehydration post-operation should also be prioritised. Under high environmental heat, high carbohydrate (≥ 7 g·kg^-1 BM) and low-FODMAP (Fermentable Oligo-, Di-, Monosaccharides and Polyols) intakes may mitigate heat-induced physiological changes, which include increased carbohydrate oxidation and appetite suppression. Last, evidence for creatine, nitrate, beta-alanine and bicarbonate in tactical athletes closely reflects findings in sport populations. The use of caffeine, however, requires more careful consideration as it may disrupt sleep.