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Journals / Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart Üniversitesi Spor Bilimleri Dergisi / 2026 / Cilt: 9 Sayı: 2026

Microgreens, Microgreens in Sports Nutrition

Mikro Yeşillikler, Sporcu Beslenmesinde Mikro Yeşillikler

Ezgi Tulay(gençlik ve spor bakanlığı)0000-0002-4014-7559
Mahmut Acak(ÇANAKKALE ONSEKİZ MART ÜNİVERSİTESİ)0000-0002-2843-4834
Pages
271–283
Publication Date
2026-05-04
DOI
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AI Summary & Key Takeaways

AI Insight
⚡ TL;DR(Too Long; Didn't Read)

Results: Enhancing athletic performance, accelerating post-exercise recovery, and maintaining athletes’ overall health constitute core research areas within sport sciences and sports nutrition.

📌 3 Key Takeaways

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Objective & Hypothesis:Purpose: The aim of this systematic review is to evaluate the nutritional composition of microgreens, their physiological effects, and their potential roles in athletic performance and post-exercise recovery in light of the current scientific literature.
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Key Findings & Data:Method: The study included a total of 14,813 microgreen studies published between 2000 and 2026 in ScienceDirect, PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, and Google Scholar databases, 68 of which were related to sports and nutrition.
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Conclusion & Impact:Results: Enhancing athletic performance, accelerating post-exercise recovery, and maintaining athletes’ overall health constitute core research areas within sport sciences and sports nutrition.
🔬Design:Review & Systematic Survey
📍Scope:2000 Verileri
⚙️Variables:Mikro yeşillikler · Sporcu beslenmesi · Atletik performans

Abstract

Purpose: The aim of this systematic review is to evaluate the nutritional composition of microgreens, their physiological effects, and their potential roles in athletic performance and post-exercise recovery in light of the current scientific literature. Method: The study included a total of 14,813 microgreen studies published between 2000 and 2026 in ScienceDirect, PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, and Google Scholar databases, 68 of which were related to sports and nutrition. Results: Enhancing athletic performance, accelerating post-exercise recovery, and maintaining athletes’ overall health constitute core research areas within sport sciences and sports nutrition. Nutritional strategies play a decisive role in training adaptations and performance outcomes, and in recent years, growing interest in functional foods has brought natural and nutrient-dense foods to the forefront. In this context, microgreens have attracted attention as a potential food group in athlete nutrition due to their rich content of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and bioactive compounds. Microgreens are harvested at an early developmental stage following seed germination and exhibit a higher nutrient density compared with their mature plant counterparts. Their richness in vitamins C, E, and K; minerals such as potassium, magnesium, and iron; as well as polyphenols, flavonoids, and nitrates suggests that microgreens may offer potential benefits for athletes by reducing oxidative stress, modulating inflammatory responses, supporting immune function, and improving recovery processes. The findings indicate that microgreens, particularly due to their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, may positively influence biochemical processes associated with exercise-induced muscle damage and fatigue. However, studies directly assessing the effects of microgreens on sports performance remain limited. Conclusion: In conclusion, microgreens may be considered a complementary functional food that enhances dietary diversity and supports general health in athletes; nevertheless, further advanced clinical studies are required to clarify their effects on athletic performance.

Özet

Amaç: Bu sistematik derlemenin amacı, mikro yeşilliklerin besin içeriğini, fizyolojik etkilerini ve sporcu performansı ile egzersiz sonrası toparlanma üzerindeki potansiyel rollerini mevcut bilimsel literatür doğrultusunda değerlendirmektir. Yöntem: Çalışma kapsamında PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus ve Google Scholar veri tabanlarında 2000–2026 yılları arasında yayımlanan çalışmalar incelenmiştir. Bulgular: Atletik performansın geliştirilmesi, egzersiz sonrası toparlanmanın hızlandırılması ve sporcuların genel sağlık durumunun korunması, spor bilimleri ve sporcu beslenmesinin temel araştırma alanları arasında yer almaktadır. Beslenme stratejileri, antrenman adaptasyonları ve performans çıktıları üzerinde belirleyici bir role sahip olup, son yıllarda fonksiyonel gıdalara olan ilginin artmasıyla birlikte doğal ve besin yoğunluğu yüksek gıdalar ön plana çıkmıştır. Bu bağlamda mikro yeşillikler (microgreens), vitamin, mineral, antioksidan ve biyoaktif bileşikler bakımından zengin içerikleri sayesinde sporcu beslenmesinde potansiyel bir besin grubu olarak dikkat çekmektedir. Mikro yeşillikler, sebze ve bitki tohumlarının çimlenme sonrası erken gelişim evresinde hasat edilen formlar olup, olgun bitkilere kıyasla daha yüksek besin yoğunluğuna sahiptir. Özellikle C, E ve K vitaminleri; potasyum, magnezyum ve demir gibi mineraller; polifenoller, flavonoidler ve nitratlar açısından zengin olmaları, mikro yeşilliklerin oksidatif stresin azaltılması, inflamatuar yanıtın düzenlenmesi, bağışıklık fonksiyonunun desteklenmesi ve toparlanma süreçlerinin iyileştirilmesi açısından sporcular için potansiyel faydalar sunabileceğini düşündürmektedir. Çalışma kapsamında ScienceDirect, PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus ve Google Scholar veri tabanlarında 2000–2026 yılları arasında yayımlanan toplamda 14.813 mikro yeşillik çalışmasını içerirken, 68 tanesi spor ve beslenme içeriklidir. Bulgular, mikro yeşilliklerin özellikle antioksidan ve anti-inflamatuar özellikleri sayesinde egzersize bağlı kas hasarı ve yorgunlukla ilişkili biyokimyasal süreçleri olumlu yönde etkileyebileceğini göstermektedir. Bununla birlikte, mikro yeşilliklerin spor performansı üzerindeki doğrudan etkilerini değerlendiren çalışmaların sınırlı olduğu görülmektedir. Sonuç: Sonuç olarak mikro yeşillikler, sporcu diyetlerinde besin çeşitliliğini artıran ve genel sağlığı destekleyen tamamlayıcı bir fonksiyonel gıda olarak değerlendirilebilir; ancak performans üzerindeki etkilerinin netleştirilmesi için ileri düzey klinik çalışmalara ihtiyaç duyulmaktadır.

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Cite This Article

Tulay, E., Acak, M. (2026). Microgreens, Microgreens in Sports Nutrition. Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart Üniversitesi Spor Bilimleri Dergisi, Cilt: 9 Sayı: 2026, 271–283. https://ajindex.com/articles/1471817

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