The most effective nutritional strategies for athletes, especially when evaluated from a multiomics perspective, include increased intake of carbohydrates and polyphenols. A consistent finding is that carbohydrate intake during prolonged and intense exercise, whether from 6%–8% beverages or sugar-dense fruits such as bananas is associated with reduced stress hormones, diminished blood levels of neutrophils and monocytes, and dampened inflammation. Gut-derived phenolics circulate throughout the body after increased polyphenol intake, exerting a variety of bioactive effects that are important to athletes including anti-inflammatory, antiviral, antioxidative, and immune cell signaling effects.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2095254618301005

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5452243/