Assessing Adequate Caloric, Macronutrient, and Micronutrient Intake in College Athletes of Various Sports

Assessing Adequate Caloric, Macronutrient, and Micronutrient Intake in College Athletes of Various Sports

Presenter(s)

Hannah M Boyer, Ashley Briana Marolo, Abby Louise Vichill

Description

Adequate micro- and macronutrient intakes are important for optimal athlete performance and recovery and decreased risk of injury. However, research suggests collegiate athletes often have suboptimal intakes of calories and nutrients such as calcium, vitamin D and iron. The purpose of this study was to examine the actual dietary intake to estimated need of calories and micro- and macronutrients of collegiate athletes across different sports at a Division I private university. Athletes from football, cross country, volleyball and track competed a three-day food record and 7-day physical activity log. Resting metabolic rate was determined through indirect calorimetry using a Medgem. Caloric need for each athlete was determined by adding the resting metabolic rate, calculated METS from exercise training, and physical activity and thermic effect of food factors. Macronutrient need for each athlete was calculated using determined grams/kg +/-10% based on the sport and compared to the calculated calories to ensure appropriate macronutrient distribution. Lastly, micronutrient intake was compared to the RDA for gender and age. The information from each three-day food record was entered into the Nutrient Database System for Research to obtain measures of each athletes’ calories and macro- and micronutrients consumed. Frequencies and Chi-square analyses were utilized to examine dietary adequacy across gender. Fourteen male and 8 female athletes participated in the study. All athletes were under the calculated need for carbohydrates with 31% not obtaining adequate fat and 36% under for protein. More than 50% were under the RDA for fiber, vitamin D and potassium. In terms of gender, girls were more likely than boys to be under for iron but over for fiber. In conclusion, nutrition education and careful dietary planning should be a focus within the college athletic arena to encourage adequate nutrient intake and optimal athletic performance.

Publication Date

4-18-2018

Project Designation

Independent Research

Primary Advisor

Diana Cuy Castellanos

Primary Advisor's Department

Health and Sport Science

Keywords

Stander Symposium project

Assessing Adequate Caloric, Macronutrient, and Micronutrient Intake in College Athletes of Various Sports

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