No abstract

Understanding the nutritional demands on serving military personnel is critical to inform training schedules and dietary provision. Troops deployed to Afghanistan face austere living and working environments. Observations from the military and those reported in the British and US media indicated possible physical degradation of personnel deployed to Afghanistan. Therefore, the present study aimed to investigate the changes in body composition and nutritional status of military personnel deployed to Afghanistan and how these were related to physical fitness. In a cohort of British Royal Marines (n 249) deployed to Afghanistan for 6 months, body size and body composition were estimated from body mass, height, girth and skinfold measurements. Energy intake (EI) was estimated from food diaries and energy expenditure measured using the doubly labelled water method in a representative subgroup. Strength and aerobic fitness were assessed. The mean body mass of volunteers decreased over the first half of the deployment (24·6 (SD 3·7) %), predominately reflecting fat loss. Body mass partially recovered (mean þ 2·2 (SD 2·9) %) between the mid-and post-deployment periods (P,0·05). Daily EI (mean 10 590 (SD 3339) kJ) was significantly lower than the estimated daily energy expenditure (mean 15 167 (SD 1883) kJ) measured in a subgroup of volunteers. However, despite the body mass loss, aerobic fitness and strength were well maintained. Nutritional provision for British military personnel in Afghanistan appeared sufficient to maintain physical capability and micronutrient status, but providing appropriate nutrition in harsh operational environments must remain a priority.

Baseline serum 25(OH)D concentration below 50 nmol L(-1) was associated with an increased risk of stress fracture. Further studies into the effects of vitamin D supplementation on stress fracture risk are certainly warranted.

The results show that indices of body composition as well as absolute aerobic power influence the relative metabolic demands of load-carriage. Application of these measurements would ensure selection criteria for load-carriage occupations are based on lean muscle mass rather than running speed.

The effect of manipulating sodium intake upon sweat sodium secretion was investigated during heat acclimation. Twenty-five male subjects were confined to an environmental chamber at a temperature of 25 degrees C for 3 days, and then acclimated to heat by a further 5 days at 40 degrees C. The subjects' daily sodium intake was controlled throughout as follows: high (HNa), 348.4 (0.8) mmol x day(-1), n=7; moderate (MNa), 174.1 (0.6) mmol x day(-1), n=9; or low (LNa), 66.3 mmol x day(-1), n=9. Sodium losses were estimated from urinary, faecal and sweat collections using a whole-body washdown method. Plasma aldosterone concentration was also measured from venous blood sampled each morning. Measurements of body temperature and heart rate during the heat exposure phase indicated a degree of heat acclimation. During this heat phase there was a reduction (P < 0.01) in sweat sodium secretion for all three conditions which was greatest for the LNa condition, although this finding was not significant (P < 0.1). In the LNa condition, plasma aldosterone concentration increased (P < 0.05) prior to heat exposure, and the secretion of aldosterone was potentiated (P < 0.01) during the heat exposure in comparison with the MNa condition. In contrast, the HNa diet produced a fall (P < 0.05) in plasma aldosterone concentration prior to heat exposure and an attenuation of aldosterone secretion thereafter. These findings are inconsistent with the hypothesis that retention of sweat sodium is dependent upon a net body sodium deficit, but demonstrate that aldosterone secretion is potentiated under such conditions.