The aim of this meta-analysis was to review the impact of a Paleolithic diet (PD) on selected health indicators (body composition, lipid profile, blood pressure, and carbohydrate metabolism) in the short and long term of nutrition intervention in healthy and unhealthy adults. A systematic review of randomized controlled trials of 21 full-text original human studies was conducted. Both the PD and a variety of healthy diets (control diets (CDs)) caused reduction in anthropometric parameters, both in the short and long term. For many indicators, such as weight (body mass (BM)), body mass index (BMI), and waist circumference (WC), impact was stronger and especially found in the short term. All diets caused a decrease in total cholesterol (TC), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), and triglycerides (TG), albeit the impact of PD was stronger. Among long-term studies, only PD cased a decline in TC and LDL-C. Impact on blood pressure was observed mainly in the short term. PD caused a decrease in fasting plasma (fP) glucose, fP insulin, and homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) and glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) in the short run, contrary to CD. In the long term, only PD caused a decrease in fP glucose and fP insulin. Lower positive impact of PD on performance was observed in the group without exercise. Positive effects of the PD on health and the lack of experiments among professional athletes require longer-term interventions to determine the effect of the Paleo diet on athletic performance.

Background: Mistakes in dietary choices and an unbalanced diet reduce the exercise capacity of athletes. Nutritional behaviours are conditioned by environmental and individual factors. Objective: The aim of the study was to assess the scale of improper eating behaviours among high-performance Polish athletes depending on gender, sports level and type of discipline. Material and methods: The study was conducted among 610 athletes (391 men and 219 women). The group consisted of 289 athletes of individual disciplines and 321 team sports athletes representing the championship sports class (282 individuals) as well as the first and second classes (328 subjects). The authors' validated nutritional behaviour questionnaire was used, referring to the recommendation of the Swiss nutrition pyramid for athletes. In statistical analysis, the Chi 2 test was applied (α=0.05). Results: Athletes most often demonstrated improper behaviours regarding: insufficient frequency of consuming vegetable fats (61.78%), fruits (59.89%), wholegrain products (59.90%), vegetables (53.62%) and dairy products (52.09%), and not limiting the intake of energy drinks (59.89%). Compared to women, men, to a larger extent, did not include the following in their daily diet: raw vegetables (p<0.001), wholegrain products (p<0.05) and vegetable fats (p<0.01). Significantly more often, they also did not limit the consumption of: animal fats (p<0.001), sweetened carbonated beverages (p<0.001), energy drinks (p<0.05) or fast food products (p<0.001). Women consumed meals less regularly (p<0.01), rarely ate fish (p<0.01), and were more likely to be inadequately hydrated (p<0.05). Athletes training individual sports disciplines compared to those training team sports consumed hydrating beverages (p<0.001) less often, but included fruit in their daily diet more frequently (p<0.05). Athletes from the master class consumed meals irregularly (p<0.01) in a smaller percentage than athletes with a lower sports class, not limiting animal fats (p<0.05) and implementing inadequate hydration (p<0.05). Conclusions:The scale of incorrect nutrition choices among athletes indicated variations depending on gender, sports level and type of sport practiced, with incorrect behaviours more often presented by men than women and competitors with a lower sports level (non-master class). The nature of the performed discipline was a factor less differentiating the nutritional choices of athletes. STRESZCZENIEWprowadzenie: Wadliwe wybory żywieniowe i niezbilansowana dieta wpływają na obniżenie zdolności wysiłkowych sportowców. Zachowania żywieniowe są warunkowane czynnikami środowiskowymi i osobniczymi. Cel: Celem badań była ocena skali nieprawidłowych zachowań żywieniowych polskich sportowców wyczynowych w zależności od płci, poziomu sportowego i rodzaju uprawianej dyscypliny. Materiał i metody: Badania przeprowadzono wśród 610 sportowców (391 mężczyzn i 219 kobiet). Grupę stanowiło 289 zawodników dyscyplin indywidualnych i 321 zawodników dyscyplin zespołowych, reprezentujących klasę spo...

The aim of this study was to quantify the dietary patterns (DPs) of Polish esports players aged 18–26 years. Data were obtained via questionnaires that assessed dietary habits and frequency of food consumption. Dietary patterns were derived using Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and Factor Analysis (FA). In total, nine distinct DPs were identified. Eight DPs were considered unhealthy; fast food', 'High-processed food, meat and confectionery', 'Sweet', 'Fat-diary products', 'Vegetable-fruit', 'Spices and additives', 'Fats' and 'Cereal'; and only one was deemed healthy. E-athletes presented mostly poor dietary habits, which included: irregular eating of meals, frequent snacking, at least three meals a day and composition of snacks, frying of meat dishes and sweetening of hot drinks. Healthy dietary habits included proper hydration during the day and consumption of mainly non-sparkling water. The unbalanced and largely unhealthy dietary habits of esports players raise health concerns for these e-athletes, particularly when combined with a sedentary lifestyle. Future research could assess the nutritional knowledge of this group as it relates to national guidelines, investigate interventions designed to introduce healthier eating options into their lifestyle and examine the relationship between DPs and health or cognitive performance.