Dietary Intake of Women Runners

Abstract

One hundred and three women who were habitual distance runners and 74 age-matched physically inactive women provided three-day diet records. Intergroup differences in intakes of energy nutrients, micronutrients, cholesterol and fiber were evaluated via analysis of variance and, to assess qualitative differences, via analysis of covariance with total caloric intake entered as the covariate. Women runners reported consuming more carbohydrate (192.4 vs 165.0 g.d-1) and less fat (57.5 vs 66.1 g.d-1) than did the inactive women (p less than .05). After controlling for the non-significant intergroup difference in caloric intake, these differences persisted and protein intake was lower in the runners. Cholesterol and saturated fat intakes were lower and fiber intake was greater in the runners, with and without control for differences in caloric intake. These data suggest that female runners, when compared to inactive counterparts, tend to follow dietary practices that conform more closely to the current recommendations of health authorities.

The Effects of Exercise on Food Intake and Body Fatness: A Summary of Published Studies

“…[19][20][21] However, other studies suggested that active individuals are in negative energy balance, 22-25 a finding that has been supported by nutritional surveys of athletes. In particular, most of these nutritional surveys have found that athletes eat less than the recommended daily caloric intake for their activity level during the period of time they are active, [26][27][28][29][30][31][32][33][34] although some athletes may consume calories at an amount equivalent to or higher than their energy expenditure. 35 Various studies have looked at changes in hunger and energy intake after a single bout of exercise.…”

“…Table 2 and Figure 4 summarize cross-sectional studies that have investigated the association between exercise training and macronutrient intake. Most studies compared the macronutrient intake of an active group of subjects to the intake of an inactive group, 33,75,83,84,137 and one study only investigated active subjects. 31 All studies used food records to measure food intake, with records ranging in duration from 2 to 10 days.…”

“…33 These studies produced inconsistent results. Although several studies found a significant difference in macronutrient intake between active and inactive subjects, 33,75,84,137 compilation of these and other nonsignificant data do not show consistent differences, as can be seen in Figure 4. Active men may tend to consume more carbohydrate and less fat and protein than inactive men, but the trend is not significant.…”

The Effects of Exercise on Food Intake and Body Fatness: A Summary of Published Studies

“…[19][20][21] However, other studies suggested that active individuals are in negative energy balance, [22][23][24][25] a finding that has been supported by nutritional surveys of athletes. In particular, most of these nutritional surveys have found that athletes eat less than the recommended daily caloric intake for their activity level during the period of time they are active, [26][27][28][29][30][31][32][33][34] although some athletes may consume calories at an amount equivalent to or higher than their energy expenditure. 35 Various studies have looked at changes in hunger and energy intake after a single bout of exercise.…”

Association between Regular Exercise and Dietary Intake among Japanese Young Adults Aged 18-24 Years: A Cross-Sectional Study

“…This suggests that dietary and physical activity behaviors often do not occur in isolation but are correlated with each other. In addition, several previous studies reported the effects of exercise on energy-providing nutrient intake (13,14), although inconsistent results were reported (15). To effectively promote changes that enhance both health behaviors, it is important to assess the association between exercise and dietary intake.…”