Energy expenditure, dietary intake and energy availability in female professional football players

Abstract

ObjectivesTo quantify energy expenditure and intake in professional female footballers playing on a national and/or international level. Second, to determine the prevalence of low energy availability among these players, defined as <30 kcal/kg fat-free mass (FFM)/day.MethodsFifty-one players completed a 14-day prospective observational study during the 2021/2022 football season. Energy expenditure was determined using the doubly labelled water method. Energy intake was assessed using dietary recalls, while global positioning system determined the external physiological load. Descriptive statistics, stratification and the correlation between explainable variables and outcomes were conducted to quantify the energetic demands.ResultsThe mean energy expenditure for all players (22±4 years) was 2918±322 kcal. Mean energy intake was 2274±450 kcal, resulting in a discrepancy of ~22%. Carbohydrate intake was below the recommended guidelines on match day at 4.5±1.9 g/kg. The mean energy availability was 36.7±17.7 kcal/kg FFM/day on matchday and 37.9±11.7 kcal/kg FFM/day on training days, resulting in a prevalence of 36% and 23% for low energy availability during the observational period, respectively.ConclusionThese elite female football players displayed moderate energy expenditure levels and failed to meet the recommended levels of carbohydrate intake. In conjunction with inadequate nutritional periodisation, this will likely hamper performance through inadequate muscle glycogen resynthesis. In addition, we found a considerable prevalence of low energy availability on match and training days.

Body dissatisfaction, disordered eating and exercise behaviours: associations with symptoms of REDs in male and female athletes

“…While overuse injuries are the most common types of injuries among athletes in endurance and other non-contact sports, overuse and acute injuries occur frequently in contact sports 36. High injury score must therefore be interpreted with caution and in relation to injury type and underlying causes 35 36. In the present study, athletes’ answers to open-ended questions about injury types sustained in the past year were not sufficiently detailed to elaborate further on.…”

“…While LEAF-Q total, gastrointestinal and menstrual scores were associated with many of the LEAM-Q-derived scores, no associations were found between any of the LEAM-Q derived scores and the LEAF-Q injury score. Accordingly, recent studies have reported that the LEAF-Q injury score lacks specificity when administered in sports other than endurance and aesthetic 35 36. The injury score is only based on questions regarding number and duration of absences from training or competition in the past year due to unspecified injuries 22.…”

“…The injury score is only based on questions regarding number and duration of absences from training or competition in the past year due to unspecified injuries 22. While overuse injuries are the most common types of injuries among athletes in endurance and other non-contact sports, overuse and acute injuries occur frequently in contact sports 36. High injury score must therefore be interpreted with caution and in relation to injury type and underlying causes 35 36.…”

Under-Fuelling for the Work Required? Assessment of Dietary Practices and Physical Loading of Adolescent Female Soccer Players during an Intensive International Training and Game Schedule

“…This is especially the case for the research base that supports the provision of an evidence-based sports nutrition programme, where the energetic requirements of elite female soccer players are now only beginning to be understood. Indeed, we [5] and others [6] have recently reported the direct assessment of adult players' energy expenditure (EE), assessed using the gold-standard, doubly labelled water technique. Such reports document absolute energy expenditures of 2693 ± 432 and 2918 ± 322 kcal•day −1 in a cohort of English (international competition) and Norwegian (domestic competition) players, respectively.…”

“…Such reports document absolute energy expenditures of 2693 ± 432 and 2918 ± 322 kcal•day −1 in a cohort of English (international competition) and Norwegian (domestic competition) players, respectively. Notwithstanding the potential for dietary under-reporting, it is noteworthy that both studies also highlighted that the players' selfreported energy intake (EI) was below the recommended values, such that low energy availability (LEA, as classified according to the published values of <30 kcal•kg FFM −1 •day −1 ) was estimated to occur in 23 [5] and 88% [6] of the players on training days. Such data also agree with the prevalence of LEA that was reported in English players playing in their respective domestic league [7].…”