Nutrition and body composition of elite rhythmic gymnasts from Bulgaria

Abstract

Rhythmic gymnastics is a sport in which special consideration is given to diet and body appearance. The purpose of this study was to assess the nutrient intake and body composition of elite rhythmic gymnasts in comparison with guidelines for female gymnasts. Twenty-one elite rhythmic gymnasts from Bulgaria were divided into three groups: First National Team, mean age 24.2; Second National Team, mean age 17.8; and Junior National Team, mean age 12.6. Body fat and muscle mass were estimated by skinfold methods, and a food frequency questionnaire was applied to assess the nutrient intake. The gymnasts showed low per cent of body fat (13.9% for the First National Team, 17.0% for the Second National Team, and 15.6% for the Junior National Team) and high per cent muscle mass (44.0, 40.5, and 37.6%, respectively). They kept their weight close to the ideal one, as recommended by the coaches, and the following equation best corresponded to the recommended ideal weight: height (cm) − 118. The energy intake was lower than the calculated energy requirements, in addition to low intake of fat and carbohydrates. The relative protein intake was 1.7 g/kg for the First National Team, 1.7 g/kg for the Second National Team, and 1.9 g/kg for Junior National Team, and the energy contribution of proteins was higher than the recommended 15%. Rhythmic gymnasts should be encouraged to maintain their ideal weight without great variance from the health-related guidelines, and coaches should consider not only the body image, but also the norms relating to body composition in women when determining ideal weight.

Improving Physical Fitness of Children with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities through an Adapted Rhythmic Gymnastics Program in China

“…Gerstl et al's research also shows that rhythmic gymnastics has a positive effect on girls' BMI [ 57 ]. Miteva et al's research shows that gymnasts have a low percentage of body fat and a high percentage of muscle mass [ 58 ]. For IDD children, Bo et al believe that aerobic exercise could reduce their BMI index [ 59 ], while Pitetti et al and Hinckson et al believe that aerobic exercise has little effect on the BMI of IDD children [ 60 , 61 ].…”

Understanding food choices and eating practices of Brazilian and Spanish athletes in aesthetics and weight class sports

“…Literature shows that athletes involved in aesthetics and weight category sports of different ages, and countries, for the most part, do not consume adequate diets [7][8][9][10] . Cultural background, life trajectories, experiences, and athletic goals can create important barriers for the adoption of eating practices in line with precepts of a diet considered ideal for athletes, as well as to promote the adoption of practices that may affect negatively athletic performance and, more importantly, athletes' health 5,11,12 .…”

Hábitos nutricionales en gimnastas: revisión sistemática

“…En cuanto a la calidad metodológica en función de la escala STROBE, 11 estudios mostraron calidad alta, tres calidad moderada y uno baja calidad (tabla 1). En general, la calidad en la mayoría de los estudios que conforman esta revisión sistemática es alta (13,14,(16)(17)(18)(19)(20)(21) .…”

“…Con respecto al diseño, 14 son estudios transversales (93,33%), y uno (6,66%) longitudinal Miteva et al (21) realizado con 21 gimnastas búlgaras, cuyo objetivo fue conocer el valor nutricional y la composición corporal de las gimnastas durante el periodo de entrenamiento preparatorio para la competición.…”

“…Los test utilizados fueron variados, siendo los de mayor uso, el registro dietético de alimentos de 7 días (33,33%) (6,10,17,18,22) , el cuestionario de test de calidad de vida mediterránea o índice KIDMED (20%) (11,13,23) y el Registro de 3 días (20%) (12,16,24). En menor medida, se utilizaron el recordatorio 24 horas (14,19), así como, el FFQ (10,21) . Esta variedad de instrumentos utilizados pueden dificultar la comparación de los datos de manera adecuada entre los diferentes estudios.…”