Nutrition Patterns of Polish Esports Players

Abstract

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.

The eSports Medicine: Pre-Participation Screening and Injuries Management—An Update

“…Athletes, to compete at their optimum level, need to pay attention to their nutrition; according to the sports discipline, they may require specific calories, macronutrients, and micronutrients to maintain strength and energy and ensure adequate hydration. However, it has been recently demonstrated how eAthletes often have bad nutritional habits [ 38 ]: their meals are irregularly consumed, snacking is frequent, and sugared and fried foods are commonly eaten. These unbalanced and largely unhealthy dietary habits raise several health concerns.…”

Distinctive Features of Rational Nutrition and Nutritional Support of E-Sports Athletes

“…The critical aspects of the principles of rational nutrition of e-athletes are considering energy needs, the qualitative and quantitative composition of the diet, its completeness in terms of the content of all essential macro -and micronutrients, water-salt balance, compliance with the diet, as well as the presence of nutrients necessary to ensure specific activities in esports [ 23,24,25,26,27]. Cybersport does not belong to sports with significant physical exertion and, accordingly, does not differ in high energy consumption [1,3,28,29].…”

“…Ключовими аспектами принципів раціонального харчування кіберспортсменів є врахування енергетичних потреб, якісний та кількісний склад раціону, його повноцінність щодо вмісту усіх ессенціальних макро -і мікронутрієнтів, водно-сольовий баланс, дотримання режиму харчування, а також наявність нутрієнтів, необхідних для забезпечення специфічної діяльності у кіберспорті [23,24,25,26,27]. Кіберспорт не відноситься до видів спорту зі значними фізичними навантаженнями, і, відповідно, не відрізняється високими енерговитратами [1,3,28,29].…”

Virtuality engineering in esports

“…In Poland, several psychological, sociological, sports and scientific-technical university research teams have already dealt with some issues of esports [9,15,68,[71][72][73][74], and virtualization as well as methods of formal measurement evaluation. The world of esports is open by nature, so access to research is easy.…”