Nutritional intake and overall diet quality of female soccer players before the competition period

Abstract

Objective: To assess the dietary intake and overall diet quality of female soccer players before the competitive games. Methods: This descriptive and cross-sectional study included 21 women aged 20.8±4.5 years from a professional soccer team. Their nutritional status and dietary adequacy during the training period, before competition season, were assessed. Dietary intake was assessed by three 24-hour recalls, one food frequency questionnaire, and the Healthy Eating Index, an overall diet quality index based on food group intake. Results: The athletes have shown proper nutritional status, but a diet deficient in energy due largely to low carbohydrate intake. On the other hand, the intakes of protein, fatty acids, and sodium were above the recommended intakes, even for athletes. Diet quality assessment by the Healthy Eating Index - 2010 resulted in a mean score of 54.6 points of a maximum of 100, indicating a need of improving the overall diet quality. Conclusion: The study found that the dietary patterns of female football players were both quantitatively and qualitatively inappropriate. A nutritional intervention is indicated to improve diet quality, with the inclusion of various foods, such as whole grains, fruits, vegetables, dairy products, and better protein quality, along with a reduction in saturated fats, sodium, and added sugar.

Energy expenditure and dietary intake of female collegiate tennis and soccer players during a competitive season

“…The study showed that athletes' EE averaged 2,501 kcal/day, with no significant differences between tennis (2,557 kcal/day) and soccer (2,485 kcal/day) players. The EE values of this study were similar to those in the previous studies that have shown daily EE values to be 2,780kcal among female tennis players (Ndahimana, et al, 2017) and between 2,274kcal and 2,925kcal among soccer players (Mara, et al, 2015;Santos, et al, 2016). It is noteworthy that Ndahimana et al (2017) study did not report the expertise level of the tennis players or how many practices or games the sample had during their study.…”

“…Considering the importance of energy balance to female athletes' performance and health (Clarke, Reed, Crouse, & Armstrong, 2003;Mara, et al, 2015;Maughan & Shirreffs, 2007;Ndahimana, et al, 2016;Santos, et al, 2016), the efforts to understand college student-athletes' EE and dietary intake are well warranted. The study showed that athletes' EE averaged 2,501 kcal/day, with no significant differences between tennis (2,557 kcal/day) and soccer (2,485 kcal/day) players.…”

“…Although a South Korean study (N=8; 19-24-year-old) showed EE of female college players to be daily 2,780±429kcal (Ndahimana, et al, 2017), the study did not report the expertise level of the players or the structure of their week (how many practices or matches they played). On the other hand, it has been shown that professional female soccer players' energy intake during preseason training (N=21; 3 hours of training daily) is on average 2,701±214kcal (Santos, Silveira, & Cesar, 2016). In addition, it has been reported that female soccer players' daily EE varies between EE of a recovery day 2,274±94kcal, training day 2,794±65kcal, and game day 2,925±144kcal (Mara, et al, 2015).…”

“…It is reported, however, that female athletes' energy intake is estimated to be about 70% of that of their male counterparts (Burke, Cox, Cummings, & Desbrow, 2001), and energy deficit is rather common among tennis players (Juzwiak, Amancio, Vitallem, Pinheiro, & Szejnfeld, 2008). It has been shown that female soccer players' daily energy intake (N=21) to be 2,306±405kcal, and that has resulted in the energy deficit largely due to a low carbohydrate intake (daily 5.5±0.9 g/kg) (Santos, et al, 2016). On the other hand, in this study the intake of protein (2.0±0.5 g/kg) and fat (26.3%±5.6 g/kg) were reported to be within recommendations (Santos, et al, 2016).…”

“…It has been shown that female soccer players' daily energy intake (N=21) to be 2,306±405kcal, and that has resulted in the energy deficit largely due to a low carbohydrate intake (daily 5.5±0.9 g/kg) (Santos, et al, 2016). On the other hand, in this study the intake of protein (2.0±0.5 g/kg) and fat (26.3%±5.6 g/kg) were reported to be within recommendations (Santos, et al, 2016). Mullinix et al reported average daily carbohydrates intake to be 4.7 g/ kg/player among the players of the United States women's under-21 national soccer team (Mullinix, Jonnalagadda, Rosenbloom, Thompson, & Kicklighter, 2003), whereas Clark, Reed, Crouse, and Armstrong (2003) reported intakes for the American Division I college players of 5.2 g/kg/day before the season and when training twice a day and 4.3 g/kg/day about 10 days after the end of the competitive season.…”