Nutritional Strategies of an Athlete with Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus During a 217-km Ultramarathon

Abstract

Considering the challenges in meeting the high nutritional demand during ultramarathons, the aim of this study was to analyze the nutritional strategies and glycemic response of an athlete with type 1 diabetes (DM1) during participation in a 217-km ultramarathon. A 36-y-old male athlete who was diagnosed with DM1 15 y earlier was studied during participation in the Brazil 135 ultramarathon. Food consumption and blood glucose were recorded during the race, and nutritional intake was calculated after the race. The athlete completed the race in 51 h 18 min. He consumed a total of 3592 kcal, 532 g carbohydrate, 166 g protein, 92 g lipid, and 14 L of water during the race. Glycemic values ranged from 3.6 to 18.2 mmol•L -1 . Most glycemic values (47%) ranged from 3.9 to 10 mmol•L -1 , whereas 5% were <3.9 mmol•L -1 , 16% were >10 to 13.9 mmol•L -1 , and 32% were >13.9 mmol•L -1 . This case report describes the dietary profile of an athlete with DM1 during a 217-km ultramarathon. Although the athlete implemented strategies that differed from those recommended in the literature, food and nutrient intake and the glycemic management strategy adopted allowed him to successfully finish the race. These results suggest that past personal experiences can be considered and that nutritional recommendations for athletes with DM1 should be individualized.

Sleep and nutritional profile of endurance and ultra-endurance running athletes

“…In the study of Silva et al (2022) 13 , when evaluating an ultramarathon athlete, they observed that the nutritional intake was similar to that of other triathletes who participated in competitions with an average duration of 12h 14 . The authors also noted that the athlete presented energy, carbohydrate, and protein intake lower than recommended by the guidelines for ultra-endurance sports 11 .…”