Abstract
Nutrition seems to play an important role in health and performance of swimmers. The present study assessed the macronutrient intakes and calorie adequacy of swimmers of Sri Lankan national pool. 38 swimmers (16 males and 22 females) were studied during formal training, 3 weeks prior to an athletic event. Body height, weight and fat percentage were calculated. Dietary intake was assessed by 24-hr dietary recall and energy expenditure by considering the daily activities and MET values. Data were analyzed by SPSS statistical package. Means and standard deviations were calculated for total energy intakes and total energy expenditures for males and females separately and the statistical differences were determined by the paired t test. The mean (±SD) age, body mass index and body fat percentages of male and female swimmers were 16.8±1.4 and 16.7±1.5 years, 21.44±1.87 and 21.86±3.41 kg/m2 and 13± 3.07% and 20.5±1.93% respectively. Although the mean energy expenditure was higher than the mean energy intake in males (3941.25±585.32 vs. 3866.44±605.41) and females (3876.09±552.64 vs 3370.64±484.31), the difference was statistically significant only in females (p=0.002). Four out of 16 males and all females were in negative energy balance. When percentage of energy derived from three major macronutrients were analyzed, approximately 77%, 9% and 14% were derived from carbohydrates, proteins and fats respectively. In conclusion, although energy balance is not satisfactory in both groups, it is seriously compromised in female swimmers. Low protein intake in both groups has to be considered seriously, as these swimmers belong to a young age group. KEYWORDS: Energy intake, energy expenditure, macronutrients, elite swimmers
Highlights
A diet from which 70% of total calories derived from CHO is advised for elite endurance athletes who undergo regular training as CHO is the preferred fuel for muscle metabolism in high intensity exercise (Economos et al, 1993)
Means and standard deviations were calculated for total energy intakes and total energy expenditures for male and female swimmers separately
Mean daily energy intake and energy expenditure of male and female swimmers are shown in table 1
Summary
Sports performance is known to be affected by many factors. Optimum nutrition is one of the important factors to ensure optimum performance in sports. The objectives of the present study were to examine the nutritional status of national level sprint swimmers in order to assess the nutrient intake in relation to the recommendations and to the nutrient utilization. This is part of a prospective cohort study conducted at the Torrington Sports Complex and at the Sugathadasa Stadium in Colombo. The total energy expenditure of activities throughout a training day was calculated by multiplying the scientifically determined metabolic equivalents (METS) for each activity by the body weight of the subject and the duration of the activity in hours. A p-value of ≤ 0.05 was considered to be statistically significant
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