Abstract
Objective Nutritional status is important for health and competitive achievement. This area remains understudied among elite-level female athletes and is appropriate for research. We examined nutritional status and cardiovascular health markers of two groups of female athletes of the same age and competition period, involved in weight-bearing and a non-weight-bearing sport: gymnasts (n = 17) and swimmers (n = 14); mean age 17.4 and 16.6 years. Methods Body composition and dietary intake were assessed by bioelectrical impedance and Food Frequency Questionnaire. The concentrations of serum micronutrients (B12, 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25 (OH) D), calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, and iron), blood lipids, and blood pressure (BP) were measured. Setting and Participants. A cross-sectional study of 31 athletes from Slovenia. Results Gymnasts had higher body mass index (21.5 vs. 20.1 kg/m2, p=0.043) and lower fat free mass (42.4 vs. 46.6 kg, p=0.024) than swimmers and comparable body fat percentage (22.5 vs. 22.8%). Both groups had low intake of carbohydrates, fibre, polyunsaturated fats, protein (only gymnasts), and micronutrients (11/13 micronutrients gymnasts and 4/13 swimmers) and high intake of free sugars and saturated fats. Both groups also had significantly lower-than-recommended serum levels of 25 (OH) D. All cardiovascular risk factors were within recommended ranges. Gymnasts had higher LDL cholesterol (2.7 vs. 2.2 mmol/L, p < 0.011), and swimmers had higher systolic BP (126 vs. 107 mmHg, p < 0.001). Conclusions Dietary intake especially in gymnasts was suboptimal, which may reflect in anthropometric and cardiovascular marker differences between gymnasts and swimmers.
Highlights
Body mass management of elite athletes is pivotal for sport participation and competitive achievement, especially in sports where the athlete’s body mass is an important determinant of success, such as artistic gymnastics or swimming [1, 2]
It seems that the dietary intake of female artistic gymnasts is nutritionally inadequate and may often border on eating disorders [13]. e risk of suboptimal energy intake is higher in aesthetic sports, such as gymnastics, and may produce an increased risk for injuries and decreased athletic performance [14]
For complete biochemical assays, a single sample of 15 mL of blood was taken. e gymnasts were tested at Ljubljana Medical Centre (Ljubljana, Slovenia), whereas the swimmers were tested at Maribor Medical Centre (Maribor, Slovenia)
Summary
Body mass management of elite athletes is pivotal for sport participation and competitive achievement, especially in sports where the athlete’s body mass is an important determinant of success, such as artistic gymnastics or swimming [1, 2]. Previous research frequently emphasizes that the dietary habits of female gymnasts may be suboptimal [4, 5]. It seems that the dietary intake of female artistic gymnasts is nutritionally inadequate and may often border on eating disorders [13]. Several studies have confirmed serum deficiencies in 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25 (OH) D) [6, 15], which may increase the risk of stress fractures and illness, increase muscle weakness, and delay muscle recovery [16]
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