Elite Team Sport Research Articles

Dietary Habits and Fluid Intake of a Group of Elite Spanish Basketball Players: A Need for Professional Advice?

The aim of the present study was to analyse dietary habits and fluid intake of professional basketball players with consideration of dietary guidelines and sport nutrition recommendations. A dietary habit questionnaire including a 24 h recall was recorded by 55 elite basketball players of the first Spanish Basketball League. Energy consumption among these athletes was high 17.7 ±0.9 MJ · day –1 in comparison to other elite team sport athletes. Furthermore intakes of protein, fat, saturated fatty acids mineral and most vitamins exceed the current Daily Recommended Intakes (DRI’s) for these macronutrients whereas, intakes of carbohydrate and vitamin E failed to meet the guidelines. Daily fluid intake was 3126 ±1226ml. Water was the preferred beverage (1688±1032 ml), followed by milk (445 ±521 ml), commercial sport drinks (377 ±520 ml), carbonated beverages (307 ±492 ml), juices (150 ±208 ml), beer (67 ±189 ml), non-alcoholic (beer 49 ±158 ml) and wine (43 ±218 ml). Sixty-six percent of the participants reported to consume particular foods before competition and 10% stated to do this after competition. On average athletes consumed 646 ±352 ml · h –1 and 882 ±486 ml of liquids during training and competition session, respectively. Furthermore, 44 % of the participants recorded not to drink before getting thirsty and 3 athletes stated never to drink during training and 2 did so during competition. Results of the present study underline the need for professional advice from sport nutritionists for elite basketball players.

Creatine Use in Elite Team Sports in Ireland: Exploring Prevalence, Knowledge and Attitudinal Patterns

Creatine is a nutritional supplement that is commonly, if controversially, used as an ergogenic aid in sport. The aim of the present study was to examine the prevalence, use and knowledge of this substance among a sample of elite Gaelic football, rugby, and soccer players in Ireland. 460 male athletes completed an anonymous self-report questionnaire that examined their use and knowledge of creatine. Overall, 18.9% of the sample (n = 87) had not heard of creatine, 56.7% (n = 261) reported that they had heard of it but had never used it, a further 16.3% (n = 75) had used creatine in the past but were no longer doing so and 5.2% (n = 24) were currently using it. Further analysis showed some differences in patterns of use among those who had heard of creatine. In general, although there were more users at adult level than at school level, there was no difference in percentage of users across sport types. However, when school and adult players were examined separately, there were significantly more users in rugby at the adult level. The data indicate a higher awareness of this substance among adult rugby players than among players of other sports tested in the sample.

Nationwide survey on nutritional habits in elite athletes. Part I. Energy, carbohydrate, protein, and fat intake.

Information about habitual food intake was systematically obtained from elite endurance, strength, and team sport athletes. The athletes (n = 419) trained at least 1-2 h daily and competed on an international level. A 4- or 7-day food diary was kept. For analysis of the data, a computerized food table was used. Mean energy intake varied from 12.1-24.7 MJ per day for male and 6.8-12.9 MJ per day for female athletes. Protein intake was in agreement with or higher than the Dutch recommendations. Contribution of carbohydrate intake to total energy intake varied from 40%-63%. Fat intake tended to meet the criteria for a prudent diet (less than 35%). Snacks contributed about 35% to the total energy intake and the bread/cereals and dairy food groups were the most important energy sources. It is concluded that in general there are two major concerns. In those sports in which body composition plays an important role, energy and thus nutrient intake is often marginal. In all groups of athletes intake of carbohydrate is insufficient.

Group Cohesion and Individual Adherence to Physical Activity

The general purpose of this investigation was to examine the relationship of group cohesion to individual adherence to physical activity. Two independent studies were conducted using present and former participants from organized sport programs, physical recreation programs, and physical exercise programs. The purpose of Study 1 was to determine if cohesiveness was related to adherence behavior in organized sport and exercise class settings. Study 2 explored the relationship of individual perceptions of group cohesion to absenteeism and lateness by summer recreation sport participants. The results from the two studies supported the conclusion that group cohesiveness is related to individual adherence behavior. This conclusion was supported across different group types including fitness classes, recreational team sports, and elite team sports. However, both the form and number of aspects of cohesion that were related to adherence were moderated by type of group. This underscores the necessity of conducting more comparative group research in future investigations.