Diet Quality Profile of Track-and-Field Paralympic Athletes

Abstract

This study aimed to assess the diet quality of Brazilian Paralympic track-and-field team sprinters and its variation between days. All sprinters (n = 28) were invited, and 20 (13 men and seven women) accepted the invitation consisting of 13 athletes with visual impairment, four with cerebral palsy, and three with limb deficiency. The dietary intake was recorded by photographic register on four consecutive days, and diet quality was determined using a revised version of the Healthy Eating Index for the Brazilian population. Physical activity was assessed using an accelerometer, and metabolic unit information was used to classify exercise intensity. Variance Analysis Model and Bonferroni multiple comparisons were used to assess relationships between variables. The correlations between variables used Pearson linear correlation coefficient. The results show that revised version of the Healthy Eating Index score was classified as “needs to be modified” for all athletes. The maximum score for the components “Whole fruits,” “Total vegetables,” and “Dark green and orange vegetables and legumes” was achieved by 23.1% and 14.3%, 7.7% and 14.3%, and 46.2% and 57.8% of male and female athletes, respectively. Only 38.5% of the male athletes achieved the maximum score for the “Total cereal” component. Female athletes achieved higher scores than male athletes for the “Milk and dairy products” component (p = .03). Intake of whole grain cereals, dairy products, vegetables, and whole fruits needs modifications to improve adequate intake of vitamins and antioxidants, highlighting the need of continuous actions of nutrition education for this population.

Pro-Healthy Diet Properties and Its Determinants among Aging Masters Athletes

“…According to this approach, the quality of the diet is evaluated using indicators that assess the variety of healthy choices within basic food groups and the compliance of eating patterns with nutritional guidelines [ 38 ]. There are a large number of diet quality indicators (DQIs), and some of them, i.e., the Healthy Eating Index (HEI), Athlete Diet Index (ADI), Pro-healthy Diet Index-10 (pHDI-10), and Australian Eating Surveys (AES), have been used to evaluate the quality of the diet of young athletes [ 12 , 39 , 40 , 41 , 42 , 43 , 44 , 45 ]. However the literature review conducted in Web of Science, PubMed, and Google Scholar databases, using the keywords “masters athletes OR masters athletics AND diet quality OR diet quality indicator OR dietary assessment” has shown that a qualitative assessment of diet and eating habits has not yet been conducted in the group of masters athletes.…”

Diet in neurogenic bowel management: A viewpoint on spinal cord injury

“…Paralympic athletes, like individuals with SCI, had low diet quality, in terms of fruits, vegetables, legumes and cereals and there is a need for nutrition education for this population [158] . Due to a reported low nutritional knowledge [159] , personalized nutrition and education related to different macro and micronutrients requirements compared to able-bodied athletes is recommended.…”

Nutritional Considerations for Para-Cycling Athletes: A Narrative Review

“…This affects satiety and eating patterns. In the past, it has been shown that the nutritional intake in Paralympic track and field athletes (e.g., amputation, CP and visual impairment) was poor regarding fruit and vegetables consumption [43]. In addition, in professional ablebodied cyclists, a 30% lower energy intake was observed compared to energy requirements during a 6-day preseason training camp [32].…”

“…Furthermore, in elite wheelchair athletes from various disciplines, vitamin D deficiency occurred very often mainly because of skin protection through clothing and staying indoor due to impaired thermoregulatory function [20]. Micronutrient intake in Paralympic athletes [47,48] was lacking, especially nutrients such as iron, vitamin D, calcium, and potassium, and might be linked to low fruit and vegetable consumption [43] as well as low energy consumption in general [21]. To summarize, the intake and status of micronutrients should be considered with respect to physical performance and general health regardless of the disability.…”