Dietary Intake of Polish Female Soccer Players

Abstract

The aim of the study was to evaluate the energy expenditure and fulfillment of nutritional needs of female soccer players. Participants in this research were 41 professional soccer players from the three Polish female soccer league levels: Ekstraleague, I League and II League. The participants had their height and body mass measured. Total Energy Expenditure was measured by means of a SenseWear Pro3 Armband device. Data related to the food-intake energy values and the consumption of macro- and micronutrients were obtained through systematic recording of results, which was conducted over a three-day-long period at the start of the competitive season. The average age of the participants was 21 ± 5 years, the average height was 167.5 ± 5 cm, and the average body mass was 62.53 ± 9.8 kg. The average energy expenditure of the participants was 2811 ± 493 kcal/day, and their average energy intake was 1476 ± 434 kcal/day. The average consumption of carbohydrates, fats, and proteins was 199 ± 20.6, 47.3 ± 20.7, and 72.3 ± 24.2 g/day, respectively. There was a prevalence of inadequate intake of potassium, calcium, magnesium, iodine, vitamins D, E and B1, and folate in the diet of the examined group. The remaining micronutrients were consumed in the prescribed amounts by at least 50% of the examined group. The participants demonstrated low energy intakes, and consequently, low consumption of macronutrients and a large number of micronutrients.

Nutrition for Female Soccer Players—Recommendations

“…Only the research by Gibson et al [11] showed that energy needs are lower than those recommended in the work of Brewer et al [14]. In turn, our own research showed that the energy needs were at the lower limit of this standard [12]. This suggests that these recommendations may all have been slightly overestimated.…”

“…Gibson et al observed a consumption of 5 ± 1.6 g/kg body mass/day [11]. Our own study has shown that female soccer players had a carbohydrate intake of 3.28 ± 1.2 g/kg body mass/day [12]. Thus, according to the literature, insufficiency or consumption being at the lower limit of recommendations has often been observed.…”

“…However, their results were different than those in the work of Gibson et al (2011), where the authors observed energy expenditure at a level of 2546 ± 190 kcal/day, which was calculated according to the current body mass of the study participants, giving 42 ± 3 kcal/kg body mass/day [11]. Our own study (2019) showed energy expenditure among the group of female soccer players at a level of 2811 ± 493 kcal/day (45.7 ± 9 kcal/kg body mass/day) [12]. According to our knowledge, there has been no research directly referring to the energy expenditure of female soccer players during training or official matches.…”

Dietary mistakes of Polish athletes in relation to the frequency of consuming foods recommended in the Swiss food pyramid for active people

“…It also increases the risk of fibre deficiency in food rations, which has been confirmed among physically active people [2,50]. The low consumption of dairy products creates a risk of calcium deficiency, as demonstrated among athletes of various disciplines [6,11,29,33,50]. At the same time, it increases the risk of developing osteoporosis, which is an element of the so-called triad of sportswomen.…”

Low energy availability in group of Polish female soccer players

“…Results referring to TEE and EI were presented and published elsewhere [12]. In those studies, an analysis of the fulfillment of daily energy needs (TEE) was carried using the method of 3-day dietary food recording (EI).…”