Is there a relationship between the playing position of soccer players and their food and macronutrient intake?

Abstract

Many authors have proposed the necessity of the design and implementation of dietary and nutrition education programs for soccer players, although little information is available about the determinants of food selection and nutrient intake. The aim of this study was to evaluate the nutritional intake and eating patterns of soccer players according to their playing position in the team. Eighty-seven young male soccer players (aged 16-21 years) were recruited from the junior teams of a Spanish First Division Soccer League Club and divided into 6 positional categories (goalkeepers, full-backs, centre-backs, midfielders, wingers, and forwards). Body composition (height, weight, and body fat), performance in soccer-specific tests (jumping, sprinting, and intermittent endurance), and dietary intake (weighed food intake method) were assessed. A spontaneous higher carbohydrate intake was observed for full-backs, midfielders, and wingers (g·kg(-1) body mass: 4.9 ± 1.0, 4.9 ± 1.3, 4.9 ± 0.8; % of energy intake: 47 ± 5, 46 ± 6, 46 ± 4), compared with goalkeepers and centre-backs (g·kg(-1) of body mass: 3.9 ± 1.0, 4.3 ± 1.1; % of energy intake: 44 ± 3, 42 ± 4). These differences were related to food selection patterns, and a higher contribution to daily energy intake of cereals, derivatives, and potatoes was observed between full-backs compared with goalkeepers and centre-backs (33% vs. 27% and 25%). The magnitude of these differences is limited considering the whole diet, and an inadequate nutrient intake were observed in most individuals of every group. The design and implementation of nutrition intervention programs, taking into consideration positional differences in nutritional intake, would be useful for these players.

Nutritional intake of elite football referees

“…The results of this study revealed wide differences in energy intake, ranging from 2209 to 3259 kcal, as was already described for players (Iglesias-Gutiérrez et al, 2012;Maughan, 1997;Noda et al, 2009). It is recognised that dietary records of athletes are prone to error information mostly through under-reporting (Magkos & Yannakoulia, 2003), which can compromise the interpretation of dietary data.…”

“…Indeed, Ono and colleagues reported it to be difficult for football players to follow a diet rich in carbohydrates (Ono, Kennedy, Reeves, & Cronin, 2012). We were expecting that the higher physiological requirements for main referees could have led to an increased spontaneous intake of carbohydrates compared with the assistant referees, resembling the findings described in players with different playing positions (Iglesias-Gutiérrez et al, 2012). However, we did not find any significant difference on carbohydrates intake between main and assistant referees (4.0 ± 0.7 g · kg −1 and 4.1 ± 0.9 g · kg −1 , respectively), perhaps because their training regimes didn't differ a lot.…”

Stress, Sleep and Recovery in Elite Soccer: A Critical Review of the Literature

“…As it has been proposed that sleep parameters may be affected as a result of a greater need for recovery sleep due to more demanding workloads [44], it may be hypothesised that players in a more 'physically' demanding position (i.e. fullbacks, midfielders and forwards [45,46]) may exhibit positional differences in sleeping patterns compared with goalkeepers and central defenders.…”

Nutrient Intake and Food Habits of Soccer Players: Analyzing the Correlates of Eating Practice

“…We previously reported that the food intake of young male soccer players is derived from the following food groups: cereals, derivatives, and potatoes; milk and dairy products; meat, poultry, and derivatives; and oil; which together provided 65% of total daily energy intake, with a marginal contribution from vegetables and fruits [43]. …”

“…However, the majority of studies conducted have revealed inadequate nutritional intake in both male and female soccer players [38,39,40,41,42,43,44,45,46,47], underscoring the need to improve short and long-term adherence to these recommendations. While there is unanimous agreement on the need to design and implement nutrition-specific intervention programs for soccer players, there is a paucity of information on the eating habits and correlates of nutritional behavior of soccer players.…”