Mediterranean Diet Adherence, Body Composition and Performance in Beach Handball Players: A Cross Sectional Study

Abstract

Background: Beach handball (BH) is a sport in which sporting performance is influenced, together with team interaction, by individual performance in terms of strength. Body composition is one of the main factors for sports performance and eating habits can condition this variable. The Mediterranean diet (MD) can significantly reduce the risk of mortality or cardiovascular disease. In addition, the Spanish Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Environment carries out different campaigns to promote it among young athletes, establishing it as a suitable diet for sports. Objectives: The main aims of the study are to assess body composition, physical activity and adherence to the MD of beach handball players. It also aims to evaluate age group differences in male and female players, as well as studying the possible relationship between MD, body composition and performance variables. Methods: A total of 59 Spanish BH players were recruited in the national championship of BH in the province of Alicante. Thirty-eight male (14 junior; 17.0 ± 0.1 years and 24 seniors; 25.5 ± 4.7 years) and twenty-one female (7 junior; 16.1 ± 1.46 years and 14 seniors; 23.2 ± 2.0 years) BH players participated in this study. The questionnaire to evaluate eating habits was Mediterranean diet adherence (KIDMED). Body composition was measured with electrical bioimpedance. Strength was evaluated by means of a maximum isometric handgrip test of the dominant hand with handgrip and height of jump by counter-jump on contact platform. In the statistical analysis, descriptions and correlations between the study variables were made. Results: In females, when the adherence to the MD is lower, the weight is higher, the lean body mass is lower and worse results are observed in performance tests. As for males, there are differences in weight and lean body mass according to category. Conclusions: Adequate eating habits are related to the weight of beach handball athletes. In addition, specifically with junior players, it has been observed that adherence to the MD correlates with weight.

Study of Physical Fitness, Bone Quality, and Mediterranean Diet Adherence in Professional Female Beach Handball Players: Cross-Sectional Study

“…The same occurred with the variable of musculoskeletal fitness of the upper extremities, measured by Handgrip since the senior players had shown higher values (p = 0.015). This coincides with previous research conducted with other samples of handball players [25,45]. It seems that the reasons, as demonstrated in female volleyball players [46], are that these differences may be directly related to neuromechanical adaptations because of the repeated actions taking place in training and matches.…”

“…It should be noted that the KIDMED measures the quality of the diet in terms of adherence to the Mediterranean diet; however, it is not able to measure the amount of food eaten by the players. As previously observed [25], adherence to the Mediterranean diet in female beach handball players is moderate.…”

“…This variable could be considered of vital importance when establishing the performance profile of the BH player since the grip of the ball should be propitiated with sufficient strength both in the control and mastery of the ball, and at the time of execution of the passes or throws. To perform all the actions above, the implementation of an adequate high-performance training program is essential, which includes good eating habits, such as the ones offered by the Mediterranean diet (MD) [25]. In this way, in addition to improving physical capacities, the risk of suffering sports injuries, such as bone fractures, will be reduced [26].…”

Anthropometric Dimensions and Bone Quality in International Male Beach Handball Players: Junior vs. Senior Comparison

“…that make it an intermittent high intensity contact sport [3,4]. The different playing positions are goalkeepers, wings, specialist, pivots, and defenders [5,6].…”

“…Many research studies have shown that optimal body composition in athletes is associated with improvements in physical performance (aerobic and anaerobic) and muscle strength [21][22][23][24][25][26]. For optimal performance of BH players, it is necessary that their weight and fat percentage are within the recommended parameters for their age group, position, and sex [6,9].…”