Nutritional Intake, Sports Nutrition Knowledge and Energy Availability in Female Australian Rules Football Players

Abstract

This study aimed to assess nutritional intake, sports nutrition knowledge and risk of Low Energy Availability (LEA) in female Australian rules football players. Victorian Football League Women’s competition (VFLW) players (n = 30) aged 18–35 (weight: 64.5 kg ± 8.0; height: 168.2 cm ± 7.6) were recruited from Victoria, Australia. Nutritional intake was quantified on training days using the Automated 24 h Dietary Assessment Tool (ASA24-Australia), and sports nutrition knowledge was measured by the 88-item Sports Nutrition Knowledge Questionnaire (SNKQ). The risk of LEA was assessed using the Low Energy Availability in Females Questionnaire (LEAF-Q). Daily mean carbohydrate intake in the current investigation was 3 g⋅kg−1⋅d−1, therefore, below the minimum carbohydrate recommendation for moderate exercise of approximately one hour per day (5–7 g⋅kg−1⋅d−1) and for moderate to intense exercise for 1–3 h per day (6–10 g⋅kg−1⋅d−1) for 96.3% and 100% of players, respectively. Daily mean protein intake was 1.5 g⋅kg−1⋅d−1, therefore, consistent with recommendations (1.2–2.0 g⋅kg−1⋅d−1) for 77.8% of players. Daily mean calcium intake was 924.8 mg⋅d−1, therefore, below recommendations (1000 mg⋅d−1) for 65.5% of players, while mean iron intake was 12.2 mg⋅d−1, also below recommendations (18 mg⋅d−1) for 100% of players. Players answered 54.5% of SNKQ questions correctly, with the lowest scores observed in the section on supplements. Risk of LEA was evident in 30% of players, with no differences in carbohydrate (p = 0.238), protein (p = 0.296), fat (p = 0.490) or energy (p = 0.971) intakes between players at risk of LEA and those not at risk. The results suggest that female Australian rules football players have an inadequate intake of carbohydrate and calcium and low sports nutrition knowledge. Further investigation to assess the risk of LEA using direct measures is required.

Low Energy Availability in Athletes 2020: An Updated Narrative Review of Prevalence, Risk, Within-Day Energy Balance, Knowledge, and Impact on Sports Performance

“…Recent studies have investigated the prevalence of low EA in various sports [8,[13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22]. Prevalence ranges from 22% to 58% (Table 1).…”

“…Another study investigating risk of low EA and sports nutrition knowledge among female Australian Rules football players reported that 30% of participants were at risk of low EA [8]. Nutrition knowledge of participants was measured using the Sports Nutrition Knowledge Questionnaire [65].…”

“…Nutrition knowledge of participants was measured using the Sports Nutrition Knowledge Questionnaire [65]. Players answered~55% of the questions correctly, with the lowest scores observed for responses in the supplement section [8]. Furthermore, an intervention study investigating the effect of a 6-month nutrition education program for male athletes who were at risk of RED-S, reported positive results on bone health and race performance [9].…”

“…Furthermore, the review highlights recent data on the prevalence and risk of low EA, within-day energy deficiency and the health and sporting performance consequences associated with low EA. Furthermore, the published literature on awareness and knowledge of RED-S among athletes and coaches has been evaluated to identify gaps in the practical application of low EA education in sports [8][9][10][11].…”

Low energy availability in group of Polish female soccer players

“…However, it should be emphasized that this study did not have a large group, hence the results of this study may significantly differ from the others observed in the literature. Research conducted by showed that 30% of 27 women training football were at risk of low energy availability [10]. However, these studies only calculated the risk of low energy availability using the questionnaire method, they did not include energy expenditure measurement.…”