Rapid Weight Loss and Dietary Inadequacies among Martial Arts Practitioners from Poland

Abstract

Healthy nutrition and maintaining a normal body weight are very important for reducing the risk of various diseases not only among the general population, but also among athletes, especially combat sport athletes. The aim of the study was to evaluate the prevalence of rapid weight loss (RWL) and to indicate eventual dietary inadequacies among professional martial arts practitioners. Sixty-two male athletes (aged: 23 ± 4) completed a questionnaire (i.e., frequency of food group consumption, questions about training and RWL) and single 24-h dietary recall. This study confirmed the high prevalence of RWL in athletes (58%) for two to three days before the competition, which allowed for reduction of 3.4 ± 1.0 kg (4.3 ± 1.5%) of their body weight. Many dietary inaccuracies were found such as: lower than recommended by nutrition experts, level of consumption of dairy products, grain products, fruit, and vegetables, and insufficient intake of energy, carbohydrates, minerals (especially iodine, potassium, calcium) and vitamins (especially D, folate, C, E) during the training day. Adequate nutrition is a natural support for the whole training process, and may allow for regulation of body weight in a longer period and in a safer manner; thus, there is a need for nutrition education dedicated to athletes and their trainers.

Bio-Banding in Judo: The Mediation Role of Anthropometric Variables on the Maturation Effect

“…RWL refers to the strategy adopted by most combat sports athletes to temporally reduce their body mass, typically about 2-10%, but with reports of reductions greater than 12% [23,24], a few days before competitions to fit in a lower weight category, in an attempt to gain an advantage against lighter, smaller, and weaker opponents [22]. Achieved only through the combination of aggressive dehydration and starvation methods [24][25][26][27][28], it is a well-established common practice among combat sports athletes [29] whose harmful effects are already known and well documented in the literature [26,[30][31][32][33]. RWL is not an issue restricted to adult or professional sports as children and adolescents from 10 years old also use RWL for competitive advantage [34,35].…”

Relationship of Energy and Nutrient Intakes on Nutritional status of Young Athletes in Semarang

“…This is in line with the study conducted earlier in the taekwondo and wushu men athletes aged 14-18 years. This study stated that the daily consumption of taekwondo athletes higher than the wushu athletes, but still not able to meet the RDA [8].…”

Consumo calórico, necesidades energéticas y masa grasa en boxeadores al inicio de la preparación física

“…Contrario a esto, comúnmente los deportistas presentan defi ciencias de micronutrimentos como lo destacan Papadopoulou et al (6) posterior a evaluar la dieta en 60 atletas de Tae Kwon Do. La restricción de alimentos en la dieta generalmente es el principal motivo de las defi ciencias nutricionales, aunado a la cantidad de sudor y orina que se generan durante las sesiones de entrenamiento (15,28,29,49) los cuales pueden afectar funciones nerviosas, circulatorias y fi siológicas tales como la disminución de la densidad mineral ósea, la aparición de debilidad física y padecimientos musculares (5). Por tal, la ingesta defi ciente de tocoferol en ambos grupos de boxeadores y de folato en profesionales puede estar relacionada con una mayor formación de radicales libres derivados de las cargas físicas intensas (26) y problemas gastrointestinales por el excesivo consumo de ácido ascórbico, aunque suplementar con mega dosis (500mg/día) posterior a entrenamientos intensos puede evitar infecciones en el tracto respiratorio superior (3).…”

“…En todo caso, la valoración nutricional al inicio de la preparación física permite conocer el estado de nutrición en los boxeadores (25,26,27) y adecuar la ICD según el microciclo de entrenamiento o necesidades fi siológicas, al tenerse que ajustar adecuadamente el peso corporal a la división de competencia (16,28,29). Por tal motivo, el propósito del presente estudio fue comparar la ingesta nutrimental, masa grasa y VO 2 máx entre boxeadores amateur y profesionales al inicio de la preparación física, así como el requerimiento y consumo nutrimental intra e inter grupos y el porcentaje de adecuación nutrimental (PAN) intergrupo.…”