Perfil nutricional e da composição corporal de atletas de atletismo

Abstract

Athletes have high physical and energy demands due to the intense training routine. In order to ensure the best performance, it is essential to have an adequate intake of nutrients and energy, to attend nutritional needs andaid in adjusting the body composition. In this cross-sectional study, the objective wasto characterize the nutritional profile and body composition of high-performance athletics athletes The sample consisted of 32 athletics athletes, 14 females and 18 males, 13 of whom were specialist athletes in sprint events, 5 in long distance runners (endurance), 11 in throws and 3 in jumps (in height and distance), aged between 15 and 25, registered in the modality federation. Athletes underwent dietary assessment, through food record and 24-hour food recall; assessment of total energy expenditure, through a daily physical activity record and anthropometric assessment through the measurement of total body mass, height, circumferences and skinfolds. All measurements were taken before physical exercise. The results obtained showed that the energy balance found was negative (-185.8 ± 664.0 Kcal). They also demonstrated that energy intake (32.0 ± 9.1 g/kg of body weight and 2093.1 ± 581.5 kcal) and carbohydrate intake (4.2 ± 1.3 g/kg) is not close to recommended by guidelines. However, the intake of proteins (1.3 ± 0.7 g/kg) and lipids (31.4 ± 8.0 g/kg) is in accordance with recommendations. In addition, the athletes' body composition is adequate, where the mean BMI was 22.5 ± 3.6 kg/m² and the mean fat percentage was 16.9 ± 8.6 %. The average fat percentage of throwers, of both sexes, was statistically higher than that of sprinters (p<0.001), long distance runners (p=0.05) and jumpers (p=0.008). In addition, the body mass index was statistically higher in throwers than in sprinters (p<0.05) and long distance runners (p<0.01). Between genders, height (p<0.01) and waist-to-hip ratio (p<0.001) were statistically higher in males, while the percentage of fat (p<0.01) was higher in females. There was no significant difference (p>0.05), between genders and events, forbody mass, abdominal circumference, total caloric value, total energy expenditure, energy balance and macronutrient intake. The body composition of high-performance athleticsis adequate, however, the nutritional profile is not fully in accordance with what is established in the recommendations.