Estado nutricional y hábitos alimenticios en un equipo de fútbol profesional.

Abstract

Despite soccer is the most popular sport on the planet, soc-cer player nutrition is certainly neglected. Physical activity re-quires a mixed use of the physiological systems for obtainingenergy, requiring a complete intake of nutrients; and the roleof carbohydrates in sports performance is well known. Objetivos: The objective of this study is to determine thenutritional intake of macronutrients in a professional soccerteam. Material and methods:We carried out an epidemiologi-cal, descriptive and prospective study of a Spanish SecondDivision B team. They were 22 male players, with a mean ageof 26.19 (19.5-31.6). We elaborated a protocol for collectingfood eaten for 7 days, counting the macronutrient intake and quantifying the total energy expenditure, which varies de-pending on the training day and the player’s position. Results: The global carbohydrates consumed was 305.07+/- 56 gr (48.78% of calories). These values vary betweenthe moderate activity day: 213.6 +/- 37 grams (39.93%) and the intense activity day: 361.84 +/- 28 grams (49.21%). Wefound significant differences in total carbohydrates based ondaily activity. In addition, we found significant differences inthe player height, their basal metabolic rate and total energyexpenditure, between the positions of goalkeeper and ad-vanced band player (p <0.05).Discussion and conclusions:Both carbohydrate intakeand the overall amount of calories consumed by the footballerare below the recommended standard (3600 kcal / day).