Athlete's Diets: Not as Healthy as One May Think

In a recent academic journal released by International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism said there is new evidence showing the diets of athletes are often reported to be nutritionally inadequate compared with to the diets of the general population (Heaney, O'Connor, Michael, Gifford, and Naughton 248-59). Having been an athlete for most of my life, nutrition and diet has always been a key part of my life. For as long as I can remember I’ve tried to eat as healthy as I can. Being a gymnast, I’ve always had long and grueling practices lasting up to five hours a day. When you workout for that length of time having a proper diet is crucial. I’ve always felt that I eat well and I’m sure other athletes agree they have too, but you may be surprised to know that we may not be eating as well as we hoped. The Journal believes this is happening due to athletes not getting enough nutrition-education (Heaney, O'Connor, Michael, Gifford, and Naughton 248-59). The journal wanted to look into studies done by researchers to see why might this be.

The academic journal looked into twenty-nine studies performed by various researchers. The studies were performed to see if there’s a connection between athletes’ nutrition knowledge and the impact of nutrition education on their dietary behavior (Heaney, O'Connor, Michael, Gifford, and Naughton 248-59). The studies considered coaches, athletic trainers, sport dietitians, nutritionists, and medical practitioners all forms of “nutrition-education” (Heaney, O'Connor, Michael, Gifford, and Naughton 248-59).

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All of the studies were performed on people of different ages, genders, and race and even on different types of athletes; elite verse recreational (Heaney, O'Connor, Michael, Gifford, and Naughton 248-59). The journal selected a wide variety of studies in order to have a good range of information to back their claim. The Researches from the studies reported nutritional knowledge as a quantitative score (Heaney, O'Connor, Michael, Gifford, and Naughton 248-59). They also recorded dietary intake of the athletes by dietary analysis and by the number of servings of food groups (Heaney, O'Connor, Michael, Gifford, and Naughton 248-59). The researchers also used non athletes as controls (Heaney, O'Connor, Michael, Gifford, and Naughton 248-59).

The Journal found that only three out of the twenty-nine studies reported that elite competitive athletes scored significantly higher on the nutrition-knowledge instrument than the comparison group (Heaney, O'Connor, Michael, Gifford, and Naughton 248-59). These studied were performed on age-matched participants undertaking less than three hours of physical activity a week (Heaney, O'Connor, Michael, Gifford, and Naughton 248-59). Unfortunately only seven out of the twenty-nine studies had a non-athlete control group (Heaney, O'Connor, Michael, Gifford, and Naughton 248-59). In the end, the journal was not able to conclude whether healthier or more optimal dietary intake was associated with the level of nutrition knowledge, because there isn’t enough evidence to prove this (Heaney, O'Connor, Michael, Gifford, and Naughton 248-59).

How can the findings of this academic journal apply to your life? Well, if you’re an athlete like me and can sometimes assume your diet is healthy because you’re an athlete you’re most likely wrong. There is no evidence to prove an athlete’s diet is healthier than a non-athlete. What you can do to make sure your diet is optimal for your life and your sport is talk to your doctor and ask what kinds of food you should be eating and what foods you should avoid. A nutritionist is also someone who can help you have a proper diet. A healthy diet is crucial for athletes and non-athletes alike. Whether you’re reaching for the Olympics or living life day-today.

Work Citied:

Heaney, Susan, Helen O'Connor, Scott Michael, Janelle Gifford, and Geraldine Naughton. "Nutrition Knowledge in Athletes: A Systematic Review." International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism. 21. (2011): 248-59. Web. 22 Sep. 2011. <http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=2&hid=106&sid=1fc2d127-bc6e-4139-b391-6e6731c3ae5a%40sessionmgr112>.