Nutrient intake and body composition of football athletes in the under-20 youth category of a team in Belo Horizonte, Brazil.

Abstract

Football is a sport of great physical effort and nutrition is a factor that can influence the athlete's performance. Thus, the objective was to evaluate the dietary intake and body composition of athletes in the under-20 youth category of a first division football team located in Belo Horizonte, Brazil. Twenty male athletes aged between 18 and 20 years old were evaluated. For anthropometry and body composition, weight, height, and skinfold thickness were used, and body mass index (BMI) and body fat percentage (BFP) were calculated. For dietary intake, three 24-hour recalls were applied on non-consecutive days. The mean age was 18.9 ± 0.7 years. The mean BMI was 22.9 ± 1.5 kg/m² and the mean BFP was 8.0 ± 1.4%. Energy consumption was 2,106.2 ± 465.1 kcal/day and all athletes had an energy consumption below the estimated daily energy requirements. The mean carbohydrate consumption was 3.5 g/kg/day, also below the recommendations for athletes and football players. The average protein consumption was 1.9 g/kg/day, considered adequate based on the recommendations. As for micronutrients, the majority of athletes (above 50%) had an insufficient intake of fiber, calcium, magnesium, potassium, and vitamins A, B6, B9, D and E. This research demonstrated an insufficient intake of calories and carbohydrates in athletes in the under-20 category of a football team in Brazil, in addition to an insufficient consumption of vitamins and minerals.