Cross-Sectional Study of the Anthropometric Profile and Nutrient Status of Elite Female Ice Hockey Players: Differences by Play Position.

Both the characteristics of ice hockey and the environmental conditions in which it is played affect the maintenance of the player's nutritional status and, therefore, their state of health and performance. The primary aim of this work was to examine the anthropometric profile, estimated energy expenditure, and macronutrient and micronutrient dietary intake of elite female ice hockey players by play position. As a secondary aim, their dietary intakes were compared with the recommendations. Hypotheses suggest variations in body composition based on ice hockey players' positions, with the expectation that these athletes may not align with energy and nutrient recommendations. Fifteen elite female ice hockey players were anthropometrically measured, basal metabolic rate and total energy expenditure were estimated, a 3-day, 24 h recall questionnaire was registered, and the results were compared with the recommended dietary intake for the Spanish population. Each player's position on the field requires an individualized physical and nutritional approach. There are no significant imbalances (p > 0.05) between energy and nutrient intake in relation to the Recommended Daily Intake (RDI); however, increasing the consumption of vegetables and seafood while reducing meat and fat intake would assist these athletes in maintaining a healthier energy balance, optimizing body composition, and aligning with nutritional parameters that are better suited to enhance physical performance.

Nutrition Status of Female Winter Sports Athletes.

Eating disorders, especially restrictive eating, are common among female athletes. There are two main types of winter sports: those that are practiced outdoors on snow (-25 to +5 °C and 2500 m), such as alpine skiing and snowboarding, and those that are practiced indoors on ice (5-10 °C at low altitude), such as figure skating and ice hockey. The aim of this research was to identify the nutritional status and potential risk of female athletes practicing winter sports, considering the altitude of training. The sample was composed of 58 women (aged 19.81 years (SD: 12.61)) who were competitors in some winter sports. Anthropometrics and nutritional variables were taken. Statistically significant differences were found between HA and LA groups for all the characteristics except thigh skinfold, and neither group had an energy intake (EI) that matched their total energy expenditure (TEE). Both groups met at least two-thirds of the RDI for all minerals and vitamins except iodine, fluorine, vitamin D, vitamin E, and retinol. This study suggests that female winter sports athletes have insufficient energy, vitamin, and mineral intake, which can be worsened with altitude.

Dietary exposure to endocrine disruptors in gut microbiota: A systematic review.

Endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) can interfere with hormonal actions and have been associated with a higher incidence of metabolic disorders. They affect numerous physiological, biochemical, and endocrinal activities, including reproduction, metabolism, immunity, and behavior. The purpose of this review was to elucidate the association of EDCs in food with the gut microbiota and with metabolic disorders. EDC exposure induces changes that can lead to microbial dysbiosis. Products and by-products released by the microbial metabolism of EDCs can be taken up by the host. Changes in the composition of the microbiota and production of microbial metabolites may have a major impact on the host metabolism.

Estimation of the Quality of the Diet of Mexican University Students Using DQI-I.

The quality of diet can be measured using diet quality indices, based on knowledge of associations between diet and health. The objective of this work was to evaluate whether the International Diet Quality Index is suitable for use as a diet quality index in populations of Mexican university girls. A cross-sectional nutritional survey was conducted at the University of Chihuahua (Mexico), collecting semi-quantitative nutritional information and socio-economic and lifestyle data from a representative sample of 400 women. Mean (Standard Deviation (SD)) age was 21.43 years (SD: 3.72); 59.1% were normal weight, 26.6% overweight, 15.3% obesity. The Diet Quality Index-International (DQI-I) was developed according to the method of Kim et al. (2003) and focused on major aspects of a high-quality diet (variety, adequacy, moderation and overall balance). The total score of Diet Quality Index-International reached 53.86% (SD: 11.43), indicating that the general diet of Mexican women a poor-quality diet. Adequacy scored highest, followed by moderation and variety. Overall balance scored the lowest. Variety: 26.3 % consumed less than 4 food groups daily, only 12.8% take more than 1 serving from each food group, and 50.6% consumed only one source of protein daily. Regarding adequacy, a large proportion of the population reported an intake of proteins, vitamin C, calcium, iron, and fruit greater than 50% of recommendation; the vegetables, fiber and grain groups were less 50%. Poor scores were obtained for total fat and SFA consumption (moderation). No statistically significant differences are observed for any of the variables under study and score of the Diet Quality Index-International: body mass index, weight, physical activity level, education level of father and mother, location of lunch, breakfast considered important, knowledge of nutrition, which allows us to consider a relatively uniform population in its eating habits. These people are close to a Westernized diet, and an intervention in nutritional education would be advisable to improve the intake of unprocessed foods, consume a greater variety of protein sources and significantly reduce consumption of sugary foods and soft drinks. Due to different methodological and cultural factors, the proposed Diet Quality Index-International dietary assessment method does not seem to be useful in the assessment of diet quality in the Mexican university population, so further research is needed to develop a diet quality index adapted to the Mexican population.

Influence of BPA exposure, measured in saliva, on childhood weight.

Introduction: Endocrine disruptors such as bisphenol A (BPA), BPA glycidyl methacrylate, and other BPA acrylate-based derivatives have been related to type 2 diabetes, the metabolic syndrome, and obesity, among other metabolic disorders. The objective of this study is to examine the influence of BPA exposure by saliva analysis and daily physical activity on the risk of overweight/obesity in schoolchildren from southern Spain. Methods: The study included 300 children (53.5% girls) aged 7-10 years. Participants completed a questionnaire with four sections: participant data, including demographic information and life and family habits; semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire; anthropometric variables; and physical activity variables. All participants underwent dental examination, when the presence of sealants/composites in each tooth and other dental alterations was recorded, and samples of whole saliva were collected for UHPLC-MS/MS analyses. Results: Risk of overweight/obesity was significantly influenced by body fat composition (OR = 10.77), not walking to and from school (OR = 1.38), lesser energy expenditure in sedentary activities (OR = 12.71), greater energy expenditure in sports (OR =1.62), and exposure to BPA from dental sealants/composites (OR = 1.38; p = 0.058). Discussion: Further research is warranted on this issue in children, who may be especially vulnerable to the negative health effects of endocrine disruption.

Influence of circadian rhythms on sports performance.

Chronobiology is the scientific discipline of study of biological rhythms, a term that has gained ground in the sports world. Recently numerous studies have indicated that the time of day in which sports are practiced influences the achievement of good physical performance. The aim of this review was to study the relationship between circadian rhythms and physical performance, according to the latest published data. In addition, the physiological processes involved in the physical response and the differences according to the type of sport and athletes' characteristics were studied. A bibliographic search was carried out through five databases (Pubmed, Scopus, Researcher Gate, Google Scholar, UOC Library), focusing on articles published in the last ten years and written in English and Spanish. 36 papers met the inclusion criteria. Body temperature is a factor that shows a circadian pattern with a marked peak in the later afternoon, time of the day at which physical performance is at its highest, i.e. speed, agility, distance covered, jumping power. The perception of effort is also higher in the afternoon. Regarding the chronotype, evening types seem to be the most affected to do sports out of their optimal time-of-day. The tendency shows more morning types as age increases. Training sessions should be planned according to the optimal time of day for each athlete. It's essential to take into account individual chronotype. The desynchronization of circadian rhythms can cause a decrease in physical performance.

Evolution of Nutritional Habits Behaviour of Spanish Population Confined Through Social Media.

Introduction: In Spain, on 14 March 2020, a state of alarm is declared to face the health emergency situation caused by the COVID-19 coronavirus, limiting the freedom of movement of people. The Spanish population is confined. Objective: With this situation, "NUTRITIONAL HEALTH IS NOT CONFINED" arises a research project that seeks to promote nutritional education based on the pattern of the Mediterranean diet (MD) using new computer technologies. It is about providing the population with the information of general interest about the promotion of a healthy diet through social networks and analysing the impact of its dissemination, in the form of a longitudinal intervention study of the Spanish nutritional evolution during confinement, with a daily survey format, and it is intended to assess food consumption during the period of confinement. Materials and methods: In total, 936 participants were asked every day. Short publications were published every day based on the scientific evidence (FAO, WHO, AECOSAN) through social media such as Instagram, accompanied by a questionnaire of 11 questions (yes/no) where it was intended to assess the evolution of daily consumption. Results and Discussion: The diffusion through social media has allowed to have a greater reach of the population. We observed that mood throughout confinement generally improves. There are certain eating habits from the MD that are well established in the daily diet of our population, such as the consumption of fruits, vegetables, legumes, dairy products, and eggs. It seems that enjoying good health is a growing concern in pandemic situations, which is why inappropriate behaviours such as "snacking" between meals or the consumption of processed foods such as snacks, industrial pastries, soft drinks, and sweets are avoided, increasing the amount of healthy food such as meat and fish. This study opens up future avenues of research promoting MD and implements new cohort nutritional databases, especially about young adult people, who are adept at navigating digital spaces and therefore using social media.