Nutritional Routine of Tae Kwon Do Athletes Prior to Competition: What Is the Impact of Weight Control Practices?

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of the present study was to investigate and assess the common dietary and weight management strategies of Tae Kwon Do (TKD) athletes prior to national competitions, as well as to examine the relationships between these strategies and body weight reduction and sensation of physical condition. METHODS: Sixty (n = 60) TKD athletes, 23 women (19.4 ± 2.9 years) and 37 men (20.4 ± 3.6 years), with at least 12.1 ± 3.1 years of experience, participated in the present study. The athletes recorded their dietary intake and physical activity for 3 training days and on a competition day. Bioelectrical impedance was used for body composition estimation. RESULTS: Male athletes consumed 1918 ± 685 kcal/24 hours and 1974 ± 669 kcal/24 hours on training and competition days, respectively, and women 1814 ± 446 kcal/24 hours and 1700 ± 439 kcal/24 hours. TKD athletes had significant negative energy balance (48.6% ± 17.8% to 60.3% ± 26.9%; p < 0.05), with the majority of macro- and micronutritional elements being lower than the recommended values, with significant differences between them, as well as within groups, between weekdays and weekend days (p < 0.05). Females lost most of their weight 2 weeks before the games (3.50 ± 1.00 kg), and males lost most of their weight 3 weeks before (3.16 ± 2.48 kg). The majority of TKD athletes were guided by their coaches for weight management strategies. No significant correlations were found between any body composition variable, weight loss, and any nutritional intake at any time point (p > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: These data suggest that the methods of TKD athletes for rapid weight loss are guided by unspecialized professionals, leading to significant malnutrition, because certain deficiencies in both macro- and micronutrient content are present, with no guaranteed specific reduction of their body mass.

Body Composition and Dietary Intake of Elite Cross-country Skiers Members of the Greek National Team.

PURPOSE: To assess the anthropometric characteristics and dietary intake of the Greek national cross-country skiing team. METHODS: Thirty-three athletes (10 females aged 20 ± 5 years; 23 males aged 20 ± 6 years old) participated in the study. All athletes were members of the Greek national ski team, and they had been selected to take part in the Winter Olympics, World Ski Championships, European Ski Championships or other international events, according to their performance. Body composition was estimated by bioelectrical impedance (BIA) and skinfold thickness. The athletes recorded their physical activity and dietary intake for 3 training days, and on a competition day. RESULTS: The female skiers had 14.2±1.9% body fat, the men 11.0±1.5% body fat. Female athletes consumed a diet of 1988±319 Kcal during training days and 2011±330 Kcal during competition days. Male athletes consumed 2255±790 Kcal and 2125±639 Kcal respectively. These values are below those recommended for highly active people. During the training period, carbohydrate, fat and protein contributed to 44.5±7.1%, 39.2±5.3% and 16.1±3.7% of the total energy intake (EI) respectively for the males, and to 52.8±5.6%, 33.0±3.7% and 14.3±2.5% of the EI of the women. Between training and competition days, men demonstrated an increased carbohydrate and reduced fat consumption when competing (P<0.001 for both). Women, on the other hand, consumed more carbohydrate and less protein during competition days (P<0.05 for both). Protein intake was within the recommended range for both males and females, but fat exceeded the recommended values and was consumed at the expense of carbohydrate. Vitamins B(12), D, E and K, biotin, folate, Ca, Mg, K, I were inadequately consumed (below the RDA) by both women and men, while the women also exhibited inadequate intakes of iron and the men of manganese. CONCLUSIONS: The inadequate energy and nutrient intake in the Greek national cross-country ski team could put the athletes at risk of nutritional deficiencies, and possibly compromise their athletic performance.