Assessment of sports nutrition knowledge, dietary intake, and nutrition information source in female collegiate athletes: A descriptive feasibility study

Effect of Social Media on Diet, Lifestyle, and Performance of Athletes: A Review of Current Evidence

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

Social media (SM) plays an important role in providing diet and health advice to athletes, but it also carries with it a risk of credibility in the information sought for and received. The objective of this review is to assess the knowledge gap on how SM influences dietary and lifestyle practices in athletes.

RECENT FINDINGS

For this, relevant literature was searched in three leading databases with appropriate keywords, which were subjected to proper scrutiny that led to inclusion of 22 articles (original research papers, reviews, viewpoints, and commentaries). The current era of digitalization has seen an over-reliance on internet and SM for nutrition and lifestyle advice for an athlete. SM has become a powerful tool in athlete's choice of food, nutrition information, healthy living, and performance, with merits and demerits. Their role in choosing dietary supplements and particular food types (e.g., ketogenic diet), body image, self-esteem and eating disorders, and in lifestyle and performance are discussed. SM should be used with caution and should not be used alone as a source of information for nutrition related pieces of advise by athletes. Any food type and supplements trending in SM should be discussed with a sports nutritionist before consumption. SM influencers having a big follower base may not always be disseminating the right knowledge on food and nutrition, thus caution should be exercised. For optimal benefit to the athlete, SM information should be in alignment with recommendations provided by sports nutrition and coaches.

Room for Improvement in Sports Nutrition Knowledge amongst Parents and Caregivers of Male Academy Soccer Players in the UK: A Cross-Sectional Study

In professional soccer clubs in the UK, nutrition support is often polarised towards senior players or those in the senior academy age groups seeking first team selection/involvement. Accordingly, there is an increased reliance on parents and caregivers to provide support regarding nutritional intake. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the quality of nutrition knowledge of parents and caregivers of male youth soccer players within developmental academies in the UK. Across a single competitive season, 360 registered parents and caregivers of male soccer players from English Premier League under 9-11 (Foundation Phase) and under 12-16 (Youth Development Phase) age group academies completed an online version of the 88-item validated Nutrition for Sport Knowledge Questionnaire. Nutrition knowledge scores were classified as "poor" (43 ± 23%). Nutrition knowledge scores were significantly greater in respondents with dependents representing Category 1 (45 ± 13%) vs. Category 2 (39 ± 15%) academies and in Foundation Phase (44 ± 13%) vs. Youth Development Phase (41 ± 15%). These results demonstrate that there is room for improvement in the nutrition knowledge levels of parents and caregivers of male soccer academy players. We recommend that club academies provide appropriate resources towards nutritional education for parents and caregivers.

The Assessment of Body Composition and Nutritional Awareness of Football Players According to Age

The optimal body composition for health is an individual trait and is determined by genetic factors, sex, age, somatotype, physical activity, and individual variability. The present study aims to assess how professional football players' body composition has changed over the training macrocycle in various age groups and to determine the correlation between nutritional awareness and body composition maintenance. Thirty-eight football players participated in the study, with 16 players classified in the younger age group (19-25) and 22 in the older age group (26-31). Using the direct segmented multi-frequency electrical impedance analysis technique, the athletes' body composition was assessed six times across a training macrocycle made up of preparatory, competitive, and transitional periods. The Sports Nutrition Knowledge Questionnaire was used to evaluate nutrition knowledge. The above correlations show that both younger and older athletes with higher awareness are better able to adjust their nutrition to meet the goals of the preparation period and can achieve greater gains in muscle mass and greater reductions in body fat. According to the study's results, athletes who are better conscious of their nutritional needs during competition experience less muscle loss and exhibit more consistent body weight and BMI levels. Football players' body composition suffers detrimental alterations throughout the transition period. Higher body mass, lean body mass content, and skeletal muscle mass are traits of older players. Higher nutritional knowledge reduces the negative modifications of body composition consisting of muscle mass reduction and fat gain. Nutritional knowledge influences the stability of body composition in both age groups during all the analyzed periods: Preparation, competition, and transition.