Research Centre for Life and Sport Sciences (CLaSS), School of Health Sciences, Department of Sport and Exercise, Birmingham City University, Birmingham, UK.
Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club, Wolverhampton, UK.
J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2024 Dec;21(1):2391369. doi: 10.1080/15502783.2024.2391369. Epub 2024 Aug 12.
The importance of nutrition in optimizing the health and performance of professional soccer players has been well established. Despite published practical recommendations for the dietary requirements for professional soccer players, many players fail to meet these guidelines. Thus, the primary purpose of this study was to assess the impact of targeted nutritional education and behavior change interventions on dietary intake in professional football players. Additionally, previous research within this population has reported elevations in resting metabolic rate (RMR) following match-play. Therefore, a further aim of this study was to examine whether any changes in dietary intake would influence RMR following match-play.
Twenty players from the professional development phase in an English Premier League club (age: 18.4 ± 1.0 years; body mass: 76.1 ± 6.0 kg; stature: 1.80 ± 0.07 m) were randomly assigned to an "Intervention" (INT) group ( = 10), who received numerous nutritional education and behavior change interventions, or a "Control" (CON) group ( = 10), who received no nutrition support. Dietary intake was assessed daily throughout the match-week (Match Day (MD)-2, MD-1, MD, MD + 1, and MD + 2), whilst RMR was assessed on MD-1, MD + 1, and MD + 2. Statistical analyses on the intervention effects on dietary intake and RMR were carried out using a two factor (group and day) analysis of variance (ANOVA) with a subsequent Bonferroni post-hoc test.
Mean energy (3393 ± 852 vs. 2572 ± 577 kcal · day) and CHO (5.36 ± 1.9 vs. 3.47 ± 1.1 g · kg BW · day) intake was significantly higher ( < 0.001) in the INT vs. CON group. Furthermore, the INT group implemented nutrition periodization practices as CHO intake was significantly increased on MD-1 (7.0 ± 1.7 g · kg BM · day), MD (7.1 ± 1.4 g · kg BM · day) and MD + 1 (5.1 ± 0.8 g · kg BM · day). However, the CON group did not periodize their CHO intake and failed to meet the CHO recommendations on MD-1, MD, and MD + 1 (<4 g · kg BM · day). Compared to MD-1, the RMR increased on MD + 1 and MD + 2 in both groups, although it was only statistically significant for the INT group (MD + 1 = +243 kcal · day; MD + 2 = +179 kcal · day).
The implementation of targeted nutritional education and behavior change interventions resulted in improved dietary practices in professional football players and enabled better adherence to recommended guidelines. However, despite this, RMR was still elevated in the 24-48 h following match play. Thus, in order to optimize recovery, this finding further reinforces the need for professional football players to adopt strategies to meet energy, and particularly CHO, requirements in the acute period following a match in order to account for this increase in energy requirement.
营养对于优化职业足球运动员的健康和表现至关重要，这一点已得到充分证实。尽管已经公布了职业足球运动员的饮食需求的实用建议，但许多运动员仍未能满足这些指导方针。因此，本研究的主要目的是评估有针对性的营养教育和行为改变干预对职业足球运动员饮食摄入的影响。此外，该人群的先前研究报告称，在比赛后静息代谢率（RMR）会升高。因此，本研究的另一个目的是检查饮食摄入的任何变化是否会影响比赛后的 RMR。
从一家英超联赛俱乐部的职业发展阶段中随机抽取 20 名球员（年龄：18.4±1.0 岁；体重：76.1±6.0 公斤；身高：1.80±0.07 米）分为“干预”（INT）组（n=10），他们接受了多项营养教育和行为改变干预，或“对照”（CON）组（n=10），他们没有接受营养支持。在整个比赛周（比赛日（MD）-2、MD-1、MD、MD+1 和 MD+2）中，每天评估饮食摄入量，同时在 MD-1、MD+1 和 MD+2 上评估 RMR。使用双因素（组和天）方差分析（ANOVA）对干预对饮食摄入和 RMR 的影响进行统计分析，随后进行 Bonferroni 事后检验。
INT 组的平均能量（3393±852 与 2572±577 kcal·天）和 CHO（5.36±1.9 与 3.47±1.1 g·kg BW·天）摄入量明显更高（<0.001）。此外，INT 组实施了营养周期化实践，因为 CHO 摄入量在 MD-1（7.0±1.7 g·kg BM·天）、MD（7.1±1.4 g·kg BM·天）和 MD+1（5.1±0.8 g·kg BM·天）上显著增加。然而，CON 组没有进行 CHO 摄入的周期化，并且在 MD-1、MD 和 MD+1 上未能满足 CHO 推荐摄入量（<4 g·kg BM·天）。与 MD-1 相比，RMR 在 MD+1 和 MD+2 上均增加，尽管仅在 INT 组中具有统计学意义（MD+1=+243 kcal·天；MD+2=+179 kcal·天）。
有针对性的营养教育和行为改变干预的实施导致职业足球运动员的饮食行为得到改善，并使他们更好地遵守推荐的指南。然而，尽管如此，在比赛后 24-48 小时内，RMR 仍然升高。因此，为了优化恢复，这一发现进一步强调了职业足球运动员需要采取策略，在比赛后立即满足能量，特别是 CHO 的需求，以应对能量需求的增加。
