Campoli Francesca, Padua Elvira, Panzarino Michele, Caprioli Lucio, Annino Giuseppe, Lombardo Mauro
Department of Human Sciences and Promotion of the Quality of Life, San Raffaele Open University, Via di Val Cannuta 247, 00166 Rome, Italy.
Sports Engineering Laboratory, Department of Industrial Engineering, University of Rome Tor Vergata, 00133 Rome, Italy.
Sports (Basel). 2025 Aug 6;13(8):258. doi: 10.3390/sports13080258.
The relationship between sports participation and food preferences in adults, as well as the influence of gender, is still unclear.
The objective of this study was to investigate the association between sports participation and individual food preferences and to explore potential gender differences among sports participants in a large group of Italian adults.
This cross-sectional study involved 2665 adults (aged ≥ 18 years) who lead normal lives and underwent a routine lifestyle and dietary assessment at a clinical centre specialising in nutrition, metabolic health, and lifestyle counselling in Rome. Participants completed an online questionnaire on food preferences (19 foods) and sports practice. Multivariate logistic regression models, adjusted for age, sex, and smoking, were used to assess associations.
Sports participation was defined as engaging in structured physical activity at least once per week and was reported by 53.5% of subjects (men: 60.1%; women: 49.0%; < 0.0001). After adjustment, active individuals were significantly more likely to prefer plant-based drinks, low-fat yoghurt, fish, cooked and raw vegetables, fruit, whole grains, tofu, and dark chocolate (all < 0.05) and less likely to prefer cow's milk ( = 0.018). Among sport participants, males were more likely to prefer meat (general, white, red, processed) and eggs, while females preferred plant-based drinks. No significant gender differences were observed for dairy products, legumes, or fish. Differences in food preferences were also observed according to the type of sport, with bodybuilders showing higher preference for tofu and dark chocolate. The strongest associations were found in the 25-44 age group.
Sports participation is independently associated with specific food preferences, characterised by greater preference for plant-based and fibre-rich foods, and gender differences in food choices persist even among active adults. These findings highlight the need to consider both sports participation and gender when designing nutritional interventions.
成年人的体育活动参与情况与食物偏好之间的关系，以及性别对此的影响仍不明确。
本研究旨在调查体育活动参与情况与个体食物偏好之间的关联，并探讨一大群意大利成年人中体育参与者潜在的性别差异。
这项横断面研究纳入了2665名正常生活的成年人（年龄≥18岁），他们在罗马一家专门从事营养、代谢健康和生活方式咨询的临床中心接受了常规的生活方式和饮食评估。参与者完成了一份关于食物偏好（19种食物）和体育活动的在线问卷。使用经年龄、性别和吸烟情况调整的多因素逻辑回归模型来评估关联。
体育活动参与被定义为每周至少进行一次有组织的体育锻炼，53.5%的受试者报告有此行为（男性：60.1%；女性：49.0%；<0.0001）。调整后，积极参与体育活动的个体明显更有可能偏好植物性饮料、低脂酸奶、鱼类、熟蔬菜和生蔬菜、水果、全谷物、豆腐和黑巧克力（均<0.05），而不太可能偏好牛奶（=0.018）。在体育参与者中，男性更有可能偏好肉类（普通肉、白肉、红肉、加工肉）和蛋类，而女性则偏好植物性饮料。在乳制品、豆类或鱼类方面未观察到显著的性别差异。根据运动类型也观察到了食物偏好的差异，健美运动员对豆腐和黑巧克力的偏好更高。在25 - 44岁年龄组中发现的关联最强。
体育活动参与与特定的食物偏好独立相关，其特点是对植物性和富含纤维的食物有更大的偏好，并且即使在积极参与体育活动的成年人中，食物选择上的性别差异依然存在。这些发现凸显了在设计营养干预措施时考虑体育活动参与情况和性别的必要性。
