INTRODUCTION: nutritional intake and status of soccer players has attracted not much research attention. Many soccer players follow an inadequate nutritional intake and have a poor nutritional status. This is relevant in youngsters soccer players, in order to improve performance and promote healthy dietary practices.
AIMS: analyze anthropometric characterizes, evaluate nutritional intake and status, dietary habits and pre- and post-exercise meals in elite teenagers soccer players.
METHODS: seventy-two young male soccer players (15-20 years) from four junior teams of a soccer Club from the Mexican National Soccer League were measured for height, seat height, weight, 6 skinfolds, 6 diameters and 7 circumferences, height-for-age and BMI-for-age values. Skin, adipose, muscle, bone and residual tissue masses were calculated with the Ross and Kerr equation. Resting energy expenditure and intake was also measured. Daily dietary intake was self-recorded for 4 consecutive days (excluding the match day) using a digital food-weighing scale and a food record questionnaire. Dietary analysis was performed using the NutriBase 7 Clinical software. Several biochemical values were determined. One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and post hoc testing was performed using t-tests with a Bonferroni correction.
RESULTS: all soccer players were within the normal range values for anthropometric parameters studies, when compared with other adolescent elite soccer teams. Values of plasma glucose, urea, creatinine, uric acid, lipid profile and total proteins were within normal range for young adult population, although albumin levels were high. Moreover, 14% and 20% of soccer players presented hyperuricemia and elevated total cholesterol levels respectively. Energy expenditure and intake were within normal range for all teenager elite soccer players. However, two teams shower significant lower intakes than demands. All macronutrient intakes were within recommendations, except protein that was higher. Micronutrient intake exceeded the recommendations for general population. Soccer players had pre- and post-exercise meals with an appropriate range of carbohydrates. Food intake was mainly based on cereals, derivatives and potatoes; meat, poultry, fish, shellfish and eggs and biscuits and confectionery and poor in fruit, vegetables and milk and dairy products.
CONCLUSIONS: the population of soccer players did not have optimal nutritional habits. However, their nutritional intake and status was better than in other published studies. The main problems of these teams were that they had a high protein diet and that in some teams the nutritional intake was not enough to cover the demands. Finally, nutritional intake was found to be of poor quality. Thus, we recommend nutritional education for soccer players of these teams.
