Objective To investigate the dietary intake, nutritional status, and health conditions of elite adolescent athletes in Shanghai Sports School.
Methods This study quantified and evaluated dietary intake in 68 adolescent recruited to an elite athlete cultivation program (39 males, 29 females), 10-18 years old, from Shanghai Sports School. According to age and sport trained, they were classified as U14 balls group ( < 14 years old, including table tennis and badminton), U18 balls group (≥ 14 years old, including volleyball, softball, basketball, and baseball), fighting events group (including judo and fencing), track and field group, and swimming group (including modern pentathlon). Dietary intake (such as energy, macronutrients, selected vitamins and minerals, and dietary structure) and physical conditions (such as height, weight, body fat percentage, body mass index, and hemoglobin) were measured and evaluated.
Results (1) All the athletes achieved the daily average energy intake recommended for the same age and gender group doing heavy physical activities, but unreasonable energy source was found. The ratios of both protein and fat to energy were higher than the upper limit of recommended values for boys(16.8±2.7) %, (34.2±5.6) % and girls(15.6±3.4) %, (37.1±5.3%), respectively. The ratios of carbohydrate to energy were (49.0±5.8) % for boys and (47.3±5.8) % for girls, lower than the relevant national recommendations. More than 50% of the participants had sufficient intakes of vitamins and minerals except vitamin C, folate, calcium, and zinc. The intakes of dairy products, fruits, and vegetables were insufficient, whereas the intake of meat was beyond recommendation. (2) No sign of malnutrition was found in the adolescent athletes. The average body mass index and body fat ratio of boys were (21.4±4.8) kg/m2 and (17.0±7.3) %, respectively, and those of girls were (19.5±3.0) kg/m2 and (22.9±6.5) %, respectively. The average hemoglobin levels were (138±12) g/L in boys and (128±16) g/L in girls. The rates of anemia was 3.3%.
Conclusion Insufficient intakes of carbohydrate, vitamin C, folate, calcium, and zinc, as well as anemia, are found in the elite adolescent athletes in Shanghai.
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