Evaluation of Dietary Intakes, Body Composition, and Cardiometabolic Parameters in Adolescent Team Sports Elite Athletes: A Cross-sectional Study

Nutritional intake is an important issue in adolescent athletes. Proper athletes’ performance is a multifactorial outcome of good training, body composition, and nutritional status. The aim of the present study was to assess nutritional status, body composition, and cardiometabolic factors in adolescent elite athlete’s province of Isfahan, Iran.

In this cross-sectional study, 100 adolescent elite athletes from volleyball, basketball, and soccer teams were selected for the study. Demographic, anthropometric, and cardiometabolic parameters were assessed. Nutritional intakes of participants were recorded using three 24-h recall questioners.

Thirty-four female athletes and 66 male athletes participated in this study. Body mass index had not signifi cantly different between the sexes. Energy, protein, carbohydrate, iron, and fat intakes were signifi cantly higher in male athletes (P = 0.02), but calcium and folic acid intakes were not signifi cantly different between the sexes, and Vitamin D intake was signifi cantly higher in females (P = 0.01). Systolic and diastolic blood pressure was signifi cantly higher in males (P = 0.04) and heart rate had not signifi cantly different between the sexes (P = 0.09). Heart murmurs and heart sounds in the majority of participants were normal.

All the evaluated anthropometric and cardiometabolic parameters were in normal range in the majority of participants. The results showed that dietary intake in these athletes is approximately normal but micronutrients intake status in these athletes needs to be investigated further and longer.