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Evaluation of Dietary Practices of National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I Football Players

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2005

Year

TLDR

The study aimed to assess the dietary habits of 28 NCAA Division I football players through 3‑day diet records. Athletes completed 3‑day diet logs at two time points without training tables, and the data were compared to NHANES III reference values for the same age and gender group. Compared with NHANES III, the athletes’ diets were similar overall, yet their energy intake was insufficient for their activity level, fad‑diet influences were evident, and dietary adjustments would be required to sustain performance.

Abstract

The objective of this study is to evaluate the dietary practices of 28 football athletes on a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I team using 3-day diet records. Student athletes completed 3-day diet records at 2 individual points of time, when no training table was available. Diet records were evaluated and were compared with the Third National Health and Nutrition Survey (NHANES III) data for the same ages and gender group. No differences in dietary practices of collegiate football athletes were observed when compared with data for the same ages and gender group culled from NHANES III. Inadequacies in energy intake for activity level were significant (p < 0.05). Influences of fad dieting trends were noted when the diets were mapped onto the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) food guide pyramid. Changes in diet would be necessary to sustain the activity level of these athletes.