Macronutrient intakes of adolescent rowers for growth, development and sports performance : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Nutrition and Dietetics at Massey University, Albany, New Zealand
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2023
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Massey University
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Introduction: Dietary intake plays a central role in athletic performance in competitive rowing (Cornford & Metcalfe, 2019). During moderate training, it is recommended that adolescent athletes aim for 5.0-7.0 g.kg-¹ of carbohydrates, 1.3-1.8 g.kg-¹ of protein, and 20-35% energy from fat (Desbrow et al., 2014). Suboptimal nutrition within the adolescent rowing population may negatively impact growth and development, rowing performance, professional athlete development and career longevity. Previous research has indicated that suboptimal carbohydrate intake is a common issue in rowing (Baranauskas et al., 2014). The quality of dietary intake in adolescent rowers has seldom been explored. This study aimed to examine the dietary intake of adolescent rowers in New Zealand and compare it with nutritional guidelines for normal growth, development, and sports performance. Methods: A cross-sectional study design involved data collection on two hard training days and two recovery days from rowers aged 14-21 years from around New Zealand. During the four 24-hour collection periods participants recorded food intake, training duration and intensity. The food records were verified for accuracy, and dietary data was entered into Foodworks software for nutritional analysis. IBM SPSS software was used to calculate the mean intake and standard deviations for carbohydrate, protein, and dietary fat. Independent t-tests were used to compare the carbohydrate and protein intakes between males and females. Results: Of the initial 40 participants, 35 fully (females n=23, 16.8±1.9 years; males n=12, 17.3±1.6 years) completed the study. Participants consumed 319±116 g (4.5±1.7 g.kg-¹.day-¹) of carbohydrates, 121±56 g (1.7±0.7 g.kg-¹.day-¹) of protein and 113±46 g (1.6±0.6 g.kg-¹.day-¹) of fat per day. Females consumed 290±80 g (4.4±1.3 g.kg-¹.day-¹) of carbohydrates and males consumed 400±78 g (5.0±1.4 g.kg-¹.day-¹) per day, with no significant difference between males and females intake per kilogram of bodyweight per day (p=0.165). Minimum carbohydrate levels of 5.0 g.kg-¹ per day were only achieved by seven females (30.4%) and four (33.3%) males. Females consumed significantly less protein per day, 106±38 g (1.6±0.6 g.kg-¹.day-¹), in comparison to males who consumed 164±46 g (2.0±0.5 g.kg-¹.day-¹) per day (p=0.04). Fourteen females (60.9%) and ten males (83.3%) consumed more than the minimum requirement of 1.3 g.kg-¹ of protein per day. Conclusion: The findings suggest that two out of three adolescent rowers in New Zealand fail to reach the minimum recommendation for carbohydrate intake (Desbrow et al., 2014), and males more readily meet the recommended intakes of protein when compared to females. Nutrition education for adolescent rowers in New Zealand should emphasise adequate carbohydrate and protein intakes that meet sports nutrition guidelines in order to support normal growth, development and optimised performance for these athletes.
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adolescent athletes, sports nutrition guidelines, carbohydrate, protein