Frontiers in Sports and Active Living (Sep 2024)
Dietary intake, energy availability, and power in men collegiate gymnasts
Abstract
IntroductionThe purpose was to examine the prevalence of low energy availability (LEA), explore dietary behaviors in men collegiate gymnasts (n = 14), and investigate the relationships between energy availability (EA), body composition, and plyometric performance.MethodsBody composition was measured using air displacement plethysmography. Lower- and upper-body peak power (PWRpeak) and modified reactive strength index (RSImod) were calculated from countermovement jump (CMJ) and plyometric push-up (PP) assessments. Energy expenditure was tracked over 3 days, while daily energy and macronutrient intake were recorded. EA was calculated and used to categorize athletes into LEA and non-LEA groups. Pearson correlation coefficients were used to examine relationships between EA, body composition, and performance metrics.Results85.7% of athletes (n = 12) exhibited LEA (20.98 ± 5.2 kcals/kg FFM), with non-LEA athletes (n = 2) marginally surpassing the <30 kcal/kg of fat-free mass (FFM) threshold (30.58 ± 0.2 kcals/kg FFM). The cohort (n = 14) consumed insufficient energy (30.5 ± 4.5 kcal/kg/day) and carbohydrates (3.7 ± 1.1 g/kg/day), resulting in LEA (22.36 ± 5.9 kcal/kg/FFM). EA was not correlated with body composition or performance metrics.DiscussionA high prevalence of LEA may exist in men gymnasts, largely due to a low relative energy and carbohydrate intake.
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