Journal of Nutritional Science (Jan 2023)

Efficacy and utility of a tool for both measurement of vitamin B6, B12, D, folate and iron status and assessment of diet quality in athletes

  • A. Mireille Baart,
  • Anne I. Slotegraaf,
  • Inge E. Gobes-de Punder,
  • Marco Mensink,
  • Floris Wardenaar,
  • Jeanne H.M. de Vries,
  • Jacqueline M.T. Klein Gunnewiek,
  • Michiel G.J. Balvers,
  • Rieneke Terink

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1017/jns.2023.68
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 12

Abstract

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NutriProfiel® is a tool to measure micronutrient status and to assess diet quality. It consists of measurement of micronutrient status in blood and a short food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) (‘Eetscore-FFQ’). Based on the results, individuals receive a dietary advice. In this study, we evaluated the application of NutriProfiel in athletes (‘NutriProfiel-Sport’) by assessing the coverage of nutrient intake of the Eetscore-FFQ (part 1) and by evaluating athlete's dietary behaviour after using NutriProfiel-Sport and their satisfaction with this tool (part 2). For part 1, data of 419 athletes were used. We evaluated the coverage of nutrient intake of the Eetscore-FFQ using first and second MOMents (MOM1 and MOM2) sum scores of food items in the questionnaire. Forty-eight athletes were involved in part 2. They gave blood samples for micronutrient status measurement and were asked to complete the Eetscore-FFQ at baseline and after 3 months, as well as a questionnaire on their satisfaction with NutriProfiel-Sport. Results showed that for most nutrients, MOM1 and MOM2 scores were above 80 %, meaning that nutrient intake was sufficiently covered by the Eetscore-FFQ. No difference in diet quality was observed between baseline and after 3 months. Nevertheless, a majority of athletes reported the NutriProfiel-Sport results and advice as useful. On a scale from 0 to 10, NutriProfiel-Sport was graded with a mean (±sd) score of 7⋅6 (±0⋅8). In conclusion, NutriProfiel-Sport is a potential valuable and appreciated tool for athletes and the Eetscore-FFQ as part of this tool sufficiently covers nutrient intake in athletes.

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