Naughton, RJ, Drust, B, O'Boyle, A, Abayomi, JC, Mahon, EA, Morton, JP and Davies, IG (2017) Free-sugar, total-sugar, fibre and micronutrient intake within elite youth British soccer players: a nutritional transition from schoolboy to fulltime soccer player. Applied Physiology Nutrition and Metabolism. ISSN 1715-5312

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Abstract

It is recommended that soccer players consume a high carbohydrate (CHO) diet to augment performance. However, growing evidence suggests that there is a link between high free-sugar (FS) intake (>5% total energy intake; TEI) and metabolic diseases. Furthermore, foods that are often high in sugar, such as processed foods, are typically lacking in nutrient quality. We therefore analysed total- and FS, dietary fibre and micronutrient intake of players from an English Premier League academy under(U) 18 (n=13); U15/16 (n=25); U13/14 (n=21) using a 7-day food diary. Data was compared to current UK dietary reference value (DRV) for free-sugar via a t-test. The U13/14s (1018 %) and U15/16s (1130 %) both consumed higher amounts of free-sugar in comparison to the UK DRV of 5% TEI 5% (P<0.01), conversely, the U18s did not exceed the DRV (513 %). Furthermore, FS intake of the U18s was significantly lower than the U13/14s and U15/16s (P<0.01). Dietary fibre was below the DRV (25g/d for U13/14 & U15/16s; 30g/d for U18s) for all squads (19.04.7; 19.68.3; 17.14.2 g/d, respectively), but not different between squads. Additionally, micronutrient reference intakes were generally met. In conclusion, we provide novel data on dietary sugar, fibre and micronutrient intake within elite youth soccer players. We report an apparent 'nutritional transition' from schoolboy to fulltime soccer player, with U18s showing a significantly lower intake of sugar in comparison to younger squads, and a similar intake of FS to the UK DRVs. Practitioners should target improving player education around sugar and fibre consumption.

Item Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	06 Biological Sciences, 11 Medical And Health Sciences
Subjects:	T Technology > TX Home economics > TX341 Nutrition. Foods and food supply R Medicine > RC Internal medicine > RC1200 Sports Medicine G Geography. Anthropology. Recreation > GV Recreation Leisure > GV561 Sports
Divisions:	Sport Studies, Leisure & Nutrition (closed 31 Aug 19) Sport & Exercise Sciences
Publisher:	NRC Research Press
Related URLs:	Author
Date Deposited:	24 Mar 2017 10:41
Last Modified:	04 Sep 2021 11:50
DOI or ID number:	10.1139/apnm-2016-0459
URI:	https://researchonline.ljmu.ac.uk/id/eprint/5747

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