The Impact of Differences in Athletic Performance on Blood Indices in University Soccer Players

Background: Athletes need a diet that suits them to maintain and improve their performance. In recent years, dietary supplements have become more accessible and widely used by athletes, but there is concern that they may lead to reduced energy expenditure. In this study, physical characteristics of football players, blood composition and dietary surveys were conducted to investigate the effects of different athletic performance of athletes on iron nutritional status. Methods: Dietary surveys, physical activity surveys, and measurements of physical characteristics were performed on 83 Japanese university soccer players. Results: Body weight, muscle weight, reticulocytes, erythrocytes, hemoglobin, hematocrit and hepcidin were significantly higher in team A than in team B. Body fat mass and body fat percentage were significantly lower in team A than in team B. In terms of dietary content, potassium, iodine and niacin were significantly higher in team A than in team B. Conclusion: There were no significant differences in dietary content. Although hepcidin levels were higher in team A than in team B, hemoglobin and ferritin levels were not reduced. Further studies are needed.