Macronutrients in the nutrition in freestyle athletes: a pilot remote study

Introduction. Evaluation and correction of the actual nutrition in high-class freestyle athletes play an important role in terms of optimizing nutritional status and ensuring performance under increased energy expenditure of the body, which determines the high relevance of conducting research on this issue. Materials and methods. A total of thirty four athletes were invited to participate in a pilot study of actual nutrition using remote communication technologies. The data of 12 men and 9 women (highly skilled freestyle skiers, aged of 22±1 and 21±1 years, respectively) were assessed. The collection and processing of information was carried out in the web service “Scientific Instrument for Nutrition Analysis” after training athletes and coaches by an experienced specialist-interviewer of the Federal Research Center of Nutrition and Biotechnology using independent daily recording of food consumption. A special feature of independent diary keeping in the program is visualization (the presence of an album of more than 7,000 dishes and products). Macronutrient consumption (absolute, specific, contribution of proteins, fats, and carbohydrates to the energy value of the diet) was assessed. Results. The average energy value of the diets in athletes of both sexes and the consumption of macronutrients in absolute units was found to fail to correspond to the lower limit of the requirement in 75% of respondents, while the goal of weight loss was indicated by 4 (45%) women and 3 (25%) men. In men, the absolute consumption of energy and carbohydrates was higher than in women by 1.5 (p = 0.007) and 1.4 times (p = 0.034), respectively, proteins – 1.3 times (p = 0.041), fats – 1.6 times (p = 0.004). At the same time, the specific consumption of macronutrients and energy between the sexes did not differ statistically. The share of proteins and fats in the structure of the caloric content of the diet was extremely high (20 and 22%; 41 and 37%) with a low quota of carbohydrates (39 and 41%) in men and women, respectively. Limitations. The NIAP web service provides the possibility of remote nutrition assessment based on respondents’ food diaries filled in online. Conclusion. An assessment of the nutrition in freestyle skiers revealed a low energy value of the diets and an imbalance in the consumption of essential nutrients, which is partly due to the task of reducing the athletes’ body weight. To optimize diets and create a favorable metabolic status for athletes, it is advisable to provide for the position of a full-time dietitian/nutritionist in sports federations.