Body Composition And Nutrition Assessment: Macronutrient Tracking Intervention Among Division-iii Football Athletes

BACKGROUND: The distribution of macronutrients in an individual’s diet significantly impacts body composition, overall health, and performance. However, the nutrition and dietary patterns of Division III football players remains largely understudied, despite the unique demands placed upon these student athletes. PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of a 10-week macronutrient tracking intervention on body composition in Division III football athletes. METHODS: Thirty-three participants (age = 19.4, height = 72 2, %BF = 23.3 9.2) completed a PRE- and POST- intervention DEXA scan to determine body composition. Each player received personalized macronutrient intake recommendations (PRO: 1.2-1.4 g/kg/day, CHO: 5-7 g/kg/day, FAT: 20-35% of total kcals) for the 10-week intervention with instructions to log their daily intake using MyFitnessPal. Separate linear regressions were run to assess the % adherence to each macronutrient recommendation as predictors of the change Fat Mass and the change in Fat-Free Mass, respectively. RESULTS: Overall compliance with macronutrient recommendations was low (protein = 9.85 ± 5.28%, carbohydrates = 4.39 ± 4.17 %, Fat = 11.3 ± 6.78%). Greater compliance with recommendations was not associated with change in Fat Mass with protein (F(1, 31) = 0.009, p = 0.927, R2 = 0.0003), carbohydrates (F(1,31) = 0.590, p = 0.448, R2 = 0.019), or fats (F(1,31) = 0.662, p = 0.422, R2 = 0.021). Greater compliance with recommendations was not associated with change in Fat-Free Mas for protein (F(1,31) = 0.142, p = 0.709, R2 = 0.005), carbohydrates (F(1,31) = 0.157, p = 0.695, R2 = 0.005), or fats (F(1,31) = 0.584, p = 0.451, R2 = 0.018). CONCLUSIONS: There was no significant change in body composition of the sample group of Division III football players as a result of the 10-week macronutrient tracking intervention. There was not a significant correlation between greater compliance with macronutrient recommendations and changes in Fat Mass or Fat-Free Mass. Overall adherence to the individual macronutrient recommendations was low, which suggests that there may be necessary additional strategies to add for later studies to increase dietary compliance.