Cross-sectional Diet Analysis for Musculoskeletal Performance in College Students

Dietary nutrients are a valuable component of musculoskeletal health and performance. PURPOSE: This study aims to describe quality of dietary intake and relationships of nutrients on muscle strength performance through nutritional diet logs in college students. METHODS: The 41 participants (21 females and 20 males, aged 20.19±1.74 years, BMI: 24.57±4.11) recorded a single-day nutrient diet record which was analyzed with NutriCalc. Maximal voluntary contractions were acquired for ten isokinetic, isotonic, and handgrip strength variables and analyzed via bivariate correlation on SPSS. RESULTS: In men, daily fiber (grams/kg/bw) showed significance for elbow extension (r=0.413, p=0.035), knee flexion peak (r=0.388, p=0.046), and knee extension (r=0.484, p=0.015) while females showed not-significant negative correlation trends for fiber. While no alcohol intake was reported by female participants, alcohol consumption (grams/kg/bw) in males showed significant negative correlations for five strength measurements (r= -0.378 to -0.526). Caffeine was significantly and positively related to five strength variables for females (r=0.400 to 0.652) and one for males (r=0.444). In both groups, positive correlations were seen for multiple strength variables even after adjustment for body weight. Except for protein and carbohydrates, only a few participants met the RDAs/AIs of nutrients. CONCLUSION: Diet quality appears poor in these participants, whereas fiber, calcium, alcohol, and caffeine show consistent relations to strength, possibly due to their association with diet quality and lifestyle behaviors.