ASSESSMENT OF NUTRITIONAL

STATUS IN ATHLETES
DRA. MARISSA ISLAS
NUTRITION AND PHYSICAL ACTIVITY
 INTRODUCTION
An athlete in continuous physical exercise

•Must have a balance between dietary intake, energy expenditure

and the additional demands of a high degree of physical activity.

• TO ENSURE OPTIMAL PERFORMANCE IT IS VITAL TO UNDERSTAND ALL ASPECTS OF AN ATHLETE’S

PREPARATION, INCLUDING THE DIET.

A proper • It will help to better withstand

intense and continuous training,

diet while limiting the risk of illness or

injury
 IMPORTANCE OF ASSESSMENT OF NUTRITIONAL
STATUS IN ATHLETES Assessment of
nutritional
status

Optimize
performance
• THERE ARE VARIOUS METHODS AVAILABLE TO ASSESS THE NUTRITIONAL
STATUS OF AN INDIVIDUAL. IT IS OFTEN HELPFUL TO COMBINE MULTIPLE
Not affect
METHODS TO OBTAIN A MORE COMPREHENSIVE AND ACCURATE
health
ASSESSMENT.

Body
composition

Optimizes
the athlete's
recovery.
 INDIVIDUAL REQUIREMENTS
• Body size
• Sports discipline
• EACH ATHLETE HAS DIFFERENT ENERGY AND NUTRIENT REQUIREMENTS,
• The load of workouts
THIS WILL DEPEND ON MULTIPLE FACTORS.
• The number of workouts
per day

• Carbohydrates
• Protein
• EACH ATHLETE, MAN OR WOMAN, WILL NEED TO IDENTIFY THEIR • Fats
NUTRITIONAL ENERGY GOALS IN ORDER TO ENSURE HEALTH AND • Vitamins
OPTIMAL SPORTS PERFORMANCE.
• Minerals
• Water
ONE OF THE OBJECTIVES IS TO ADEQUATELY CARRY
OUT A NUTRITIONAL INTERVENTION, WHICH COULD
INCLUDE, AMONG OTHERS:
Evaluation of
Caloric intake - energy used, verifying it by maintaining a stable body
the energy
balance weight, good health and optimal physical performance.

Adequacy According to the sport, type of training and time of the season.

Adapting it to training and / or competition. In this sense, the athlete will be

Meal
calendar
able to optimize their training, achieving maximum performance and
ensuring a correct post-exercise recovery.

Correction of excesses and deficiencies of nutrients as well as errors related

Evaluation
to nutrition.

Nutritional
education Continuous to facilitate understanding and compliance.
ASSESSING FOOD INTAKE

• THE DIETARY EVALUATION SHOULD INCLUDE INFORMATION ON:

• FOOD CONSUMPTION
• NUTRIENTS TO ESTABLISH THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN DIET
• THE STATE OF HEALTH AND PERFORMANCE OF THE ATHLETE.

On the other hand, an adequate

state of hydration in athletes is
essential to maintain optimal
performance.
METHODS OF ASSESSING FOOD INTAKE

• THE ABILITY OF THE SPORTS NUTRITIONIST TO DETERMINE AN ATHLETE’S DIETARY INTAKE AND TO
CONSEQUENTLY ANALYZE HIS OR HER NUTRIENT STATUS IS IMPORTANT.

• RELIABLE AND ACCURATE WAYS TO ASSESS FOOD INTAKE USING FOOD DIARIES:

• DIET RECORDS
• 24-HOUR DIETARY RECALLS
• FOOD FREQUENCY QUESTIONNAIRES
• FOR A MORE COMPLETE AND
COMPREHENSIVE ASSESSMENT OF AN
ATHLETE’S DIET, SPECIAL CONSIDERATION
MUST BE GIVEN TO ISSUES RELATED TO:

• PERIODIZATION (CYCLES OF TRAINING OR

EATING)

• FLUID INTAKE
• VEGETARIAN DIETS
• GASTROINTESTINAL (GI) ISSUES
• SUPPLEMENTS
• TRAVELING
• WEIGHT MANAGEMENT.
 IMPORTANT FACTORS WHEN CONDUCTING THE
NUTRITIONAL ASSESSMENT

• SPECIFIC ASPECTS SUCH AS:

• SPORT TYPE
• PLAYING SPECIALTY OR POSITION
• TRAINING PROGRAM
• COMPETITION CALENDAR
• CATEGORY
• SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES
 BIOCHEMICAL EVALUATION
• DETERMINING VITAMINS AND NUTRITIONAL AND METABOLIC TRACE ELEMENTS, AS
AN ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON SPORTS PERFORMANCE, IS OF GREAT
IMPORTANCE.
Vitamins and minerals
• Necessary for a large number of metabolic
processes in the body.

Oxygen delivery and in Numerous reactions related to

tissue repair. exercise and physical activity,
such as energy metabolism

An idea of nutritional It is important to examine whether

status or not exercise affects the
function of these elements

Liver or
Biochemical Evaluate the Nutritional Need for
Lipidic profile kidney
evaluation diet deficiencies supplementation.
function
 VITAMINS C AND E

• VITAMINS C AND E ARE ONE OF THE MOST STUDIED BIOCHEMICAL

COMPONENTS DUE TO THE STRONG RELATIONSHIP THEY HAVE WITH
PHYSICAL ACTIVITY AND PERFORMANCE.

• ANTIOXIDANT PROPERTIES
• LOW CONCENTRATIONS OF VITAMIN C ARE ASSOCIATED WITH POOR
PHYSICAL PERFORMANCE AND INCREASED OXIDATIVE STRESS MARKERS
• THE LABORATORY TESTS MOST USED IN THE CLINIC AND IN THE EVALUATION OF THE ATHLETE
ARE DIVIDED INTO TWO LARGE GROUPS:

• 1) BLOOD TESTS (BIOCHEMISTRY AND HEMATOLOGY)

• 2) URINARY ANALYSIS

Through a blood test, you can tell

if the organism is responding favorably both
training as well as the established dietary plan.

The interpretation of the blood analysis allows to

distinguish between the normal adaptation processes
to physical activity and the values ​it can mean
a greater risk of suffering pathological processes or
processes in which the athlete does not adapt.
• PREALBUMIN, SERUM ALBUMIN, TRANSFERRIN OR TOTAL PROTEINS ARE INDICATORS OF THE
ATHLETE'S VISCERAL PROTEIN STATUS.

• UREA CAN BE AN INDICATOR TO ASSESS PROTEIN METABOLISM (EXCESSIVE INTAKE OF PROTEIN

IN THE DIET) OR ABSENCE OF MUSCLE GLYCOGEN STORES.

• FOR A CORRECT EVALUATION OF THE STATE OF FE IN THE ATHLETE, NOT ONLY IS SERUM FE,
FERRITIN AND TRANSFERRIN MEASURED, BUT ALSO SPECIAL ATTENTION WILL HAVE TO BE PAID TO
OTHER HEMATOLOGICAL PARAMETERS:

• RED SERIES (RED BLOOD CELLS) OR HEMOGLOBIN LEVELS IRON DEFICIENCY ANEMIA

HEMATOLOGICAL ANALYSIS
 TRACE ELEMENTS
IRON ZINC SELENIUM

• Evidence confirms that • It is necessary for its • Another important trace

athletes should include
iron-rich foods in their diet
such as lean meat and
iron-fortified breakfast
cereals, among others.
catalytic or structural role
in more than 200
mammalian enzymes.
• Zinc-containing enzymes
participate in many
pathways of cell
replication and
macronutrient
metabolism.
element, it is essential for
different important
metabolic pathways
including oxidative stress,
as a component of the
enzyme glutathione
peroxidase.
• Necessary to maintain
balanced glucose
metabolism and thus
chromium can facilitate
the action of insulin and
therefore has indirect
insulinogenic properties

There are no definitive data on adequate concentrations of trace elements for people who engage in
regular physical activity. One possible approach to studying these elements under physical stress is to
evaluate their fluctuations during exercise.
 ANTHROPOMETRY THROUGH
• IKINANTHROPOMETRY
T ALLOWS:
• ASSESSMENT OF BODY MASS

• HEIGHT

• LENGTH

• DIAMETER

• PERIMETER AND SKIN FOLDS

• The information is processed by applying

different equations, obtaining information on:
• The somatotype
• Body composition
• Proportionality of the different parts of the
body
 ISAK
• THE INTERNATIONAL SOCIETY FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF
KINANTHROPOMETRY (ISAK) WAS FOUNDED AS AN
ORGANISATION OF INDIVIDUALS WHOSE SCIENTIFIC AND
PROFESSIONAL ENDEAVOUR IS RELATED TO
KINANTHROPOMETRY.

• ISAK HAS DEVELOPED INTERNATIONAL STANDARDS FOR

ANTHROPOMETRIC ASSESSMENT AND AN INTERNATIONAL
ANTHROPOMETRY ACCREDITATION SCHEME (IAAS)
• THE MEASUREMENTS MUST BE OBTAINED ON THE RIGHT SIDE,
CONTRARY TO THE WHO RECOMMENDATIONS THAT
RECOMMENDS ON THE LEFT SIDE.
 THE ANTHROPOMETRIC MATERIAL USED IS:

• (A) HEIGHT ROD, WITH A PRECISION OF 1 MM AND A RANGE (130-

210 CM);
• (B) SCALES WITH A PRECISION OF 0.1 KG AND A RANGE (2-130 KG);
• (C) METAL TAPE MEASURE, WITH A PRECISION OF 1 MM;
• (D) A SMALL DIAMETER GAUGE, WITH A PRECISION OF 1 MM;
• (E) LARGE DIAMETER GAUGE, WITH A PRECISION OF 1MM;(F)
PLICOMETER, WITH A PRECISION OF 0.2 MM (PRECISION 2 MM);
• (G) SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL (PENCIL TO MARK THE SKIN, TEMPLATE
FOR DATA COLLECTION AND SOFTWARE TO PROCESS THE DATA).
REFERENCES

 CORBIN, CHARLES B.; PANGRAZI, ROBERT P.; FRANKS, B. DON TITLE DEFINITIONS: HEALTH,
FITNESS, AND PHYSICAL ACTIVITY. INSTITUTION PRESIDENT'S COUNCIL ON PHYSICAL FITNESS
AND SPORTS, WASHINGTON, DC. PUB DATE 2000-03-00.

 OLIVOS, CRISTINA. NUTRICIÓN PARA EL ENTRENAMIENTO. REVISTA MÉDICA CLÍNICA LAS

CONDES 2012.
 MCARDLE, WILLIAM. EXERCISE PHYSIOLOGY. WOLTERS KLUWER, SEVETH EDITION 2010,
PHILADELPHIA USA.