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Investigation of Nutrition and Health Status of Masters Athletes

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Special Issue Editor

Dr. Janelle Gifford

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Guest Editor

Sydney School of Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Camperdown, NSW 2006, Australia
Interests: sports nutrition; masters athlete health and nutrition; nutrition literacy and knowledge; exercise science
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Dietary risks are some of the leading causes of death and disability globally. A healthy lifestyle, with good nutrition as an integral component, is known to be associated with a lower risk of chronic conditions even if adopted later in life. Masters ahtletes engage in activity and sports beyond population guidelines and frequently engage in sporting competition. They are known to be healthier than their sedentary peers; however, there is a need to know more about their dietary behaviours and the link to nutrition and health status.

This Special Issue invites submissions of manuscripts either describing original research or reviews with a focus on the nutrition and health status of masters athletes. Submissions relating to nutrition and/or exercise metabolism in humans are welcome; however, submissions on in vitro work and animal models are not a focus of this Special Issue.

Dr. Janelle Gifford
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Nutrients is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2900 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

sports nutrition
masters athletes
lifestyle conditions
nutrition
dietary behaviours
physical activity

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

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10 pages, 1142 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Dietary Intake of Athletes at the World Masters Athletics Championships as Assessed by Single 24 h Recall

by Taylor P. M. Leonhardt, Ainsley Bristol, Natalie McLaurin, Scott C. Forbes, Hirofumi Tanaka, Petra Frings-Meuthen, Dominik Pesta, Jörn Rittweger and Philip D. Chilibeck

Nutrients 2024, 16(4), 564; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu16040564 - 19 Feb 2024

Viewed by 1701

Abstract

Proper dietary intake is important for masters athletes because of the physiological changes that occur with aging and the unique nutritional needs when competing at high levels. We evaluated the dietary intake of masters athletes competing at the World Masters Athletics Championships (outdoor games, Tampere, Finland, 2022, and indoor games, Torun, Poland, 2023). A total of 43 athletes (16 females and 27 males, mean age 59.2 ± 10.3 y, height 168 ± 8 cm, and body mass 62.3 ± 10.8 kg) participating in endurance (n = 21), sprint (n = 16), jumping (2), multi-component (e.g., decathlon; n = 3), and throwing (n = 1) events provided 24 h dietary recalls while participating in the games. Carbohydrate intake was below the recommended levels for endurance athletes. Protein intake was below the recommended levels for masters athletes, except for female athletes involved in power events (i.e., sprinters and jumpers). Other nutrient intakes that were below the recommended levels included vitamins D and E, calcium, potassium, vitamin A (except for female endurance athletes), folate (except for female power athletes), vitamin C for female endurance athletes, vitamin K and fiber for males, and zinc for endurance athletes. We conclude that while competing at world championships, many athletes are not consuming the recommended levels of carbohydrates, protein, and micronutrients. Athletes attending these games would benefit from increased nutritional support. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Investigation of Nutrition and Health Status of Masters Athletes)

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Other

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40 pages, 964 KiB

Open AccessSystematic Review

Dietary Intake of Masters Athletes: A Systematic Review

by Sheran Guo, Gabriella L. L. Shaoni, Wendy A. Stuart-Smith, Alyse J. Davies and Janelle A. Gifford

Nutrients 2023, 15(23), 4973; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu15234973 - 30 Nov 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1673

Abstract

Dietary practices of masters athletes (MAs) may promote healthy ageing; however, they are poorly understood. The aims of this systematic review were to synthesise the literature on the dietary intakes of MAs and undertake comparisons between younger (35–50 years) and older (>50 years) MAs and the general population. A search was conducted across seven databases to identify relevant publications for screening and data extraction. Averages for energy intake (EI), macronutrients, and micronutrients were compared with data from the 2011–2012 Australian Health Survey (general population). Twenty-six studies (n = 2819) were included. Energy intake was higher for older (8908 kJ/d versus 7792 kJ/d) but not younger MAs (9073 kJ/d versus 8872 kJ/d) versus the general population. Younger versus older male MAs had higher energy and macronutrient intakes. Energy intake for older was comparable to younger female MAs (7819 kJ/d versus 7485 kJ/d), but older had higher protein, lower carbohydrate, and higher micronutrient intakes. Micronutrient intake was higher in MAs than the general population. Similar EIs for older MAs and younger general population may indicate potential for a higher-quality diet. Younger female MAs may restrict or misreport EI, requiring further investigation. There is a need for more comprehensive assessments of dietary intake in MAs to ascertain diet quality in relation to health. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Investigation of Nutrition and Health Status of Masters Athletes)

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