Profile of macronutrient ingestion in jiu-jitsu athletes: a comparative study between the pre-competitive period and the normal training period

Abstract

The objective of the study was to characterize the nutritional intake habits of jiu-jitsu athletes of the 2016 European Championship, comparing the pre-competitive period with the normal training period. The sample consisted of 15 athletes' black belts, with an average age of 24 years, and the nutritional recommendations were evaluated through the food recall of 3 consecutive days before the competition in the first moment, and in the second moment it was done in 2 days in the week and a day at the weekend. The conversion of food into nutrients was performed through the Food Processor plus program, SQL version, and the statistical treatment used was descriptive statistics: mean and standard deviation. The Wilcoxon test was used to determine differences between the variables in the two moments, and data analysis was performed through the SPSS 24 program, adopting a significance level of 5% (p <0.05). The results showed statistically significant differences in total caloric intake and of all macronutrients between the first and second moments. Daily energy consumption at the first moment was (1020.68 + 266.44 Kcal) and at the second moment (2718, 66 + 326.65 kcal). It was concluded that the athletes presented unhealthy eating habits, both during periods of competition and during normal training periods. Athletes presented a nutritional deficit, characterized by an unadjusted diet and should be the target of a nutritional intervention, in order to correct their eating habits, thus avoiding that the nutritional factor interferes negatively in their income.