In the master's thesis, we determined the eating habits of young Slovenian basketball players and their nutritional status. The aim of the master's thesis was also to determine the frequency of taking nutritional supplements among basketball players.
The survey included 21 young Slovenian basketball players aged 15 to 19 years. To evaluate the eating habits of the players, we used the diet diary. From the nutritional diaries we calculated energy intake, energy expenditure and the ratio of macro nutrients (carbohydrates, proteins and fats). To assess the nutritional status, body composition analyzer (Tanita BC-601) was used to obtain information on body weight and percentage of body fat. A survey questionnaire was used to evaluate the use of dietary supplements.
In the analysis of the basic characteristics, such as the percentage of body fat and body mass index, we got good results. The average body mass index (BMI) of basketball players was 23.31, indicating that they were in the normal body weight range. The percentage of body fat (14.39%) was also appropriate.
The analysis of nutritional diaries showed that the proportion of energy intake of proteins is appropriate (20%), the proportion of carbohydrates is too small (47%) and the fat content is too high (33%). The average daily energy intake of basketball players was 2806kcal (11785kJ), while the daily energy expenditure was 3987.38kcal (16747kJ). The average difference between intake and expenditure was -1181 kcal (4960kJ).
The results of the questionnaire on nutritional supplements showed that two thirds of basketball players were taking food supplements (67%). Among the most popular food supplements are protein drinks (25%), vitamins (25%) and amino acids (14%).
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