Quality of nutritional supply of proteins and carbohydrates in adolescent competitive athletes

To evaluate nutritional behaviour and macronutrient intake of adolescent competitive athletes (N = 111), we compared data with those of moderate active controls (N = 28). There were no significant differences in either age, body mass index, percentage body fat or proportion of male and female subjects between the groups. Although the majority of athletes underwent a training regime of 8-12 weekly workouts, their energy intake (EI) was much lower than estimated energy requirement and only a little higher than EI of controls. The protein ingestion in a few individuals as well as in the mean of the athletes cohort was conspicuously elevated compared to recommended daily intake for non-active subjects. However, the protein intake was proved to be within the optimal range with regard to the individual body weight and specific recommendations for athletes of different sports. The proportion of carbohydrates of total energy met the recommended amount. The consumption of sugar and oligo-saccharides was very high, which is associated with a reduction of foods supplying complex carbohydrates, an observation that gives reason for concern.