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REVIEW article

Front. Nutr.
Sec. Nutrition, Psychology and Brain Health
Volume 11 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fnut.2024.1390204
This article is part of the Research Topic Mind, Body, Plate: Investigating Disordered Eating in the Active Population View all 5 articles

Junior Athletes' Nutritional Demands: A Narrative Review of Consumption and Prevalence of Eating Disorders

Provisionally accepted
Adam T. AMAWI Adam T. AMAWI 1Batool Khataybeh Batool Khataybeh 2Ali Qoqazeh Ali Qoqazeh 3Lana Alnimer Lana Alnimer 4Raghad Al Aqaili Raghad Al Aqaili 4Farah Oukal Farah Oukal 4Nour Ababneh Nour Ababneh 2Haitham Jahrami Haitham Jahrami 5,6Khitam Mousa Ay Khitam Mousa Ay 1Hasan Al Saoud Hasan Al Saoud 1Hadeel Ghazzawi Hadeel Ghazzawi 4*
  • 1 Department of Exercise Science and Kinesiology, Faculty of Sports Sciences, The University of Jordan, Amman, Amman, Jordan
  • 2 Department of Nutrition and Food Technology, Faculty of Agriculture, Jordan University of Science and Technology, Irbid, Irbid, Jordan
  • 3 Faculty of Medicine, Al-Balqa Applied University, Al-Salt, Jordan
  • 4 Department of Nutrition and Food Technology, School of Agriculture, The University of Jordan, Aljubeiha, Amman, Jordan
  • 5 Ministry of Health, Manama, Bahrain
  • 6 Department of Physiology, College of Medicine and Medical Sciences, Arabian Gulf University, Manama, Capital Governorate, Bahrain

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Information regarding the dietary requirements and consumption of young athletes is limited. Hence, the aim of this narrative review is to provide a comprehensive combination of research and review papers on the nutritional status of young athletes aged 5 to 18 years old, as well as quantitative, qualitative, wholesome foods, food choices, and eating disordered data concerning the dietary requirements for growing young athletes. This study involved systematic searches of electronic databases, including Google Scholar, PubMed, Science Direct, Scopus, and Web of Science. The specific criteria for identifying research papers published in English from July 1980 until May 2024 were included. Only 48 studies out of 1262 were included in this narrative review. The findings of this study suggest that, compared with adults, junior athletes need a unique approach to meet their dietary needs. Growth, development, and general athletic performance depend on macronutrients, as they are vital nutrients for young active athletes. However, research on enhancing junior athletes' performance is still in progress, and studies on hydration status, and eating disorders are limited.

    Keywords: Dietary requirements, Junior athletes, performance, macronutrients, Supplements, food choices, eating disordered

    Received: 22 Feb 2024; Accepted: 30 Jul 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 AMAWI, Khataybeh, Qoqazeh, Alnimer, Al Aqaili, Oukal, Ababneh, Jahrami, Mousa Ay, Al Saoud and Ghazzawi. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Hadeel Ghazzawi, Department of Nutrition and Food Technology, School of Agriculture, The University of Jordan, Aljubeiha, 11942, Amman, Jordan

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.