AUTHOR=Kuhlman Nicholas M. , Jones Margaret T. , Jagim Andrew R. , Magee Meghan K. , Wilcox Luke , Fields Jennifer B. 

TITLE=Dietary intake, energy availability, and power in men collegiate gymnasts

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Sports and Active Living

VOLUME=6

YEAR=2024

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/sports-and-active-living/articles/10.3389/fspor.2024.1448197

DOI=10.3389/fspor.2024.1448197

ISSN=2624-9367

ABSTRACT=<sec><title>Introduction</title><p>The purpose was to examine the prevalence of low energy availability (LEA), explore dietary behaviors in men collegiate gymnasts (<italic>n</italic> = 14), and investigate the relationships between energy availability (EA), body composition, and plyometric performance.</p></sec><sec><title>Methods</title><p>Body composition was measured using air displacement plethysmography. Lower- and upper-body peak power (PWRpeak) and modified reactive strength index (RSI<sub>mod</sub>) were calculated from countermovement jump (CMJ) and plyometric push-up (PP) assessments. Energy expenditure was tracked over 3 days, while daily energy and macronutrient intake were recorded. EA was calculated and used to categorize athletes into LEA and non-LEA groups. Pearson correlation coefficients were used to examine relationships between EA, body composition, and performance metrics.</p></sec><sec><title>Results</title><p>85.7% of athletes (<italic>n</italic> = 12) exhibited LEA (20.98 ± 5.2 kcals/kg FFM), with non-LEA athletes (<italic>n</italic> = 2) marginally surpassing the &lt;30 kcal/kg of fat-free mass (FFM) threshold (30.58 ± 0.2 kcals/kg FFM). The cohort (<italic>n</italic> = 14) consumed insufficient energy (30.5 ± 4.5 kcal/kg/day) and carbohydrates (3.7 ± 1.1 g/kg/day), resulting in LEA (22.36 ± 5.9 kcal/kg/FFM). EA was not correlated with body composition or performance metrics.</p></sec><sec><title>Discussion</title><p>A high prevalence of LEA may exist in men gymnasts, largely due to a low relative energy and carbohydrate intake.</p></sec>