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Correlation Between Proper Nutrition That Enhances Performance (стр. 2 из 2)

Clearly, water is an extremely important nutrient in the performance of all athletes. However, it appears after studying the surveys that there is a large intake of alcohol by many of the athletes. After analyzing the surveys an average of 18.76 grams of alcohol was consumed on a daily basis. Alcohol made up 5.9% of the total caloric intake. At a 90% level of confidence it appears that the percentage of alcohol of total calories consumed by (ENTER YOUR SCHOOL) athletes lied between 4% and 8%. Of the 21 athletes that participated in the survey, 7 did not consume any alcohol over the 5 day period. A total of 19% said that they never drink, while 38% said that they drink only on occasions. There was 14% that drank once a week, 19% that drank twice a week and 10% drank 3-4 times a week. From the percentage of those that drank, 59% consumed only beer, while 35% consumed beer and liquor, and 6% consumed only Liquor.

The intake of alcohol by these athletes plays a huge role in their performance. `Drinking too much alcohol before exercise (even the night before) can harm performance. (Coleman & Nelson 98). Alcohol greatly speeds up water losses because it acts as a diuretic and increases urine output. `The dehydrating effect of alcohol impairs performance and increases the risks of heat illnesses during exercise in warm weather . (Coleman & Steen 98.) If an athlete is to drink alcohol before exercise it greatly decreases the output of glucose by the liver, causing low blood glucose and early fatigue. Alcohol does not contribute to the formation of muscle glycogen which is the primary fuel for exercise. The nutrient qualities in alcohol are also very low and are high in calories, thus making them a high source of empty calories. It s consumption also affects the absorption of other vitamins. `Chronic or abusive use of alcohol can interfere with absorption and use of B-complex vitamins, especially Thiamin, and even destroy Folate (folic acid). (Williams 107). Alcohol also reduces motor skills that are important in performance such as coordination and balance.

A different substance that acts as a diuretic is the caffeine found in coffee, teas and also in some sodas. This is extremely relevant because the random sample of athletes studied consumed a daily average of 58.05 mg of caffeine. A range between 43mg and 73mg was calculated for the daily intake of caffeine by LCSC athletes at the 90% level of confidence. This intake came about through either pop or coffee. It is important that athletes who consume such beverages are aware of the need to increase their fluid intake so as to account for the dehydration that may occur. Although Caffeine acts as a diuretic it is believed that it can enhance performance by `consuming 5-9mg of caffeine per kg prior to endurance exercise, it may enhance performance by sparing muscle glycogen. ( Coleman & Steen 66). Studies have also shown that epinephrine levels are raised through caffeine consumption and this stimulates the release of free fatty acids from the adipose tissue. `This increases fat utilization and reduces muscle glycogen usage. ( Coleman & Steen 66). `However, the use of caffeine is considered a form of doping by the International Olympic Committee.’ (Coleman & Steen 66).

Other classes of nutrients include Vitamins and these also play an important role in performance. Thiamin, Riboflavin and Niacin all play `key roles in energy release .( Sizer & Whitney 39). However, extra amounts do not provide any advantage. In actual fact an excess of Niacin of the RDA may suppress the release of fatty acids, and force muscles to use extra glycogen during physical activity. This may shorten the time to Glycogen depletion and may increase the difficulty of the work. Vitamin B6 and B12 are also believed to be beneficial. `Vitamin B6 plays key roles in the release of energy from Nutrients, in the liberation of Glucose from Glycogen, and in the formation of Hemoglobin. ( Sizer and Whitney 396). After the 5 day analysis it seems clear that there is a slight deficiency of Vitamin B6 as the average was 89% of the RDA. It was calculated at the 90% level of confidence that the intake of Vitamin B6 lied in the range of at 78% and 99% of the RDA.

Vitamin B12 is also believed to play an important role with its involvement in the production of red blood cells. The intake of vitamin B12 seemed very high as an overall daily average of the athletes as 186% of the RDA was obtained. Although, it may seem that an increase in such a vitamin may enhance performance it actually does not affect performance. The only vitamin that this is applicable to is Vitamin E as an increase over it s RDA may enhance performance. Vitamin E is especially important with Endurance athletes. This is because `During endurance events, the cells use great quantities of oxygen to process fuels and Vitamin E rigorously defends the cell membranes against oxidative damage. ( Sizer & Whitney 395). After studying the surveys it appears that the (ENTER YOUR SCHOOL) athletes consume 110% of their RDA for Vitamin E. Although this may be a little high of the RDA it may actually improve performance.

There are some minerals that play a role in performance and an important one is Iron. `Endurance athletes especially women athletes are prone to iron deficiency . The effects that this has upon performance is that an `Iron deficiency impairs performance because Iron helps deliver the muscles oxygen. ( Sizer & Whitney 397). The aerobic work capacity is reduced with iron reduced oxygen delivery, so the individual fatigues quickly. Calcium is a different mineral that is essential for replacement by athletes. The main reason for this is in increasing bone density for the prevention of osteoporosis later in life. Light physical activity is beneficial to bone health yet `extremes in physical activity may be detrimental to bone health . (Sizer & Whitney 397). Many of the athletes involved in this study undergo rigorous physical activity and if calcium intakes are low they may become susceptible to stress fractures and osteoporosis. By obtaining adequate calcium intakes it will protect athletes against later bone loss. However, after analyzing the nutrient intake of athletes the mean of the daily average was only at 84% of the RDA. The range lies from 73% to 93% of the RDA by athletes and this lies at the 95% level of confidence.

Other minerals also play an important role and one is Potassium. Many athletes lose potassium through profusive sweating which comes about through rigorous activity. The nutritional analysis discovered that only 68.3% of the RDA was being met by the sample of the (ENTER YOUR SCHOOL) athletes. There is a 95% level of confidence that the intake of Potassium by athletes lies between 60% and 75% of the RDA. Another mineral that is also important is Sodium. Large amounts of Sodium are also lost through sweating, however increased Sodium intakes may be bad for health. This is because it may greatly increase the risk of suffering from hypertension at later periods in life. It appears that the average sodium intake by the athletes was a little high at 138% of the RDA being obtained. The range for Sodium intake lies between 118% and 157% of the RDA, this is determined at a 95% level of confidence. Although this may not be a problem now, it is important that proper habits are set for later in life so as to prevent the onset of any diseases such as hypertension.

Each of these classes of nutrients are responsible for energy production as the `body extracts the required energy from either dietary or body stores of carbohydrate, fat and protein to rebuild the energy rich ATP. (p.24). Adenosine triphosphate (ATP) is an energy rich chemical compound that is used for all processes that require energy within the cell. The energy that is released is used for all body functions and these include muscular contractions. Energy is also derived from Creatine phosphate and it provides a small reserve of quick energy. It is the breakdown of these two molecules that provide energy necessary in all-out exercise for about 6-8 seconds, such as the 100 meter dash.

A balanced energy supply is necessary throughout the day for athletes. This comes about through regular eating and the intake of all three meals. The most important of these three meals is breakfast. If an athlete does not consume breakfast a decrease in performance will result. This is because there will be a low blood glucose level as the `overnight fast lowers liver glycogen stores.’ (Coleman & Steen 35). With depleted liver Glycogen stores an athlete’s blood sugar drops and may feel fatigued and light headed. By an athlete eating a high carbohydrate breakfast `before morning exercise it will help to maintain blood glucose levels so that an athlete can perform at their best.’(Coleman & Steen 35). It appears that the regular intake of meals is another area where performance may be affected by the athletes at (ENTER YOUR SCHOOL). After analyzing the surveys it appears that 67% of the athletes skip meals sometimes and 71% of these skipped breakfast, while the remaining 29% skipped lunch. The results also showed that 19% of the athletes skipped breakfast three times a week and the remaining 14% never skipped meals.

The total caloric intake is also essential in the energy supply for athletes which in turn greatly reflects performance. Too little an intake may result in fatigue, poor performance, lowered body weight and lowered body fat composition. It appears that the (ENTER YOUR SCHOOL) athletes met 102% of their RDA, which falls into the ideal range. At a 95% level of confidence it appears that the total caloric intake of the RDA lies 95% and 100%. It is recommended that athletes consume between 3,000 and 5,000 calories a day. This number is a little lower for female athletes. There was a little variance between that of the (ENTER YOUR SCHOOL) male athlete s mean caloric intake which was 3,344, and the LCSC female athlete s mean caloric intake which was 2467. This is not unusual and in many cases males require a greater number of calories to account for their larger body mass.

Overall, I feel that my Research Project was fairly successful. There are some areas that were a little disappointing. One of these include the response to the surveys. I only received 42% back and I think that there are some reasons for this. One of these include the fact that many of the athletes were travelling, they had either been on the road or they were about to travel. A different reason is that for many of the athletes time is a big factor, especially while in season it may be very hectic for them. I also feel that some of the athletes felt that their coach may see the survey. This seemed to be of concern to some of the athletes. For such a reason some did not return them and some of those that did it made me a little unsure as to how accurate the nutritional information actually was. This seems to be particularly relevant in the area of alcohol consumption. A different reason may also have been because the survey was a little long. Other athletes may have felt that their daily intake was personal and may not feel comfortable having it as part of a Research Project. Some things that I would change if I was to repeat this project is that I would make the survey a little shorter. I would either reduce the number of days to 3 for the Nutritional analysis or I would not include that section at all. I would also make more certain that the athletes were aware that the surveys were strictly confidential.

There were some other difficulties that I came across while making calculations. These were in determining the level of confidence. For most of the areas of nutrition I was able to make statements at a 95% level of confidence. However, there were some areas that held a high variance if determined at this level. In such cases I lowered the level of confidence to decrease the variance. This was the case for RDA percentage for Vitamin B6. There was one negative aspect that accompanied this, which was it increased the probability of error from .05 to 0.1.

After carrying out a nutritional analysis on 14% of the student athlete population (ENTER YOUR SCHOOL), it is clear that there are areas of nutrition that can be improved. This is particularly clear in areas such as carbohydrates where its intake fell below the RDA. There was also a low intake of calcium, vitamin B6 and potassium. Other areas studied that may decrease performance included the intake of alcohol and caffeine. There was also a high percentage of athletes that skipped meals along with a regular intake of fast food. However, there were some areas that contradicted my hypothesis and this was in the percentage of protein which fell closely into the ideal range, yet there was an increased intake over the RDA for protein. This was similar with fat intake, although it also tied in closely with the ideal percentage there was an increase of saturated fat over the RDA. After carrying out this research project I feel that there are some changes that I would make if I was to repeat it, yet overall I feel that it ran fairly successfully. After studying this in great depth it seems to be particularly clear that many of the athletes that attend Lewis-Clark State College, do not adjust their diets in such a way that they can enhance their performance which can come about through proper nutrition.

Coleman, Ellen & Nelson, Suzanne. The ultimate sports nutrition handbook. Emeryville, CA: Bull Publishing Company, 1996.

Hoeger, Sharon A. & Hoeger, Werner W.K. Principles and Labs for Physical Fitness. Englewood, Colorado: Morton Publishing Company, 1997.

Sizer, Frances & Whitney, Eleanor. Nutrition Concepts and Controversies. Canada: Wadsworth Publishing Company, 1997.

Vincent, William J. Statistics in Kinesiology. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics, 1995.

Williams, Sue Rodwell. Basic Nutrition and Diet Therapy. St Louis, Missouri: Mosby – Year Book Inc, 1995.

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