| This study evaluated nutrition issues in female winter sport athletes and focused on the following: (a) dietary and fluid intake during nonspecific (dry-land) and specific (on-snow/ice) training, iron status and change in iron status, supplement use, (b) the prevalence of the Female Athlete Triad in winter sport athletes, and (c) bone mineral density (measured by DXA; BMD; g/cm2) compared to age and body mass index (BMI) matched controls (n = 21). Forty-one female athletes (age: 26 ± 6 yrs; BMI: 23 ± 1.9 k g/m2) involved in speed skating, snowboarding, freestyle skiing, biathlon, and sliding sports (bobsleigh, skeleton, luge) were enrolled. Results for (a) showed that dietary and fluid intake remained the same, regardless of training environment, and met sport nutrition recommendations for carbohydrate and protein intake. During specific training, energy intake was lower than expenditure (energy balance: −331 ± 854 kcal·d−1; p < .05) and hourly fluid intake lower than recommended levels (232 ± 211 ml·hr−1 versus 800 ml·hr−1 ; p < .001). Three athletes had iron deficiency (ferritin <12 ng/ml) at the beginning but not at the end of the study. The results for (b) showed the following prevalence: restrained eating, RE and/or energy imbalance, EI (53%); menstrual dysfunction, MD (59%); stress fractures, SF (18%). No athlete had osteopenia, and RE was not related to MD, and MD and RE were not related to BMD, even though RE was related to EI (r = .472; p < .005), and SF (83%) occurred more frequently in athletes with MD. Findings for (c) showed that BMD in athletes was between 6 (whole body) and 12% (greater trochanter) above control values. These results were significant with and without adjustment for lean tissue mass (p = .01) and were not compromised by MD. This study was the first to assess dietary and fluid intakes in winter sport athletes while preparing for Olympic Games, the first to describe the prevalence of the TRIAD, and one of the few studies to show that higher BMD in athletes compared to controls is independent of lean tissue mass. Dietary and fluid recommendations, TRIAD issues, and further research in bone loading should be tailored to the nuances of winter sports. |
