Nutrition for young athletes in early to middle childhood: A narrative review

TL;DR

This narrative review summarizes nutrition for young athletes in early to middle childhood, covering energy, macronutrients, micronutrients, hydration, and meal planning. It concludes that age-appropriate diets with proper hydration can generally meet needs without supplements, but evidence specific to this age group remains limited and often extrapolated from older athletes.

Key findings

• Daily energy needs for heavy physical activity rise with age and differ by sex: ages 6–8, boys 1800–1950 kcal/day and girls 1650–1775 kcal/day; ages 8–10, boys 2100–2275 and girls 1950–2125; ages 10–12, boys 2475–2700 and girls 2300–2475. The paper also gives examples: a 60 kg boy playing ice hockey for 60 minutes burns about 936 calories, while a 30 kg girl playing soccer burns about 270 calories.
• Carbohydrate recommendations include 45–65% of total calories for ages 4–18; 4 g/kg 3–4 hours before sport, 0.5–1 g/kg the hour before, 0.7 g/kg each hour during, and 1–1.5 g/kg after. A 6% carbohydrate beverage is preferred, while beverages with ≥8% carbohydrate are associated with gastrointestinal distress; FAO guidance for athletes is 6–10 g/kg/day during endurance training and 8–12 g/kg/day during severe training.
• Protein guidance includes DRI 1.1 g/kg/day for ages 1–3 and 0.95 g/kg/day until puberty, while active adults are advised 1.2–1.8 g/kg; youth athletes generally need about 1.5 g/kg/day if energy needs are met. Smaller doses of 0.22–0.33 g/kg per meal every 3–4 hours, and 0.2–0.4 g/kg after sport within 30 minutes and again within 2 hours, are recommended. Protein should be 10–30% of energy for ages 4–18; supplements are not shown superior to whole foods.
• Fat should be 25–35% of total calories, with saturated fat ≤10%. Micronutrient targets include calcium 1000 mg/day for ages 4–8 and 1300 mg/day for ages 9–18, vitamin D 600 IU/day for ages 4–18, and iron 8 mg/day for ages 9–13, rising to 11 mg/day for males and 15 mg/day for females ages 14–18. Hydration guidance includes drinking 400–600 mL cold water 2–3 hours before exercise, 150–300 mL every 15–20 minutes during sport, and about 1.5 L fluid per kg body weight lost after exercise; water loss ≥2% of body weight impairs performance.

Methods

• Narrative review; the paper states it combines research and review papers to examine nutritional status, dietary requirements, healthy eating, and eating disorders among young athletes in early to middle childhood.
• No systematic search strategy, databases, inclusion/exclusion criteria, or sample are reported.
• Main analysis is a narrative synthesis organized by topic: growth and development, energy requirements, carbohydrates, proteins, fats, micronutrients, hydration, and meal planning, with tables adapted from other sources.

Limitations

• The paper states that much supporting literature comes from adolescent or adult populations, so recommendations for early-to-middle childhood are derived indirectly; energy and nutrient demands vary by sport type, intensity, frequency, and growth pattern, making a universal dietary guideline impossible.
• The paper states that many dietary advisories fail to specify exact carbohydrate, fat, and protein proportions, protein quality/type, or how vitamins and minerals should be added for children; few studies examine meal and snack timing, hydration, or nutrient-dense snack strategies, and there are concerns about unregistered or excessive supplementation and few labeled pediatric studies of health impact.
• Evident from the text: as a narrative review, it reports no systematic search, selection criteria, or quality appraisal, and it presents no primary data or sample.