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Cited by 26Nutrition, Health and Food BehaviorEating Disorders and BehaviorsMuscle metabolism and nutrition

The DOI matches its Crossref record; 151 of the 152 references it cites were found in a registry or an index; none of the 172 sources its claims cite is checked for support yet.

Junior athletes’ nutritional demands: a narrative review of consumption and prevalence of eating disorders

Open access
Amawi, Adam, Khataybeh, Batool, Al Aqaili, Raghad, Ababneh, Nour, Alnimer, Lana, Qoqazeh, Ali, Oukal, Farah, Jahrami, Haitham, Mousa Ay, Khitam, Al Saoud, Hassan, Ghazzawi, Hadeel·2024·Frontiers in Nutrition

Abstract

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 5–18 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 1,262 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.

Overview

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TL;DR

This narrative review synthesizes 48 studies involving 4,005 junior athletes aged 5–18 years and concludes that junior athletes have distinct nutritional needs, yet many fail to meet dietary recommendations and are at risk of eating disorders. Macronutrients are emphasized as vital for growth, development, and performance, but evidence on hydration, supplements, and eating disorders in this population remains limited.

Key findings

  • The review included 48 research articles involving 4,005 juniors from an initial 1,262 records; it concludes that junior athletes need a unique approach compared with adults, with macronutrients vital for growth, development, and athletic performance.
  • Many junior athletes did not adhere to healthy nutrition guidelines and showed energy imbalances or nutrient deficiencies. In one included study, male junior athletes consumed 2,285.5 kcal versus a recommended 2,650 kcal, with only 8.1% meeting the recommended caloric intake and generally meeting about 60–80% of macronutrient and micronutrient needs.
  • Eating disorder risk varied across studies: 33.3% of adolescent swimmers were identified as at risk of eating disorders; a global meta-analysis of over 70,000 athletes reported 19% engaged in disordered eating; Norwegian elite adolescent athletes had 7.0% prevalence versus 2.3% in non-athlete controls; and Spanish elite athletes showed approximately 5% possible eating disorders (7.6% females, 2.5% males).
  • Supplement use was prevalent, with protein-based supplements and multivitamins most common among males and caffeine anhydrous among females; caffeine studies generally showed ergogenic effects on performance, but evidence was limited and often male-only.

Methods

  • Narrative review using PRISMA-guided searches of Google Scholar, PubMed, Science Direct, Scopus, and Web of Science, plus manual reference searching, covering English-language articles from July 1980 to May 2024.
  • Inclusion criteria focused on healthy young athletes aged 5–18 years; exclusions included adults, non-athletes, diseased or disabled individuals, non-English articles, reviews, and books.
  • From 1,262 initially identified articles, 839 were removed after keyword analysis and 48 research articles involving 4,005 juniors were included; data were extracted independently by two authors and narratively synthesized into macronutrients, micronutrients, supplements, and eating disorders.

Limitations

  • The paper states that research on junior athletes’ performance, hydration status, and eating disorders is limited; only vitamin D had studies among vitamins in this review, and clinical trials of nutrients, supplements, and eating disorders in junior athletes are limited.
  • The paper states that eating disorder studies often rely on self-reported questionnaires whose effectiveness and validity in athletes are questioned, lack precise terminology for disordered eating, focus on specific groups or sports, and often lack non-athlete controls of the same age.
  • Evident from the text: as a narrative review, no formal meta-analysis or risk-of-bias/quality appraisal is described, and many included studies have small samples (e.g., n=5, 9, 10, 12) and sex-skewed samples, limiting generalizability.

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Integrity signals

Registry

Crossref · 10.3389/fnut.2024.1390204

Cites

151 of 151 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

Statistics

Nothing to recompute.

Figures

Figure 1 PRISMA diagram with data extraction process and eligibility assessment.
Figure 1 PRISMA diagram with data extraction process and eligibility assessment.CC BY · PubMed Central

Verification

Claims the paper makes

0 Valid · 13 Not valid · 132 Not checked · 34 Own results and interpretations

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Self-check

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Citations

Cites

Research works printed but not linked: 1

  1. Dey, 2018, Comparison of dietary intake, energy adequacy and anthropometric parameters between Indian junior male and female hockey players, Malays J Nutr, 24, 242, 10.5555/20193019973 · doi:10.5555/20193019973

Cited by

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Metadata

Authors
Amawi, A., Khataybeh, B., Al Aqaili, R., Ababneh, N., Alnimer, L., Qoqazeh, A., Oukal, F., Jahrami, H., Mousa Ay, K., Al Saoud, H., & Ghazzawi, H.
Affiliations
  • University of Jordan (JO)
  • Jordan University of Science and Technology (JO)
  • Al-Balqa Applied University (JO)
  • Government Hospitals (BH)
Corresponding author
Ghazzawi, Hadeel
Venue
Frontiers in Nutrition
Published
2024-09-24
Volume
11
Pages
1390204-1390204
ISSN
2296-861X (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W4402786190
Cited by
26
References
152
Citations by year
2026: 18 · 2025: 8
FWCI
1.24
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Frontiers in Nutrition (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion)
Funders
University of Jordan
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Nursing › Nutrition and Dietetics › Nutrition, Health and Food Behavior
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Eating Disorders and Behaviors
  • Health Sciences › Nursing › Nutrition and Dietetics › Muscle metabolism and nutrition
Keywords
youth athletes, nutrient requirements, eating disorders, dietary intake, macronutrients, hydration status, food choice, athletic performance

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Data sources

Bibliographic data: Semantic Scholar, OpenAlex, Crossref.

Contains information from the Semantic Scholar Academic Graph Datasets, made available under the ODC Attribution License (ODC-BY 1.0).

Semantic Scholar’s data is described in: Kinney, R., et al. (2023). The Semantic Scholar Open Data Platform. arXiv:2301.10140.