NUTRITIONAL RECOMMENDATIONS AND GUIDELINES FOR WOMEN IN GYMNASTICS: CURRENT ASPECTS AND CRITICAL INTERVENTIONS

Abstract

Pre-adolescent and adolescent gymnasts, and especially artistics gymnasts (AG) and rhythmic gymnasts (RG), belong to a high risk group for severe deficiency in /lack of basic nutrients, especially calcium, iron, folic acid, vitamin D and zinc. The increased demands of accelerated pubertal development in combination with the need to maintain a reduced body mass and the intense daily training (without energy recovery and adequate rest) expose particularly the younger athletes to growth disorders, long-term nutritional deficiencies, problems of emotional nature (low self-esteem, dissatisfaction with body image, multiple daily weighing, obsessions with body aesthetics and physical appearance), hormonal disorders (amenorrhea), premature fatigue, osteopenia, and a particularly increased risk of injury. The vast majority of athletes feel that they are on a constant (chronic) diet. It is typical for athletes to spend hours of daily training with only water intake and no other snack, and coaches are aware of this. The detection and diagnostic assessment of nutritional deficiencies / shortcomings and future nutrition-dependent disorders during the developmental ages of a gymnast is a field of study for every qualified sport dietician. Keeping this in mind, the purpose of this review is to provide targeted nutritional support directions to elite athletes of AG and RG with priority and emphasis on strengthening the immune system, nutritional strategy for direct energy recovery and the control of timely daily food intake during the annual training season.