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Cited by 48Nutrition, Health and Food BehaviorMuscle metabolism and nutritionSports Performance and Training

The DOI matches its Crossref record; 57 of the 58 references it cites were found in a registry or an index; none of the 87 sources its claims cite is checked for support yet.

Nutritional Recommendations for the Young Athlete

Open access
Hecht, Christian, Bank, Nicholas, Cook, Brian, Mistovich, R. Justin·2023·Journal of the Pediatric Orthopaedic Society of North America

Abstract

•Individualized assessments of energy requirements as well as hydration status are key to optimizing nutritional plans for young athletes.•Nutritional plans should consider both the content and timing of meals, particularly in the pre- and post-physical activity windows.•In general, the literature does not support dietary supplement utilization to enhance performance in young athletes.•Whether via interventional programs or physician counseling, guiding young athletes on the cultivation of sustainable dietary habits is critical for long-term healthy behaviors and resultant optimal performance.

Overview

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TL;DR

This narrative review provides practical nutrition guidance for young athletes, covering macronutrients, micronutrients, hydration, supplements, energy availability, and education. It emphasizes individualized plans, nutrient timing, adequate hydration, and caution with supplements, while noting many youth-specific evidence gaps.

Key findings

  • Over half of US adolescents still have low-quality diets; NHANES 1999–2016 showed low-quality diets fell from 76.8% to 56.1% (p<0.001). Youth athletes generally need ~1.5 g/kg/day protein (about 0.3 g/kg five times/day); intakes >2.5 g/kg give no adaptive benefit. Fat should be 20–35% of total energy, limiting trans-fat. Carbohydrate: 6% carbohydrate drinks are optimal, while ≥8% drinks are linked to gastrointestinal discomfort; fructose/galactose replenish glycogen faster.
  • Micronutrient deficiencies are common: iron deficiency prevalence ranges from 4.5% in males and 27.3% in females to 51% and 68%; severe B12 deficiency was 7% and folic acid deficiency 4% in preparticipation exams. Vitamin D deficiency was 80% in indoor/winter athletes vs 48% in outdoor peers. Calcium RDA is 1000 mg/day for ages 4–8 and 1300 mg/day for ages 9–18; Vitamin D recommendation is 15 mcg/day for ages 1–70.
  • Hydration: losses >2% body weight impair performance; 20–44% of athletes are underhydrated at the start of training. Recommended intake: 8–20 oz 1 hour before activity, 5 oz every 15 minutes during, and 20 oz per pound lost after. Supplements: 34.1% self-reported use; 49.8% of adolescent males use protein powder and 8.4% creatine; supplements are generally not recommended for performance unless clinically indicated, though one review found creatine improved performance without adverse events in youth.
  • Energy: adolescent females require ~1,800–2,400 kcal/day and males ~2,000–3,200 kcal/day. Energy availability ≥45 kcal/kg FFM/day is hypothesized as a minimum for young athletes but remains unverified. Education: shorter interventions (1-day or 6-week vs year-long) improved nutrition knowledge, BMI, and diet adherence; involving parents, social media, and motivational interviewing were effective.

Methods

  • Narrative review of current evidence on young athlete nutrition, nutrient timing, hydration, dietary supplements, energy requirements, RED-S, and educational interventions.
  • No systematic search strategy, database list, inclusion/exclusion criteria, or formal risk-of-bias assessment is reported; recommendations draw on cited observational studies, surveys, trials, reviews, and guideline/position statements, with practical tables by age and dietary restriction.

Limitations

  • The paper does not include a dedicated limitations section. It acknowledges that several youth-specific recommendations are extrapolated or unverified: the minimum EA threshold ≥45 kcal/kg FFM/day is hypothesized but not yet verified in young athletes; no specific calcium RDA exists for youth athletes; most dietary supplements have not been studied in pediatric populations, so long-term safety is largely unknown; and nutrition education intervention results are mixed.
  • The text makes evident additional limitations: prevalence estimates for iron deficiency vary widely due to lack of standardized cut-offs and reliance on ferritin alone, and Vitamin D status depends on many unmeasured factors (skin pigmentation, sunscreen, clothing, cloud cover, pollution, time of day, season, latitude).

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Integrity signals

Registry

Crossref · 10.55275/jposna-2023-599

Cites

57 of 57 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

Statistics

Nothing to recompute.

Figures

Figure 1 RED-S Risk Assessment Model, adapted from Mountjoy et al. (2014).56
Figure 1 RED-S Risk Assessment Model, adapted from Mountjoy et al. (2014).56CC BY-NC-ND · PubMed Central

Verification

Claims the paper makes

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Citations

Cites

Research works printed but not linked: 1

  1. Butscheidt, 2017, Impact of Vitamin D in Sports: Does Vitamin D Insufficiency Compromise Athletic Performance?, Sportverletz Sportschaden., 31, 37

Cited by

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Metadata

Authors
Hecht, C., Bank, N., Cook, B., & Mistovich, R. J.
Affiliations
  • Case Western Reserve University (US)
  • University Hospitals of Cleveland (US)
Corresponding author
Mistovich, R. Justin
Venue
Journal of the Pediatric Orthopaedic Society of North America
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2023-02
Volume
5
Issue
1
Pages
599
ISSN
2768-2765 (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W4318816305
Cited by
48
References
58
Citations by year
2026: 27 · 2025: 13 · 2024: 8
FWCI
1.48
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • Journal of the Pediatric Orthopaedic Society of North America (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Nursing › Nutrition and Dietetics › Nutrition, Health and Food Behavior
  • Health Sciences › Nursing › Nutrition and Dietetics › Muscle metabolism and nutrition
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Orthopedics and Sports Medicine › Sports Performance and Training
Keywords
youth athletes, sports nutrition, energy requirements, hydration status, meal timing, dietary supplements, performance improvement, physician counseling

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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.