Abstract

Athletes give rather significant attention to their nutrition, its improvement and supplementation. It is very important to supply the athletes’ body not only with macronutrients, which provide the body with energy, but also with micronutrients whose role in the functional state of the organism is undoubtful. In order to assess the supply of both macro- and micronutrients to the body, the actual nutrition must be studied and evaluated. The aim of the work was to study the factual nutrition of athletes and to assess the supply of micronutrients to their body. The study cohort comprised 60 individuals (23 females and 37 males, age range 21-24 years) who combined studies at the Vilnius Pedagogical University with training in sports. We examined their physical development, daily regime by using a questionnaire. The study regime was determined by using a questionnaire. Factual nutrition was determined by the method of questioning and weighing 3 days in turn. The food composition was analyzed. We assessed the balance of nutritive substances in the rations and their correspondence to the physiological needs of the body. The obtained data were processed by methods of mathematical statistics. The factual nutrition of the athletes was found to satisfy the energetic demands of their bodies. The average ration, both in males and females, showed a clear disbalance of nutrients expressed as a sufficient content of proteins, large content of proteins, large content of fat and insufficient content of carbohydrates with a deficiency of polysaccharides. The sufficient content pf proteins was confirmed by the amino acid composition in the average rations of men and women. The levels of metionine, arginine and triposine were below the level of a well-balanced nutrition. Metionine deficiency was confirmed by the ratio of three most deficient amino acids (tryptophan, metionine and lysine) which in the female ration was 1:1.2:3.8 and in the male ration was 1:1.4:4.3 instead of the standard ratio 1:3:4. The content of vitamins in the rations of the study subjects was insufficient. The levels of vitamin A, carotins, vitamins B1, B2, PB, D, B3, BC, B4 in the average female ration was below the well-balanced nutrition formula level. The male rations were closer to the recommended levels; however, the high energetic value of their food imposed the related higher demands of all vitamins. A more precise picture of vitamin supply with food is shown by their quantitative expression per 1000 kilo calories. In the average ration, the ratio of vitamins and energetic substances was lower than in the average ration (except for vitamins, B1, PB, B4), implying a vitamin deficiency in the rations of the male and female individuals examined. The levels of vitamins in their ration was close to but still below the physiological requirements of the body of individuals not going in for sports. The content of the mineral substances in the average ration not always corresponded to the recommended level. The level of phosphorus was close to it, however, its ratio to calcium (1.4 in the female and 1.9 in the male ration) showed a Ca deficiency in the male ration. The levels of magnesium, the direct Ca antagonist, neither in male nor female nutrition reached the minimum recommmended level. The levels of the main hemopoietic substances, Fe, Cu and Zn, in the female ration did not reach the minimum recommended level and in the male ration were close to it, whereas the stored Zn in the body highly depend on its ratio to other microelements, Cu in particular. Verf.-Referat