The aim of this study was to examine the effect of a sports nutrition intervention on the nutrition knowledge and dietary choices of players who were members of the Ethiopian national football team between 2012 and 2014. In summary, the YYIRT1 score may have been related with the players' energy deficit during the seven days of preseason training.
Introduction
- Background
- Statement of the problem
- Research questions
- Aims
- Methodology to achieve the aims (Phases of Study):Error! Bookmark not
- Thesis Outline
This is seen to negatively affect the players' physical performance and recovery. The overall aims of this PhD were to record and evaluate the dietary, sports nutrition and supplementation practices of Ethiopian professional footballers (at national and club level) and to examine the impact of pre-season dietary practices on player performance and recovery.
Literature Review
The physiological demands and total distance covered in football
The physical aspects of the game are increasingly seen as the decisive factor in match results (Carling, 2013). Managing the physical and physiological well-being of elite football players depends on critical knowledge about performance requirements (Jonathan Bloomfield, 2007).
Distance covered and energy expenditure for player positions
If they are going to do this, their bodies require the right fuel to meet the demands of a match (Jenkins, 2014). For a first-class footballer, nutrition is vital to supply the energy to meet the challenges of high-intensity, intermittent exercise.
Fatigue in football players
- Causes of fatigue in football players
In comparison, the energy intake of Ethiopian Premier League football club players was low. The study revealed the nutritional ignorance of Ethiopian soccer players in the seven clubs.
Dietary habits of football players
- CHO intake of football players
- Protein intake of football players
- Fat intake of football players
CHO and performance of football players
Performance at the end of a soccer match is compromised, which may be caused by lower levels of muscle glycogen and a decrease in glycogen in specific muscle fibers (Rollo, 2014). This insight is also supported by studies recommending that athletes consume an easily digestible high-CHO meal in the hours before an endurance exercise to increase muscle and liver glycogen stores and enhance performance (Williams, 2008).
CHO requirements for football players
However, even though soccer is the most popular sport in the world, few studies on soccer nutrition have been conducted. CHOs are usually classified based on their glycemic index (GI), which is a ranking of how quickly CHOs raise blood glucose levels in the body after consumption.
Protein and performance of football players
Protein requirements for football players
Adding a small amount of protein to a regular sports drink has been shown to increase athletes' endurance by approximately 30%, compared to the sports drink alone (Gibala, 2007). According to studies, immediate protein intake after exercise with a proportion of (80 g CHO, 28 g Pro, 6 g fat) can benefit the player in many ways, including the recovery and production of muscle proteins and the synthesis of muscle glycogen. in the liver and muscles (Ivy, 2002).
Fat and performance of football players
Studies have shown that drinking a CHO electrolyte drink boosts performance during prolonged exercise by providing energy for active muscles and promoting continued fluid balance.
Fat requirements for football players
Hydration and performance of football players
Athletes, such as soccer players, who train for more than one hour should drink a formulated sports drink to improve their performance and recovery. During the PI's time with the Ethiopian national football team, this practice was also applied by preparing a homemade sports drink with natural honey (two spoons), a pinch of salt and one liter of water.
Hydration requirements for football players
Dehydration to the extent of a loss of 2% to 7% body mass consistently reduces endurance exercise performance (Laitano, 2014). Players should be educated on the importance of fluid intake before, during and after exercise (Cristiano Ralo Monteiro, 2003; Maughan & Shirreffs, 2010).
Micronutrient requirements for football players
Factors that affect optimal nutrition in football players
Nutrition education for football players
Professional soccer players often move between countries, and as a result they experience additional problems in adapting their dietary behavior to new local food habits. As a result, studies have noted that professional soccer players typically fail to consume the ideal sport-specific diet (Ono, 2012).
Alcohol use and football players’ performance
The influence of alcohol consumption on hydration, and its diuretic properties, are well known and recognized. Due to the many and multifaceted mechanisms by which ethanol or alcohol affects physiological systems, it can be confidently concluded that elevated blood alcohol concentrations at the time of exercise will impair the performance of soccer players (Barnes, 2014).
Diet and supplementation
The identification of alcohol as a potent diuretic dates back to 1948, when it was observed that 10 ml more urine was produced after each gram of ethanol intake.
CHO supplementation during practices and game
High altitude nutrition and performance of football players
General Methodology
Study 1 – Evaluation of the impact of a sports nutrition education programme on the
- Study participants and data collection
- Nutrition education programme intervention
- Data analysis
The method used by PI to change the nutritional and supplementation practices of the Ethiopian national team was through a nutrition education program for players and coaches. During the initial phase (first six months) of the intervention, the PI led the nutrition class every day for 30 minutes.
Study 2 - The dietary intake, sports nutrition and supplementation practices of
- Study participants and data collection
- Training research assistants to collect dietary intake data
- Data analysis
All qualitative data obtained from the individual interviews with players and from the focus group discussions on the impact of the players' nutrition education program (which was implemented by the PI who was with the team during the period and covering nutritional habits, sports nutrition, recovery, performance , alcohol, health, supplementation practices, hydration practices, CHO, protein, fat intake and micronutrients were thematically analyzed using a socio-economic coding matrix, combined with additional themes that emerged from the data (Crowe et al., 2011. The nutritional intake of the players were observed, weighed and recorded during training and meals over a period of four days using the weighted intake method (Ferro-Luzzi, 2003).The weight was recorded in a specially designed booklet (Maughan, 1997).
Space was usually left to record any leftovers so that the exact weight of food consumed could be accurately calculated (Maughan, 1997). The seven teams were selected based on their position in the table in the second round of the season: in March 2016, three were from the top of the table, three from the bottom and one from the middle of the table. The PI provided training to the researchers who assisted in the collection of dietary intake data.
Study 3 - Training load, energy balance, performance and recovery of professional
- Study participants and data collection
- Training research assistants to collect dietary intake data
- Yo-Yo Intermittent Recovery Test level 1
- Session RPE
- Statistical analysis
The club's selection was based on their willingness to participate in the proposed study. The study was conducted after receiving ethical approval from the University of KwaZulu-Natal Biomedical Research Ethics Committee; and once informed consent was obtained from each of the study participants in the club. The PI provided training to the research assistants to assist in the collection of dietary intake data.
The nutritional intake of 20 FC Adama football players was carefully measured in the month of October during the pre-season, which was a period of intensive training before the main competitive season. With the first "bleep" the players will start running towards the 20 meter mark and should reach it by the second. The reliability of the Yo-Yo test was calculated as the coefficient of variation (CV) (4.9%) for the total distance traveled during the test (Gumusdag et al.,.
Results and Discussion
Study 1 – Evaluation of the impact of a sports nutrition education programme on the
- Phase one
- Background characteristics of players
- Professional nutritionist availability
- Phase two
- Impact of nutrition education
- Understanding of nutrient timing
- Knowledge of Recovery
- Knowledge of Hydration
- Knowledge of post-exercise physiological feeling
- Injury history of the players between 2012 and 2014
- Phase three
- Knowledge of macronutrients
- Knowledge of sports drinks
- Knowledge of fruit and vegetables
- Knowledge of alcohol and its impact on performance
- Demographic data (age, height, weight, BMI) compared across playing positions
- All macronutrient data in grams and energy intake in calories compared across
- Percentages of macronutrient intake across playing positions
- Macronutrient intake, per kilogram of body weight, across positions
- Macronutrients intake in grams, and energy intake in calories, across the four days
- Percentages of macronutrient intake across the four days
- Macronutrient intake, per kilogram of body weight, across the four days
- Macronutrients intake in grams, and energy intake in calories, across clubs
- Percentage of Macronutrient intake across the seven clubs
- Macronutrient intake per kilogram of body weight across clubs
- Total macronutrient consumption of Ethiopian Premier League football club
Only the 7% of players (who played abroad) had access to advice from a professional nutritionist. Most of the players had a good understanding of the importance of fluids for football performance. This phase addressed the responses of the Ethiopian national football players to questions about macronutrients, micronutrients, sports drinks and alcohol.
The results of this study showed that forwards in the Ethiopian Premier League consumed significantly more protein and fat than midfielders. The reason for the lower than recommended consumption of CHO in Ethiopian first league football players could be their higher consumption of dietary protein as shown in Table 4.2.3 (Seleshe et al., 2014). The reason for the lower than recommended dietary intake of CHO in Ethiopian Premier League soccer players may be their higher consumption of dietary protein as shown in Table 4.2.4.
The result of this study revealed that Ethiopian Premier League soccer players consumed more dietary CHO on Thursday than on the rest of the study days. The result of the present study on the intake of macronutrients per kilogram of body weight over four days, shows that Ethiopian Premier League footballers consumed.
Study 3. Training load, energy balance, performance and recovery of professional
- Training load, intensity and macronutrient intake (in grams) of ADAFC players
- ADAFC players’ macronutrients intake per kilogram of body weight
- Percentages of macronutrient intake
- Yo-Yo Intermittent Recovery Test Results
- Relationship between physiological qualities and Yo-Yo Intermittent Recovery
The results of this study show that the daily pre-season training load of ADAFC players varied from day to day. The results of the current study show that the players' daily dietary protein intake was higher than recommended guidelines (Boisseau, 2007; Phillips, 2012). A one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was performed followed by Bonferroni Post-hoc tests to compare players' daily macronutrient intake.
The mean values for ADAFC players' dietary protein intake per kilogram body weight on Monday M = 2.7, ±SD = .3, p < .001 was found to be significantly different compared to their Wednesday dietary protein intake M = 3.6, ±SD = .7. A one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was performed followed by Bonferroni Post-hoc tests to compare players' daily percentages of macronutrient intake. The results of the current study show that the ADAFC players' daily percentage of CHO consumption during the week of the pre-season period was low (Table 4.3.2).
Conclusions and Recommendations
Study 1 - Conclusions
- Study 1 – Recommendations
Management staff of football clubs in the Ethiopian Premier League could seek to secure funding to contract dietitians and nutritionists to provide best practice, current and relevant sports nutrition information to their players and staff.
Study 2 – Conclusions
- Study 2 – Recommendations
In order to mitigate the problem, the socio-cultural influences on the dietary practices of the players need to be addressed. Football nutritionists must be part of the coaching staff to accurately advise players and shape their nutritional intake. Football club management bodies in Ethiopian Premier League clubs need to understand the importance of proper nutrition which is as important as the technical and tactical aspects of the game.
Study 3 – Conclusions
- Study 3 – Recommendations
Position of the American Dietetic Association, Dietitians of Canada, and the American College of Sports Medicine: Nutrition and Athletic Performance. Evaluation of the impact of a sports nutrition education program on the diet, sports nutrition and supplementation practices of the Ethiopian national football team during the period from 2012 to 2014. I am conducting a study investigating the effects of the nutrition program I implemented for the Ethiopian national football team from the period of 2012 to 2014.
Football is one of the most played sports in Ethiopia, both recreationally and professionally. Football is one of the most played sports in Ethiopia, both recreationally and professionally. Football is one of the most played sports in Ethiopia, both recreationally and professionally.
This will be the first study in Ethiopia to investigate the effects of pre- and post-exercise CHO supplementation on the performance and recovery of professional Ethiopian soccer players. In addition, you will be asked to perform the Yoyo Intermittent Recovery Test once a week during the month.
