Table 4.
Proportion of endurance athletes with inadequate nutrient intakes.
| % Who Did Not Meet Requirement | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nutrient Requirement/d | Total Sample (n = 95) |
Female (n = 47) | Male (n = 48) |
p * |
| Energy € (kcal) | 76.8 | 76.6 | 77.1 | 1.0 |
| Protein † (M/F: 1.5 g/kg) | 47.4 | 70.2 | 25.0 | ≤0.0001 |
| Carbohydrate † (M/F: 8 g/kg) | 95.8 | 97.9 | 93.8 | 0.62 |
| Total fat† (M/F: 20–35% energy) | 47.4 | 46.8 | 47.9 | 1.0 |
| Saturated fat ⁋ (M/F: <10% of total energy) |
50.5 | 48.9 | 52.1 | 0.84 |
| Linoleic acid ǁ (M: 17 g (19–50 y); 14g (≥51 y)) (F: 12 g (19–50 y); 11g (≥51 y)) |
75.8 |
68.1 |
83.3 |
0.10 |
| alpha-linolenic acid ǁ (M: 1.6 g; F: 1.1 g) |
77.9 |
68.1 |
87.5 |
0.03 |
| EPA+DHA § (M/F: 0.5 g) | 96.8 | 97.9 | 95.8 | 1.0 |
| Dietary cholesterol § (M/F < 300 mg) | 48.4 | 40.4 | 56.3 | 0.15 |
| Dietary fiber ǁ (M: 38 g (19–50 y); 30 g (≥51 y)) (F: 25 g (19–50 y); 21 g (≥51 y)) |
49.5 |
27.7 |
70.8 |
≤0.0001 |
| Vitamin A ⸸⸹ (M: 625 µg; F: 500 µg) |
46.3 |
48.9 |
43.8 |
0.68 |
| Vitamin C ⸸ (M: 75 mg; F: 60 mg) |
30.5 |
23.4 |
37.5 |
0.18 |
| Vitamin D ⸸ (M/F: 10 µg) | 93.7 | 95.7 | 91.7 | 0.68 |
| Vitamin E ⸸⸹ (M/F: 12 mg) | 71.6 | 68.1 | 75.0 | 0.50 |
| Vitamin K ǁ (M: 120 µg; F: 90 µg) | 54.7 | 51.1 | 58.3 | 0.54 |
| Thiamine ⸸ (M: 1.0 mg; F: 0.9 mg) | 40.0 | 42.6 | 37.5 | 0.68 |
| Riboflavin ⸸ (M: 1.1 mg; F: 0.9 mg) | 18.9 | 14.9 | 22.9 | 0.43 |
| Niacin ⸸⸹ (M: 12 mg; F: 11 mg) | 9.5 | 10.6 | 8.3 | 0.74 |
| Vitamin B6
⸸ (M: 1.1 mg (19–50 y); 1.4 mg (≥51 y)) (F: 1.1 mg (19–50 y); 1.3 mg (≥51 y)) |
21.1 |
21.3 |
20.8 |
1.0 |
| Folate ⸸⸹ (M/F: 320 µg) | 54.7 | 61.7 | 47.9 | 0.22 |
| Vitamin B12 ⸸ (M/F: 2 µg/d) | 34.7 | 46.8 | 22.9 | 0.02 |
| Pantothenic acid ǁ (M/F: 5 mg) | 70.5 | 74.5 | 66.7 | 0.50 |
| Biotin ǁ (M/F: 30 µg) | 83.2 | 83.0 | 83.3 | 1.0 |
| Calcium ⸸ (M: 800 mg (19–70 y); 1000 mg (>70 y)) (F: 800 mg (19–50 y); 1000 mg (≥51 y)) |
42.1 |
42.6 |
41.7 |
1.0 |
| Copper ⸸ (M/F: 700 µg) | 24.2 | 25.5 | 22.9 | 0.81 |
| Manganese ǁ (M: 2.3 mg; F: 1.8 mg) | 58.9 | 59.6 | 58.3 | 1.0 |
| Iron ⸸ (M: 6 mg) (F: 8.1 mg (19–50); 5 mg (≥51 y)) |
11.6 |
14.9 |
8.3 |
0.36 |
| Magnesium ⸸ (M: 330 mg (19–30 y); 350 mg (≥31 y)) (F: 255 mg (19–30 y); 265 mg (≥31 y)) |
56.8 |
46.8 |
66.7 |
0.06 |
| Phosphorus ⸸ (M/F: 580 mg) | 18.9 | 21.3 | 16.7 | 0.61 |
| Selenium ⸸ (M/F: 45 µg) | 32.6 | 38.3 | 27.1 | 0.28 |
| Chromium ǁ (M: 35 µg (19–50 y); 30 µg (≥51 y)) (F: 25 µg (19–50 y); 20 µg (≥51 y)) |
91.6 |
89.4 |
93.8 |
0.49 |
| Molybdenum ⸸ (M/F: 34 µg) | 93.7 | 95.7 | 91.7 | 0.68 |
| Choline ǁ (M: 550 mg; F: 425 mg) | 85.3 | 89.4 | 81.3 | 0.23 |
| Zinc ⸸ (M: 9.4 mg; F: 6.8 mg) | 46.3 | 46.8 | 45.8 | 1.0 |
| Potassium ǁ (M: 3400 mg; F: 2600 mg) | 56.8 | 55.3 | 58.3 | 0.84 |
| Sodium ǁ (M/F: <1500 mg) | 94.7 | 91.5 | 97.9 | 0.20 |
| Total water ǁ (M: 3.7 L/d; F: 2.7 L/d) | 57.9 | 44.7 | 70.8 | 0.01 |
Abbreviations: M, male; F, female; EPA, eicosatetraenoic; DHA, docosahexaenoic acid. * Fisher’s Exact test was used to compare the portion of male and female endurance athletes that did not meet the requirements for macro- and micro-nutrient intakes. € Estimated energy requirement [46] † American College of Sports Medicine guidelines [36]. ⁋ 2020–2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans guidelines [37]. § American Heart Association guidelines [38]. ǁ Adequate Intakes [35,40,42,44]. ⸸ Estimate Average Requirements [39,40,42,43,44]. ⸹ vitamin A; retinol activity equivalents, vitamin E; alpha-tocopherol, niacin; niacin equivalents, folate; dietary folate equivalents.