Table 1. The characteristics of the enrolled athletes.
| Characteristics | Higher-level group (n = 12) | Lower-level group (n = 16) | p-value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gender distribution, males | 41.67% (5) | 50% (8) | 0.718 |
| Age (years) | 20.08±1.83 | 20.19±1.22 | 0.475 |
| BMI (kg/m2) | 22.24±2.12 | 21.72±1.21 | 0.61 |
| Training duration (years) | 11.17±1.75 | 9.0±3.50 | 0.066 |
| Exercise load (hours/week) | 29.25±9.48 | 16.63±6.82 | 0.002 |
| Dietary Habits (n) | |||
| Dairy products (Fr/S/O/N) | 0/3/5/4 | 0/5/7/4 | 1 |
| Fried and fatty food (Fr/S/O/N) | 0/0/5/7 | 0/0/7/9 | 1 |
| Refined carbohydrates (Fr/S/O/N) | 2/0/9/1 | 2/4/6/4 | 0.14 |
| High protein foods (Fr/S/O/N) | 5/7/0/0 | 3/13/0/0 | 0.231 |
| Fruits and vegetables (Fr/S/O/N) | 5/6/1/0 | 7/4/5/0 | 0.3 |
| Protein supplementation (Fr/S/O/N) | 6/6/0/0 | 6/10/0/0 | 0.702 |
Quantitative variables are expressed as the means ± standard deviation. Exercise load, the average number of hours of exercise per week; BMI, body mass index; the weekly frequency of consumption of each kind of food was defined as follows: Fr: Frequently (consuming special food more than once per day); S: Sometimes (4–6 times per week); O: Occasionally (1–3 times per week); N: Never (less than once per week).