Communicating with youth athletes today about calories and the importance of nutrition has become more complex, especially with social media at the helm. Today, we want to change the narrative about how this information is delivered and received.
We wan to take a second to review what a calorie is and how its measured.
A calorie is a unit of energy. When we talk about calories in food, we’re referring to the amount of energy that food provides to our bodies when we eat it. Our bodies use this energy to perform everything from basic functions like breathing and thinking to more intense activities like running and playing sports.
Calories in food are typically measured using a device called a calorimeter, which calculates the energy released from food by burning it and measuring the heat produced. The total energy is expressed as calories, with each gram of macronutrients (proteins, fats, and carbohydrates) contributing a specific amount:
1 gram of protein = 4 calories
1 gram of carbohydrate = 4 calories
1 gram of fat = 9 calories
This helps us understand how much energy different foods give us, so we can make informed decisions about what to eat.
As an athlete, it's natural to want to achieve peak performance and maintain a healthy body weight. However, many athletes fall into the trap of calorie restriction in an attempt to achieve their goals. While calorie restriction can lead to weight loss, it can also increase the risk of injury. In this article , we will explore the correlation between calorie restriction and injury risk, backed by scientific research.
Calorie restriction refers to the practice of consuming fewer calories than your body requires. This can be achieved through a variety of methods, including reducing portion sizes, skipping meals, or following a restrictive diet such as a low-carbohydrate diet. While calorie restriction can lead to weight loss, it can also have negative effects on the body, particularly for athletes.
Research has shown that calorie restriction can increase the risk of injury in athletes.
One study published in the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition found that athletes who restricted their calorie intake by 30% for four weeks had a significant increase in muscle damage markers compared to those who maintained their usual caloric intake. This increase in muscle damage markers indicates a higher risk of injury.
Another study published in the Journal of Applied Physiology found that calorie restriction can decrease muscle strength and endurance, leading to an increased risk of injury. The study found that participants who restricted their calorie intake by 24% for three weeks had a significant decrease in muscle strength and endurance compared to those who maintained their usual caloric intake.
Calorie restriction can also lead to a decrease in bone density, which can increase the risk of stress fractures.
A study published in the Journal of Sports Sciences found that female athletes who restricted their calorie intake had lower bone density and an increased risk of stress fractures compared to those who consumed a sufficient number of calories.
In addition to increasing the risk of injury, calorie restriction can also have negative effects on an athlete's mental health. Restrictive diets can lead to feelings of deprivation and guilt, which can impact an athlete's mood and motivation. This can ultimately affect their performance and increase the risk of injury.
Tracking Nutrition:
One of the primary benefits of tracking your nutrition is that it can help you achieve a healthy weight. Maintaining a healthy weight is essential for preventing injuries, especially if you are involved in sports or other physical activities. When you carry excess weight, it puts additional stress on your joints and muscles, making them more susceptible to injury. By tracking your nutrition and making healthy food choices, you can achieve a healthy weight and reduce your risk of injury.
Another benefit of tracking your nutrition is that it can help you meet your nutrient needs. Nutrient deficiencies can weaken your immune system and make you more prone to injuries. By tracking your nutrition, you can ensure that you are getting all the essential nutrients your body needs to function properly, including protein, carbohydrates, healthy fats, vitamins, and minerals. This will help you maintain optimal health and prevent injuries.
Food Allergens:
Tracking your nutrition can also help you identify any food intolerances or allergies. Food intolerances or allergies can cause digestive issues, inflammation, and other health problems that can increase your risk of injury. By tracking your nutrition and monitoring how your body responds to different foods, you can identify any potential food intolerances or allergies and avoid these foods to prevent injury.
Decreased Performance:
In addition to these benefits, tracking your nutrition can also help you identify any unhealthy eating habits that may be putting you at risk for injury. For example, if you are not getting enough protein in your diet, your muscles may be weaker and more prone to injury. By tracking your nutrition, you can identify any areas where you may be falling short and make adjustments to your diet to prevent injury.
Keep Accountable:
Finally, tracking your nutrition can help you stay accountable and motivated. When you are tracking your food intake, you are more aware of what you are putting into your body, which can help you make healthier choices. This can help you stay motivated to stick to your nutrition plan and prevent injuries.
Resting Energy Expenditure (REE) represents the number of calories an athlete burns at rest, and it plays a pivotal role in designing tailored nutrition plans. Accurate measurement of REE helps ensure:
Individualized Nutrition Planning: Using a metabolic device to test for REE allows for more precise caloric prescriptions, helping athletes meet their energy demands without under- or over-consuming.
Avoidance of Energy Deficiency: By accurately assessing an athlete’s baseline caloric needs, it is easier to identify when they might be at risk of an energy deficit, which can lead to performance decline or injury.
Better Tracking of Metabolic Changes:
Regular testing of REE, especially during different phases of training (e.g., off-season vs. in-season), helps adapt caloric intake to the athlete's changing metabolic needs. This is particularly important as metabolic rates can fluctuate based on training intensity, recovery needs, and muscle mass changes.
Increased Heart Failures in Youth Athletes
Many young athletes are born with heart abnormalities, known as congenital heart defects, that may go unnoticed because they don’t always cause obvious symptoms. These conditions can include structural issues with the heart, such as problems with the heart valves or abnormal heart muscle development. While these defects may not always be life-threatening on their own, the intense physical exertion of sports can put additional stress on the heart, leading to sudden cardiac events.
The most common one that we hear about is Myocarditis
Myocarditis is an inflammation of the heart muscle, often caused by a viral infection. In many cases, athletes are unaware they have myocarditis because the symptoms can be mild, like fatigue or slight chest discomfort, and may be mistaken for general soreness from training. However, myocarditis can severely weaken the heart and lead to heart failure, especially when combined with the physical stress of intense exercise.
While not a direct cause of heart conditions, overexertion and dehydration during intense sports like soccer and football can increase the risk of heart complications, especially in athletes with undiagnosed heart issues. The combination of high-intensity activity, heat stress, and fluid loss can strain the cardiovascular system and contribute to an adverse cardiac event.
Soccer and football are physically demanding sports that require players to exert themselves at high levels for extended periods. For young athletes, the combination of physical stress and external pressure to perform can lead to an increased risk of cardiac events, particularly if they are pushing their bodies beyond safe limits. In some cases, athletes may experience overtraining syndrome, which can also impact the heart's ability to recover properly.
We can now identify this through measuring Tidal Volume during a Metabolic Screening.
As part of our sports performance programs we offer Athlete Wellness and Sports Nutrition with our mobile training platform.
If you're ready to learn more and take your game to the next level by working with a Certified Trainer, schedule your screening now.
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