YOUNG ATHLETES

high intakes of fast or take-away foods are all indicators that fuel intakes may not be ideal in quality or quantity.

PROTEIN REQUIREMENTS Children and adolescents have slightly higher protein requirements than sedentary adults. As the protein require- ments of adult athletes are higher than those of sedentary adults, it is possible that those of young athletes might also be higher than their less active peers. Protein intakes have to meet the require- ments of growth, development and the needs of the sport. However there are no published studies of young athletes’ protein requirements and specific recommendations cannot be made. Muscle growth comes from consuming a diet containing sufficient energy, protein and other essential nutrients, a well-planned training programme and sufficient rest and recovery time.

It also comes from

physical maturity, the stage of development when hormones are released in sufficient amounts to stimulate muscle growth. It can generally be assumed that if energy requirements are being met and the diet contains a reasonable selection of foods including good sources of protein, the intake of protein will be sufficient to meet demands.

FLUID REPLACEMENT Serious young athletes are high risk candidates for dehydration. This is because they are not as efficient at ther- moregulation and are more susceptible to heat stress than adults. Children are especially at risk as they are poor at coping with extremes of environmental temperature, sweat less, get hotter during exercise, have a lower heart output and a greater surface area for their weight. Certain conditions can make things worse

8

eg. protective clothing required in some sports can reduce the ability to cool down. Young swimmers, because they are already wet, often do not realise how much fluid they are losing through sweating, compared to say a tennis or netball player. The temperature and humidity of many swimming pools does not help the situation.

Coaches, teachers and parents can be a great help by checking to make sure all young athletes have their own drinks

bottle (containing an appropriate fluid) before the start of all training sessions and competitions. Children do not instinctively or voluntarily replace fluid losses during exercise and yet they are at greater risk of dehydration than adults. Coaches and parents should remind children to drink frequently – ideally to a schedule of every 15 to 20 minutes, perhaps more frequently in warm/hot weather. Children should be allowed to drink until they feel their thirst has been quenched and then encouraged to drink

BOX 2: ESTIMATED AVERAGE REQUIREMENT ACCORDING TO BODY WEIGHT AND PHYSICAL ACTIVITY LEVEL (KCAL/D) FOR FEMALES AGED 10-18 YEARS(1)

Bodyweight (kg)

30 35 40 45 50 55 60

BMR

(kcal) 1095 1162 1229 1295 1362 1429 1496

PAL=1.6

1752 1859 1966 2072 2179 2286 2394

PAL=1.8

1971 2092 2212 2331 2452 2572 2693

PAL=2.0

2190 2324 2458 2590 2724 2858 2992

BOX 3: ESTIMATED AVERAGE REQUIREMENT ACCORDING TO BODY WEIGHT AND PHYSICAL ACTIVITY LEVEL (KCAL/D) FOR MALES AGED 10-18 YEARS (1)

Bodyweight (kg)

30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65

BMR

1188 1276 1365 1453 1542 1630 1718 1807

PAL=1.6 (kcal)

1901 2042 2184 2325 2467 2608 2749 2891

PAL=1.8

2138 2297 2457 2615 2776 2934 3092 3253

PAL=2.0

2376 2552 2730 2906 3084 3260 3436 3614

sportex dynamics 2007:13(Jul):7-10