Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 20, 2026

An Inertial Measurement Unit Based Method to Estimate Hip and Knee Joint Kinematics in Team Sport Athletes on the Field
Published on: May 26, 2020
Pre-season dietary intake of professional soccer players
Raquel Raizel1, Allan da Mata Godois2, Audrey Yule Coqueiro1
11 Department of Food and Experimental Nutrition, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of São Paulo, Brazil.
Background:
Despite the well-documented importance of nutrition in optimizing performance and health, the dietary intake of soccer players has attracted little attention.
Aim:
We aimed to assess the pre-season dietary intake of professional soccer players and its adequacy in macro and micronutrients.
Methods:
The pre-season dietary intake of 19 male athletes was assessed using a semi-structured 3-day food record. To determine dietary adequacy and excess, energy and macronutrient intake were compared with the Brazilian dietary reference values for athletes, and micronutrients were compared with the Estimated Average Requirement - EAR (minimum recommendation) and Tolerable Upper Intake Level - UL (maximum recommendation).
Results:
Mean daily energy intake (40.74±12.81 kcal/kg) was adequate. However, there was a low carbohydrate intake (5.44±1.86 g/kg/day) and a high amount of protein and fat (1.91±0.75 and 1.27±0.50 g/kg/day, respectively). Sodium intake (3141.77±939.76 mg/day) was higher than UL (2300 mg/day), while the majority of players showed daily intake of vitamin A (74%), vitamin D (100%), folate (58%), calcium and magnesium (68%) below the EAR (625, 10 and 320 µg/day, 800 and 330 mg/day, respectively).
Conclusion:
The dietary intake of professional soccer players was adequate in energy, but inadequate in macro and micronutrients, which suggests the need to improve nutritional practices to sustain the physical demands of soccer during pre-season.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
Proteins: Dietary Sources and Requirements
Chronic Kidney Disease III: Interprofessional Care
Urinary Tract Calculi IV: Nutrition Therapy and Prevention
Carbohydrates: Dietary Sources and Requirements
Lipids: Dietary Sources and Requirements
Inflammatory Bowel Disease III: Diagnostic Studies and Management I-Nutritional Therapy
Diagnostic studies
A colonoscopy is the definitive screening test, distinguishing ulcerative colitis from other colon diseases with similar symptoms. During a colonoscopy test, inflamed mucosa with exudate ulcerations can be observed, and biopsies are taken to determine the histologic characteristics of the...

