Associations of dietary intake and nutrition knowledge with body composition and performance in table tennis...

Table tennis is a high-intensity intermittent sport requiring rapid movement, cognitive processing, and repeated recovery. Adequate nutrition may therefore be important for supporting athletes' health and performance. However, limited research has simultaneously examined dietary intake, nutrition knowledge, body composition, and physical performance in table tennis athletes.

This study aimed to characterize dietary intake and nutrition knowledge among trained table tennis athletes and to explore their associations with body composition and selected physical performance indicators.

This cross-sectional study included 42 trained table tennis athletes. Dietary intake was assessed using three non-consecutive 24-h recalls, and nutrition knowledge was evaluated using a structured questionnaire. Body composition was measured using bioelectrical impedance analysis. Physical performance was assessed using the standing long jump, reaction time, and shuttle run tests. Correlation analysis, group comparisons, multiple linear regression, and principal component analysis (PCA) were conducted.

Macronutrient distribution was generally within recommended ranges, whereas reported energy intake, dietary fiber, vitamin C, calcium, iron, folate, and fruit and vegetable intake were below recommended levels. Nutrition knowledge was average, with relatively lower scores in the sports nutrition and supplement-use domains. No significant differences were observed between the high- and low-nutrition knowledge groups in standing long jump, reaction time, shuttle run performance, fat-free mass, muscle mass, or total body water. Regression analyses identified limited independent associations between dietary or body composition variables and performance outcomes. No significant predictors of standing long jump or reaction time were identified. Age was associated with shuttle run time (p = 0.048), but the model had limited explanatory power (adjusted R² = 0.068). The first two principal components explained 64.8% of the total variance, and the PCA showed substantial overlap between the high- and low-nutrition knowledge groups.

Trained table tennis athletes demonstrated suboptimal dietary quality despite generally adequate macronutrient distribution. Within this sample, nutrition knowledge was not significantly associated with body composition or selected physical performance indicators. Given the small sample size and cross-sectional design, these findings should be regarded as exploratory. Larger longitudinal studies incorporating sport-specific performance measures and objective assessments of energy expenditure are warranted.