Four-year study of university athletes' dietary intake

Baseline dietary intake data were collected for four years on 10 men's and 6 women's university athletic teams. Caloric intake means for specific teams were higher than those stated in nutrition textbooks (5,270 kcal for football, with a 14,000 kcal per day maximum). Athletes' caloric intakes cannot be grouped, as some athletes (wrestlers and gymnasts) have low intakes (400 kcal per day). Protein intake of all athletes except wrestlers and gymnasts is high (in many cases more than twice any recommendation). The diets of teams with high caloric intakes had a high (more than 50%) fat content. The fat content of the diets of other athletes ranged from 30% to 40%. The wrestling team had more members with poor nutrient intake (less than two-thirds of recommendations) than any other team. Poor vitamin A intakes were noted for all athletic teams studied. Low potassium intakes also were common. Members of women's teams had low iron intakes even though their protein and caloric intakes were high.