Dietary Intake Of Calcium, Magnesium, And Zinc In Female And Male Athletes

There are limited data on the micronutrient intake of athletes from various sports. Of particular interest are calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), and zinc (Zn) intakes among athletes due to their role in metabolic and physiological processes. PURPOSE: To determine differences in dietary Ca, Mg, and Zn intake among female and male runners (RN), triathletes (TA), CrossFit athletes (CF), rowers (CW), and general athletes (GA), 18 years of age and older. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study, where 246 athletes (119 women, 127 men; 35±11 years of age) completed a food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) to determine average daily dietary micronutrient intake. We utilized one-sample t-test to compare dietary intake of Ca, Mg, and Zn in athletes with the Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for each micronutrient. RESULTS: The results are shown in Table 1 below.TABLECONCLUSIONS: All female athletes combined reported Ca intakes significantly below the RDA, while Mg and Zn intakes were significantly higher than the RDA. Significantly low dietary Ca was revealed in female CF, CW, and GA. All male athletes combined reported Zn intakes significantly higher than the RDA. Male GA reported Ca intakes significantly lower than the RDA. Further research is needed to explore the effect of low Ca intake on athletic performance in female and male athletes. This study was not funded.