Eating pattern and nutritional status of international elite flatwater paddlers

The aim of this study is to accurately describe the eating pattern and nutr itional status of international elite flatwater paddlers during 1 week of a high volume training camp. Ten male and 5 female international elite flatw ater paddlers were recruited to take part in this study. These athletes wer e all members of the Spanish National Team. To assess the intake of energy, macronutrients, and micronutrients, we used the weighed food intake method carried out by an observer. Biochemical and hematological profiles were al so obtained. Average daily energy intake in male and female flatwater paddl ers was 21.5 +/- 2.3 and 16.5 +/- 1.7 MJ, respectively. Furthermore, the ma le athletes showed average carbohydrate and protein intakes of 7.5 +/- 0.8 and 2.2 +/- 0.3 g (.) kg(-1) body weight (.) day(-1), respectively. Similar intakes were found in female paddlers, carbohydrate 7.3 +/- 1.1 and protei n 2.0 +/- 0.3 g (.) kg(-1) body weight (.) day(-1). Daily relative contribu tion to energy from fat was higher than recommended for sports practitioner s or sedentary people (<30 % of daily energy) in both genders (39.1 +/- 2.1 and 40.2 +/- 2.9% for men and women, respectively). Nevertheless, this die t with a high fat content (rich in monounsaturated fatty acids) did not see m to influence the paddlers' blood lipid profile that presented low values for total cholesterol and tryglicerides and high values for high-density li poprotein cholesterol (HDL-cholesterol). Flatwater paddlers' micronutrient intake was higher than Recommended Dietary Allowances/Dietary Reference Int ake (RDA/DRIs), except for folate that is close to DRI values. Further stud ies are required in order to understand whether this level of fat intake co uld impair highly trained athletes' performance and health.