Quantitative assessment of lugers’ nutrition in the annual training cycle

Background: The specificity of sports nutrition is related to particular nutritional strategies appropriate for each period of the training macrocycle and the type of sport practiced. The aim of the present study was to quantify the daily food rations of lugers from the Karpacz Sports Championship School in three consecutive periods of the annual training cycle. Materials and methods: The research was carried out in a group of 10 lugers (5♀, 5♂), aged 16 to 19 years, who were students of the Sports Championship School in Karpacz, Poland. During each of the three periods of the annual training cycle, nutrition was assessed using the current recording method and the measurement of selected somatic indicators: body height (BH) and body mass (BM). Nutrient (protein, fats, carbohydrates) and dietary fibre requirements were estimated for the lugers for each phase of the training cycle. The Dietetyk PRO diet program was applied to evaluate energy and nutrient intake. Results: An insufficient energy intake was demonstrated in the vast majority of the analysed food rations, the exception being the preparatory period in men (121% of the demand on average). During the competition and transition periods, insufficient protein (67.6±35.0 g; 70.9±36.0 g, respectively), fat (43.5±31.1 g; 48.1±25.7 g), and carbohydrate (202.9±84.7 g; 212.7±62.2 g) intakes were observed in women. In men, a similar trend was noted for carbohydrates and fibre in the second (333.4±56.0 g; 18.0±8.1 g) and third (304.6±65.7 g; 23.8±13.1 g) periods of the annual cycle, and fat (65.5±28.1 g) in the transition period. Conclusions: The tested lugers did not meet the demand for most of the components in the competition and transition periods. The dietary errors shown in the study group may affect sports performance. Therefore, it seems reasonable to provide nutritional education and regular dietary monitoring in lugers.