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Nutrition and the Female Athlete
Like
men, women athletes have special needs especially for energy,
protein intake, free radicals and certain vitamins and minerals.
For example, female athletes, like male athletes, need more
protein in their diets, up to one gram per pound of body weight,
to maximize protein synthesis and the anabolic effects of
exercise.
Because
of striving to reduce their body fat levels and reduced energy
needs as compared to men, food and energy intake may be insufficient
to meet the extra demands that exercise places on female athletes.
As such many female athlete's may be marginally deficient
in several vitamins and minerals including Vitamin C, Vitamin
B1, Vitamin B6, Calcium, Iron, Magnesium, and Zinc.
Because
of lower dietary intake, increased requirements because of
menstrual periods and increased losses secondary to training,
female athletes are at an increased risk of developing iron-deficiency
anemia. Women athletes need to take special precautions to
guard against iron deficiency, perhaps more than any other
possible deficiency.
Long
term calcium imbalance can also have long term repercussions
by increasing the incidence of osteoporosis post menopausally.
During adolescence and early adulthood, women need to increase
food rich in calcium to build peak (maximum) bone mass to
reduce the risk of developing osteoporosis, a progressive
loss of bone with aging that causes bones to be more susceptible
to fracture.
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Dr. Di Pasquale is a licensed physician in Ontario, Canada, focusing on Nutrition and Sports Medicine, as well as a world class athlete for over twenty years... [more]
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