Abstract
Dietary intake is an important consideration for rugby union (‘rugby’) players to ensure substrate provision for optimal performance and facilitate recovery. Within-day meal distribution is especially important for athletes, particularly those with congested schedules and multiple daily training sessions. In the present study, 10 provincial academy rugby players engaged in a holistic support protocol informed by behaviour-change techniques led by a full-time sports nutritionist. Dietary intake was estimated during a 4-week monitoring and 4-week intervention period using the remote food photography method on one high-volume training day (two training sessions) and two low-volume training days (≤1 training session) per week. Lean body mass did not change significantly in response to the intervention. Significant increases were observed for protein on both low-volume (breakfast, AM snack, evening snack) and high-volume (post-gym, AM snack, evening snack) training days. Carbohydrate intake post-intervention was significantly greater at the pre-gym eating occasion but lower at PM snack and dinner eating occasions on high-volume days. These data suggest that incorporating a holistic support protocol led by a sports nutritionist can influence within-day nutrient intake in rugby players; however, no change to lean body mass was observed, and the influence of these changes in nutrient intake on performance and recovery warrants further investigation.
Original language | English |
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Article number | 17 |
Journal | Nutrients |
Volume | 15 |
Issue number | 1 |
Early online date | 21 Dec 2022 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 21 Dec 2022 |
Keywords
- rugby
- meal timing
- protein distribution
- carbohydrate periodisation
- sports nutritionist
- behaviour change
- nutrition support
- Rugby
- Nutritionists
- Carbohydrate Periodisation
- Humans
- Protein distribution
- Energy Intake
- Football
- Meal Timing
- Behaviour Change
- New Zealand
- Nutrients
- Nutrition support
- Sports Nutritionist