A nutrition survey of a group of athletes with particular reference to magnesium, zinc and copper intake, and to the relative intra- and extra-cellular levels

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the dietary habits in a group of athletes (footballers) compared with sedentary subjects matched for sex, age and body mass index. All subjects kept a record of food eaten for seven consecutive days using various models for portion sizes. Daily nutrient intake was then computed and was expressed as either total intake, or percent of the recommended daily dietary allowances (LARN). For each subject, a 20-ml blood sample and a 24h urine sample was collected for analysis of magnesium, zinc and copper. The three elements were measured both in plasma and in erythrocytes, monocytes and neutrophils. The athletes eat significantly more sheets than controls (22.5% of total kcal vs 15.2%, p less than 0.01) and significantly less cereals (22.5% vs 31.7%, p less than 0.01). Concerning the nutrient composition, in both groups the lipid intake was higher than that recommended and this trend was more pronounced in the athletes (+ 43.2% vs + 16.1% in the controls). In addition, the diet was particularly rich in animal fats with a mean intake of 21.0% of total kcal in the athletes and 20.9% in the sedentary group (recommended value was 12.5% and 14%, respectively). A parallel reduction in vegetal protein intake was observed in the trained group, and the difference was significant (4.3% of kcal in the athletes and 5.2% in the controls, p less than 0.01). Furthermore, in the athletes the soluble carbohydrate intake was higher than the recommended levels (+ 110%) and significantly higher than that eaten by the controls (21.0% vs 16.4% of kcal, p less than 0.01), with parallel decrease of polysaccharides intake.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)