however, when dealing with an athlete who is a
vegetarian. Bone mineral densitiy should be
measured and adequate amounts of calcium
should be consumed to ward off the potential
harmful effects of low oestrogen on bone.
While vegetarianism is not a risk factor for the
Female Athlete Triad, it may become a factor if an
athlete is amenorrhoeic due to her vegetarian
eating pattern.
Conclusions and recommendations
Currently most information on vegetarianism
relates to nutritional adequacy and the implica-
tions for lifestyle diseases such as heart disease
and cancer. Little is known about the relation-
ship between vegetarianism and athletic perfor-
mance. What is clearly understood is that the
vegetarian athlete must plan his or her diet care-
fully to avoid the risk of nutritional deficiencies
and an adverse effect on performance. There are
advantages to the athlete of consuming a vege-
tarian diet. Vegetarian athletes usually consume
a higher proportion of energy in the form of car-
bohydrates. It is well documented that athletes,
especially endurance athletes, should be con-
suming a higher proportion of carbohydrates in
their diets to maximize muscle glycogen concen-
tration. Prolonged strenuous exercise can deplete
most of the glycogen stored in the muscles
and the athlete can become chronically fatigued.
Increasing dietary carbohydrates will be benefi-
cial to the athlete involved in heavy training.
More research is needed to answer some of the
current concerns of vegetarian athletes, espe-
cially with regard to hormonal alterations and
their impact on bone health as well as the ques-
tions on protein-energy requirements for strict
vegetarians who consume no animal protein.
If athletes adopt a vegetarian lifestyle, they
must become aware of the limitations of the
diet and make sure that their nutritional require-
ments are met so as not to influence performance.
Vegan diets should not be attempted by any
athlete without previous experience or without
consultation with a dietitian or health care
provider. Young growing athletes should be dis-
454 special considerations
couraged from such a strict diet due to its pos-
sible limitations on growth and performance.
Vegan diets should only be considered if an
athlete is willing to devote time and effort to
understanding the proper combinations and
amounts of foods necessary to achieve a nutri-
tionally balanced diet.
In planning vegetarian diets of any type, ath-
letes should choose a wide variety of foods and
ensure that the energy intake is adequate to meet
their needs. Additionally, the American Dietetic
Association (1993) gives the following recom-
mendations for individuals who are vegetarian
or thinking of becoming vegetarian.- Keep the intake of foods with a low nutrient
density, such as sweets and fatty foods, to a
minimum. - Choose whole or unrefined grain products,
instead of refined products, whenever possible,
or use fortified or enriched cereal products. - Use a variety of fruits and vegetables, includ-
ing a good food source of vitamin C. - If milk or dairy products are consumed, use
low-fat or non-fat varieties. - Limit egg intake to three or four per week.
- Vegans should have a reliable source of
vitamin B 12 , such as some fortified commercial
breakfast cereals, fortified soy beverage or a
cyanocobalamin supplement. As long as the
athlete is outdoors in the sun for part of the day,
supplemental vitamin D may not be needed. - Vegetarian and non-vegetarian infants who
are solely breastfed beyond 4–6 months of age
should receive supplements of iron and vitamin
D if exposure to the sun is limited.
These recommendations, of course, were for-
mulated for the non-athlete, and may need to be
modified. When energy intake is very high, for
example, there is room in the diet for foods
with low nutrient density without compromis-
ing nutritional status.
References
Adlercreutz, H., Fotsis, T., Bannwart, C., Hamalainen,
E., Bloigu, S. & Ollus, A. (1986a) Urinary estrogen
profile determination in young Finnish vegetarian