NUTRITION IN SPORT

increase in body weight. The maximal additional
muscle-glycogen synthesis when consuming
a high-carbohydrate diet as compared with a
normal diet should be 150 g, which corresponds
to a weight gain of less than 0.5 kg. Furthermore,
a more pronounced breakdown of glycogen will
enhance the release of water, which will reduce
the net loss of water.

protein

Protein is used primarily for maintaining and
building up tissues, such as muscles. The amount
of protein required in the diet is a topic fre-
quently discussed, particularly with respect to
those sports where muscle strength is important
or where muscle injuries often occur. Most team
sports can be included in both of these categories.
However, in most cases the athletes take in suffi-
cient amount of proteins (see Chapter 10). For
example, the daily intake of protein by Swedish
and Danish soccer players was 2–3 g · kg–1body
weight, which is above the recommended daily

intake for athletes of 1–2 g · kg–1(Jacobset al. 1982;

Bangsboet al. 1992b). In general, supplementing

protein intake by tablets or protein powders is

unnecessary for athletes in team sports, even

during an intensive strength-training period.

fat

Fat exists in two forms—saturated fat and un-

saturated fat. The saturated fats are solid at room

temperature (butter, margarine and fat in meat)

while unsaturated fats are liquid or soft at room

temperature (vegetable oil, vegetable margarine

and fat in fish). An adequate intake of unsatu-

rated fats is essential for the body, and, in con-

trast to saturated fats, unsaturated fats may aid

in lowering the amount of cholesterol in the

blood, thereby reducing the risk of heart disease.

Therefore, it is important that saturated fats are

replaced with unsaturated fats where possible.

The total content of fat in the average diet for an

athlete is often too high and a general lowering of

fat intake is advisable.

team sports 581

100

75

50

25

0

Glycogen level (%)

Activity: Match Training Training Training Training Match

Sun Mon Tues Wed Thurs Fri Sat Sun

Fig. 44.7A hypothetical example of how muscle glycogen stores can vary during a week for a soccer player with a
high-carbohydrate (circles) and a ‘normal’ (squares) diet. There is a match on Sunday, a light training session on
Monday, an intensive training session on Tuesday and Thursday, and a light training session on Saturday. The filled
symbols indicate the values after the match and training. Note that the glycogen stores are replenished at a faster
rate with the high-carbohydrate diet, thus allowing for proper preparation for training and the subsequent match.
In contrast, consuming a ‘normal’ diet may result in reduced training efficiency and the glycogen stores may be
lowered before the match. Adapted from Bangsbo (1994b), with permission from HO +Storm.