Dietary protein is required to support recovery and adaptation following exercise training. While prior research demonstrates that many athletes meet total daily protein needs, intake seems to be predominantly skewed toward the evening meal. An even distribution of protein doses of ≥0.24 g/kg BW consumed throughout the course of a day is theorized to confer greater skeletal muscle anabolism outcomes compared to a skewed pattern of intake. Protein quality is also an important dietary consideration for athletes, with the amino acid leucine seemingly serving as the primary driver of the postprandial anabolic response. The present study investigates protein consumption characteristics among a cohort of NCAA D1 soccer players and evaluates differences between male and female athletes. Athletes were instructed to complete 3-day food diaries, which were subsequently analyzed and compared to UEFA expert group-issued nutrition guidelines for soccer players. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner accounted for 81.4% of the total daily dietary protein intake. Most athletes (77.8%) ingested optimum amounts of protein at dinner but not at breakfast (11.1%) or lunch (47.2%). In addition, statistically significant sex-based differences in daily dietary protein intake, meal-specific protein amounts, and protein quality measures were detected. Findings indicate suboptimal dietary protein intake practices among the collegiate soccer athletes.

Optimal nutrition in athletes can contribute to training adaptations, recovery, performance, and injury prevention in addition to supporting their overall health and well-being. Macronutrient intake and the link to role in athletic performance has been investigated by several studies, while micronutrient intake in athletes appears to be understudied. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to assess caloric and selected micronutrient intakes in female collegiate student-athletes across several sports. The participants from seven sports were instructed to complete 3-day food records; dietary intakes were compared to their individual nutritional needs. Results of this study indicated that average intakes of our participants for vitamin C (132.3%), vitamin K (110.5%), and sodium (173%) intakes were significantly above the recommended intakes. However, average intakes for calories (78.0%), calcium (63.1%), magnesium (68.7%), potassium (83.8%), and iron (80.8%) were all significantly below the recommended intakes. More specifically, indoor volleyball and golf athletes exhibited significantly lower vitamin A intake (53.3% and 43.6%, respectively), while iron insufficiency (% of recommendation) was more pronounced in the indoor volleyball (59.8%), golf (65.4%), and tennis (69.9%) teams. Chronic underconsumption of calories and micronutrients can lead to numerous health and athletic performance related consequences. Thus, recognizing and addressing inadequate intakes is imperative to help the student-athletes meet their needs in alignment with dietary guidelines through nutrition education and counseling, as well as dedicated funding and resources towards promoting their overall health, well-being, and athletic as well as academic performance and success.