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. 2022 Dec 4;19(23):16242.
doi: 10.3390/ijerph192316242.

Dietary Intakes of Elite Male Professional Rugby Union Players in Catered and Non-Catered Environments

Logan Posthumus  1   2   3 , Matthew Driller  4 , Katrina Darry  3 , Paul Winwood  1   5 , Ian Rollo  6 , Nicholas Gill  2   3
Affiliations

Dietary Intakes of Elite Male Professional Rugby Union Players in Catered and Non-Catered Environments

Logan Posthumus et al. Int J Environ Res Public Health. .

Abstract

In professional rugby union, it is common for players to switch between catered and non-catered dietary environments throughout a season. However, little is known about the difference in dietary intake between these two settings. Twelve elite male professional rugby union players (28.3 ± 2.9 y, 188.9 ± 9.5 cm, 104.1 ± 13.3 kg) from the New Zealand Super Rugby Championship completed seven-day photographic food diaries with two-way communication during two seven-day competition weeks in both catered and non-catered environments. While no significant differences were observed in relative carbohydrate intake, mean seven-day absolute energy intakes (5210 ± 674 vs. 4341 ± 654 kcal·day-1), relative protein (2.8 ± 0.3 vs. 2.3 ± 0.3 g·kgBM·day-1) and relative fat (2.1 ± 0.3 vs. 1.5 ± 0.3 g·kgBM·day-1) intakes were significantly higher in the catered compared to the non-catered environment (respectively) among forwards (n = 6). Backs (n = 6) presented non-significantly higher energy and macronutrient intakes within a catered compared to a non-catered environment. More similar dietary intakes were observed among backs regardless of the catering environment. Forwards may require more support and/or attention when transitioning between catered and non-catered environments to ensure that recommended dietary intakes are being achieved.

Keywords: body composition; dietary analysis; energy intake; macronutrients; team-sport.

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Conflict of interest statement

I.R. is an employee of the Gatorade Sports Science Institute, a division of PepsiCo, Incorporated. L.P. completed this study as part of a research position with the Gatorade Sports Science Institute, a division of PepsiCo, Incorporated. The views expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the position or policy of PepsiCo, Incorporated.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Daily absolute energy intake and relative macronutrient intake during competition weeks (GD-5, GD-4, GD-3, GD-2, GD-1, GD, GD + 1) among forwards within a catered (FC) and non-catered (FNC) environment. Error bars represent standard deviation. * Indicates a significant difference between FC and FNC.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Daily absolute energy intake and relative macronutrient intake during competition weeks (GD-5, GD-4, GD-3, GD-2, GD-1, GD, GD+1) among backs within a catered (BC) and non-catered (BNC) environment. Error bars represent standard deviation.
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