Association between Variation in Body Fat Mass Magnitude and Intake of Nutrients, including Carbohydrates, Fat, and B Vitamins, in a Cohort of Highly Trained Female Athletes

Abstract

The most common sports nutrition strategies were constructed not only for maximizing musculoskeletal adaptations to exercise, but also to minimize health risks in athletes. Given the lack of research highlighting the potential effects of the intake of carbohydrates, fats, and B vitamins on body fat percentage in a population of female athletes, this study aimed to elucidate whether the intake of macronutrients and B vitamins could be associated with the variation in body fat percentage in a cohort of professional female athletes. This cross-sectional study was weighted to represent Lithuanian elite female athletes (n = 89). The dietary assessment of the female athletes was carried out using a 3-day dietary recall method. Their body composition was assessed using the bioelectrical impedance analysis method. For females, the reported average intakes of energy, carbohydrates, protein, and fat were 2475 kcal/day, 5.1 g/kg/day, 1.5 g/kg/day, and 36.7%, respectively. Excess B vitamin intake was revealed, ranging within plus 1-2 standard deviations (SDs) around the mean requirements. As a consequence, excessive body fat percentage was potentially factored as a negative outcome in maintaining optimal body composition in female athletes. Multivariate logistic regression analysis of a sample of female athletes revealed that, despite a slightly positive energy balance (∆ 95 kcal/day), the carbohydrate-deficient diet (adjusted odds ratio (aOR) 0.3, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.1; 0.7), along with higher intakes of vitamin B₁ (aOR 2.9, 95% CI 2.6; 7.8), vitamin B₂ (aOR 6.7, 95% CI 1.1; 8.3), and vitamin B₃ (aOR 1.8, 95% CI 1.4; 7.8) from food, was associated with a lower percentage of body fat. Therefore, more attention should be given to the intake of B vitamins in professional athletes with a range of body fat mass percentages for the purpose of achieving long-term goals of maintaining body composition and fitness.

Keywords: B vitamins; body fat mass; carbohydrates; fat; female athletes; food composition; nutrition.

Figure 1

Study flowchart with exclusion criteria.

Figure 2

The association between MFR and body composition components, namely, SMM (in kg) and BF (in kg). (A) Multiple linear regression model A: F (2.23) = 42.4, p < 0.0001, R² = 0.79. (B) Multiple linear regression model B: F (2.62) = 232.3, p < 0.0001, R² = 0.89.

Figure 3

The measure of Cohen’s D reporting the effect size of the mean differences in dietary macro- and micronutrient intakes after comparing them to the RDAs. CHO—carbohydrates; FAT—fat; EI—energy intake; V—vitamin; NE—niacin equivalent; RDA—recommended dietary allowance; SD—standard deviation.

Figure 4

The association between the intake of energy, macronutrients, and B vitamins (B₁, B₂, B₃, B₆, B₉, B₁₂) and body fat mass as dependent variables in female athletes (multivariate analyses). CHO—carbohydrates; FAT—fat; EI—energy intake; V—vitamin; NE—niacin equivalent; V—vitamin; aOR—adjusted odds ratio = e^β; 95% CI—95% confidence interval; *—p-value < 0.05.