Do athletes need a special diet?
Vitamins and minerals perform the same essential functions for athletes and non-athletes alike. The key to obtaining the vitamins and minerals that athletes need is to eat a wide variety of nutrient-dense foods in amounts that will maintain energy balance. Using the Food Guide Pyramid, this goal can be achieved by consuming 1,200-1,500 kcal/day. Meeting vitamin and mineral requirements when energy intake is 3,000 kcal/day or higher, e.g. male and female ice hockey and cross country skiers, is quite easy. Even female figure skaters whose energy intakes may be about 2,000 kcal/day can meet their vitamin and mineral needs from food alone. Fruits and vegetables are particularly high in vitamins. Many are sources of antioxidants as well. Focus on high color (yellow-orange, red, deep green, and blue) choices. Yes, blueberries have high antioxidant value! An athlete's meal plan has ample room to fit the five to nine fruit and vegetable servings recommended each day. Meat and dairy foods are especially high in minerals. Foods in the grain group contain both vitamins and minerals.
Athlete Profiles provides sample menus. Note that the daily menus for these athletes meet two thirds or more of the Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDAs) for vitamins and minerals. Athletes who have high calorie intakes (5,000 to 6,000 kcal/day) may achieve 200% (or more) of the RDA for some vitamins and minerals just from foods they eat.
Is more better? Because B-vitamins participate in energy metabolism (releasing energy from nutrients), athletes with high energy expenditures have increased requirements for B vitamins. However, eating more food (energy intake that achieves energy expenditure) provides the extra B-vitamins that are needed. Beyond meeting RDA requirements, do athletes benefit from supplementation with vitamins and minerals in amounts greater than the RDA? Despite high vitamin/mineral supplement use among athletes, the answer appears to be no. While vitamin/mineral deficiencies impair physical performance, research indicates that supplementation of a nutritionally adequate sports diet does not improve physical work capacity, endurance, oxygen consumption, cardiovascular function, muscle strength, or resistance to fatigue.
Although more research is needed, Vitamin E may be one exception. Vitamin E, found mostly in vegetable fat, is an antioxidant that protects cells against oxidative damage associated with intense exercise. So, does supplemental Vitamin E benefit active people? The answer is unclear. Aerobic exercise training actually increases antioxidant enzyme production. Thus, increased need for antioxidant protection may be met by adaptations to exercise training. More research is needed before recommendations can be made.
