The athlete’s nutrition : is there a demand for the pharmacist’s advisory services?

Abstract

Information about how well-balanced the athlete's diet is, is limited. Athletes look for any competitive edge through training and dietary manipulation. At the very basic levels good nutrition plays an important role in the maintenance of health, allowing the athlete to train and compete. Beyond health maintenance, nutritional considerations include adequate hydration, weight maintenance, adequate carbohydrate intake, supplement taking and pre-exercise and post-exercise nutrition (Grandjean, 1989). In nutrition many beliefs and misconceptions exist with respect to athletic performance. By describing the dietary patterns of competitive athletes, a better understanding of nutritional habits would be obtained. The purpose of this study was to determine whether local athletes have any notion of the basic food groups in their diet and thus recommendations can be made to ensure an appropriate diet among the athletes. A survey was carried out to describe the food selection of athletes competing in endurance (low-intensity aerobic exercise) and nonendurance (high-intensity aerobic exercise) events on the local scene. One other important purpose of the investigation was to describe the supplementation practices among athletes in relation to the diet. This study also endeavours to assess the pharmacist's validity as a professional educator on the issue of supplementation.