ESPEN 2015 Abstract Submission

Topic: Nutritional assessment

Abstract Submission Identifier: ESPEN15-ABS-1893

FOOD INTAKE, SLEEP AND CIRCADIAN RHYTHM IN KITE SURFERS

Maria-Raquel G. Silva^*^1,², António Pascoal², Hugo Silva³

¹Research Centre for Anthropology and Health, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, ²Faculty of Health Sciences, University Fernando Pessoa, Oporto, ³Ministry of Education, Lisbon, Portugal

Rationale: Kitesurfing is a relatively new water sport that has been considered a high-risk sport. Athletes tend to travel through several time zones to compete, thus, performance, diet and sleep patterns may be affected by the jet lag. The aim of this study was to characterize food intake and sleep habits among kite surfers.

Methods: 94 kite surfers (34.3±8.8yrs old) from 7 European countries, USA, Argentina, Venezuela and Egypt were included. A self-administered questionnaire was applied to collect the following data: socio-demographic, anthropometric, sport practice, travelling and food and sleep habits. This study was approved by the Ethical Committee of the University Fernando Pessoa and written informed consent was obtained from all participants. Descriptive linear regression analysis and Pearson correlation coefficients were performed using SPSS version 20. The significance level was 5%.

Results: Most male (n=79) and female (n=15) athletes practiced freestyle. Participants trained in water a mean of 4.0±5.0h/week, 4.2±6.3h/week of physical training and slept an average of 6.3±3.2h/night. Although the majority of both male and female athletes arrived on the same day as the competition, 27% demonstrated negative effects of the jet lag in their well-being and 22% felt a significant negative effect on athletic performance. Male athletes from Europe reported the most severe jet lag symptoms. No strategies related to food intake or sleep hygiene were reported; the majority significantly (P<0.01) avoided water(65%) and fruit(60%) intakes while travelling, contrarily to female (73% and 67%, respectively). No medication to regulate the circadian rhythm was reported.

Conclusion: Athletes demonstrated a poor duration of sleep and an inappropriate acclimatization. Symptoms related to sleep and fatigue should be previously identified in order to rapidly adjust the athlete’s body to the competition local time zone.

Disclosure of Interest: None Declared

Keywords: Circadian rhythm, Food intake