Determination of fluid consumption habits and hydration status of athletes in an elite football team

Abstract

This study was conducted to determine the fluid consumption habits and hydration status of the athletes in the elite football team. The study was conducted on a total of 102 athletes, 26 female and 76 male aged 17 and over, who agreed to participate voluntarily in an elite sports club between December 2022 and May 2023. In the study, a questionnaire form was applied to all athletes to determine their demographic information, their status of getting advice from a dietician and their application, their status of receiving advice about fluid consumption and their knowledge level about fluid consumption, their fluid consumption habits, and their fluid consumption habits before exercise/pre-competition-post-competition. The questionnaire form was applied by the face-to-face interview method. The anthropometric measurements of the athletes participating in the study were measured and recorded by the researcher. In men, body weight (72.46 kg), height (178.41 cm), muscle mass (63.95 kg), water mass (43.51 kg), water content (60.3%) and fat content (6.71%); mean body weight (61.05 kg), height (166.13 cm), muscle mass (51.17 kg), water mass (31.53 kg), water ratio (52.06%) and, fat ratio (15.48%) were calculated for women. 97.1% of the athletes stated that they should have an effective fluid intake strategy. It was determined that 94.1% of the athletes consumed beverages before training/competition, 100% consumed beverages during training/competition, and 96.1% consumed beverages daily or after training/competition. Urine specific gravity (USG) measurements of the athletes were found to be 1.012±0.005 g/ml in women, 1.012±0.003 g/ml in men, and 1012±0.004 g/ml in all athletes. When the amount of beverage consumption by the athletes for training and competition and the urine specific gravity measurement results were compared, it was seen that the athletes who took enough liquid were hydrated. It was found that female athletes consumed more coffee, energy drinks, fizzy drinks, and fluids during training compared to male athletes. No statistically significant difference was found in USG results according to gender.