"Research examining the effects of nutrition on sports performance has exploded over the last 25 years. The existing sport nutrition research is guiding and marketing the manufacturing of sport nutrition products to female athletes. However, the majority of studies have employed only male subjects and the results of these studies are then generalized to females with no scientific support for validity or accuracy. College women's athletic participation has increased from 15% in 1972 to 43% in 2001. With an increase in women's sports participation has come a greater recognition of and appreciation for the biomechanical and physiological differences between men and women. It is now well established that females are metabolically unique from their male counterparts; thus, their nutritional requirements for optimal training and athletic performance are likely unique also." - Katherine A. Beals, Nutrition and the Female Athlete: From Research to Practice.
One study found that only 9% (16/177) of collegiate athletes had adequate nutrition knowledge (20). |
It has been found that disordered eating may affect up to 62% of female athletes (3). |
Endurance runners have been found to exhibit a significantly higher prevalence of low bone mass and may be at greater risk of bone injuries (1). |
This website was designed to provide information and resources regarding nutrition specific for female athletes; in particular, female distance runners. The four main topics: calories, carbohydrates, protein, and iron were chosen because they are important topics for athletes to know and understand and also because they are commonly misunderstood. This website is in no way a comprehensive sports nutrition website as it was created for a graduate school non-thesis project. Therefore, additional resources can be found under the resources tab and should be utilized to learn more about other topics or for more in depth information.
This website was developed by Jill Merkel, a graduate nutrition student through the University of Utah's Division of Nutrition Coordinated Masters Program. To learn more about the program, click here