Dietary Intake, Body Composition and Performance of Professional Football Athletes in Slovenia

This is the first study to examine the nutritional status of professional Slovenian football players. This study aimed to analyze the dietary intake of elite football players during their preparation phase of the season and to investigate whether there is a relationship between energy and macronutrient intake with body composition and physical performance. Twenty-three footballers completed a three-day dietary and physical activity diary and underwent body composition measurements via bioelectrical impedance vector analysis (BIVA). Fifteen participants also took part in the Cooper treadmill test to assess their physical performance in correlation with their nutritional intake. Football players had an energy intake that was significantly too low for their needs, reflecting low energy availability. The average carbohydrate (CHO) intake was below the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) recommendations, i.e.,