Vegetarian diets in female athletes: performance, health outcomes, and the implementation gap
Study Details
This new review examined vegetarian diets in female athletes, focusing on performance, health, REDs risk and the importance of how these diets are implemented 🔍
Here are the key messages ⬇️
Key Findings
Vegetarian Diet Types 🔍
🥛 Lacto-ovo vegetarian: Includes dairy products and eggs
🥛 Lacto-vegetarian: Includes dairy products, excludes eggs
🥚 Ovo-vegetarian: Includes eggs, excludes dairy products
🌿 Vegan: Excludes both dairy products and eggs
Energy availability ⚡
📝 Adequate energy intake is needed to meet training and physiological demands
Protein adequacy 💪
📝 Sufficient protein quantity and quality supports adaptation, recovery and maintenance of lean mass
Micronutrient adequacy 🧬
📝 Pay particular attention to iron, vitamin B12, calcium, vitamin D, iodine and omega-3 fatty acids
Menstrual health monitoring 🩸
📝 Regularly assess menstrual function as an indicator of athlete health and energy availability
REDs risk management ⚖️
📝 Identify and address low energy availability and REDs early
Well-implemented vegetarian diets ✅
🏃 Comparable performance to omnivorous athletes
💪 Muscle strength and adaptations maintained
🩸 Supports normal hormonal and reproductive health
🦴 Supports bone health
❤️ Cardiometabolic and wider health benefits
🥗 Requires adequate energy availability, dietary quality, nutrient adequacy and appropriate implementation
Poorly-implemented vegetarian diets ⚠️
📉 Reduced performance and recovery
💪 Loss of lean mass or strength
🩸 Menstrual disturbances and hormonal dysregulation
🚨 Greater risk of low energy availability and REDs
🍽️ Often associated with inadequate energy and nutrient intake, poor dietary quality and limited implementation support
Conclusion
The key issue is not whether an athlete eats vegetarian, but whether the diet provides sufficient energy, protein, micronutrients and overall dietary quality ☝️
Successful vegetarian diets require appropriate planning, education and ongoing monitoring rather than simply removing animal foods ✅
Reference
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42621094/
Performance Nutrition Digest is powered by Healthspan Elite ⚡️
Healthspan Elite is a science-led sports nutrition range developed in collaboration with leading experts to support athletic performance, recovery, and health.
Use code: TCDIGEST25 for 25% off at https://www.healthspanelite.co.uk/ 💪