Quantitative Diet, Body Composition and Sprint Performance in Female Professional Beach Handball Players

exponential increase in the last decade, as has beach handball (BH). The high demands of this sport mean that athletes need to be in superior physical condition, so nutrition and body composition are determining factors in their sporting performance. For this reason, the aim of this study was to analyze, compare and correlate the most relevant variables of food intake (quantitative), body composition (focus on

decade, as has beach handball (BH). The high demands of this sport mean that athletes need to be in superior physical condition, so nutrition and body composition are determining factors in their sporting performance. For this reason, the aim of this study was to analyze, compare and correlate the most relevant variables of food intake (quantitative), body composition (focus on the bone mass characteristics) and sprint performance in female professional BH players. Thirty-three women from the National Spanish Team participated in this study. Dietary assessment, anthropometric measurements and sprint tests were performed. In general, the players had a low carbohydrate intake and adequate protein intake, with no signi cant differences depending on the category and playing position. For senior players, positive correlations were found between protein intake and bone mass (r= 0.584,p= 0.022), polyunsaturated fatty acid intake and muscle mass (r= 0.387,p= 0.026) and nally between fat mass and animal protein intake (r= 0.569,p= 0.027). Body composition was similar in both categories; however, goalkeepers had the highest fat (22.6 3.86%,16.2 4.84 kg ) component (vs. wings: 17.4 3.53%,p= 0.031/vs. specialists: 11.1 1.91 kg,p= 0.034), and senior players had higher muscle mass (kilograms). It is worth noting the nding that players with a greater trochanter height had signi cantly lower sprint times (p= 0.014 andp= 0.048 for 5 and 10 m, respectively). Certain bone characteristics, such as iliospinale height, biacromial and bimalleolar diameters, mesosternal perimeter and biceps skinfold, differ depending on the position. In addition, the greater speed of the senior players may be due to the greater specialization, number of training sessions performed and speci c bone characteristics, such as trochanter height. In this regard, the data provided in this study will assist with establishing criteria for the selection of talent for this sporting discipline. Keywords:body composition; team sports; bone; somatotype 1. Introduction Beach handball is characterized by motor characteristics such as accelerations, sprints or jumps, as well as rapid changes of direction and a high number of physical collisions [1,2]. Nutrients2023,15, 138.

talent for this sporting discipline. Keywords:body composition; team sports; bone; somatotype 1. Introduction Beach handball is characterized by motor characteristics such as accelerations, sprints or jumps, as well as rapid changes of direction and a high number of physical collisions [1,2]. Nutrients2023,15, 138.

Nutrients2023,15, 138 2 of 18 The nutritional requirements of beach handball players, as seen in other team sports [3], will be variable throughout the season, affecting the intake of macronutrients, micronutrients and total energy. Currently, carbohydrate recommendations are between 5 and 12 g/kg body weight for moderate- to high-intensity exercise (duration of 1–4 h) [4], decreasing to 3–5 g/kg body weight for low-intensity exercise of up to one hour in duration [4]. Re- garding proteins, with the objective of helping with muscle protein synthesis and recovery, recommendations of 1.2–2 g/kg body weight are established. As for micronutrients, female athletes have higher requirements, highlighting the importance of B vitamins [5], iron, calcium and vitamin D in athletes with a low caloric intake. The estimation of energy requirements in female beach handball players is a considerable challenge, as require- ments may increase or decrease depending on age, general level of daily activity, training conditions and body composition [6]. In this sense, in the eld of sport, the assessment of body composition is fundamental because it is one of the factors that can determine athletic potential and the probability of success in a particular sport, in combination with technical/tactical, physical, functional and psychosocial factors [7,8]. Body composition involves the analysis of the human body based on the fragmentation of total body mass. For beach handball, body fat should be monitored, as adequate fat levels allow players to move more ef ciently during training and matches. Lean mass—in particular, muscle mass—should also be controlled, as inadequate training loads (excessive or insuf cient) can lead to changes in physique which could affect performance factors such as speed, strength, power and injury risk [9,10]. In terms of bone mass, an article was recently published in which reference was made to the bone quality of these players [11]. It was observed that, after assessment of bone quality using a heel ultrasound densitometer, the broadband ultrasound attenuation (BUA) and speed of sound (SOS) values of female beach handball players were higher than those of both long- and short-distance runners [12–14], gymnasts [13] and powerlifters [15]. It seems, therefore,

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The research examines dietary intake, body composition, and sprint performance in elite female athletes.