Pre-Exercise Nutrition Habits and Beliefs of Endurance Athletes Vary by Sex, Competitive Level, and Diet

Objective The purpose of this study was to determine the self-reported beliefs and practices relating to pre-exercise nutrition intake among endurance athletes of varying ages and competitive levels and examine differences based on sex, competitive level, and habitual dietary pattern. Method An anonymous online survey was circulated internationally in English and completed by 1950 athletes of varying competitive levels (51.0% female, mean age 40.9 years [range 18:78]). Survey questions included training background, determinants of pre-exercise nutrition intake and composition, and timing relative to exercise. Results Prior to morning exercise, 36.4%, 36.0%, and 27.6% of athletes consumed carbohydrate-containing food/drinks before almost every workout, some of the time, and never/rarely, respectively, with significant effects of sex (p < 0.001, Cramer's V (phi(c)) = 0.15) and competitive level (p < 0.001, phi(c)= 0.09). Nutritional intake before exercise varied based on workout duration for 47.6% of athletes, with significant effects of sex (phi(c)= 0.15) and habitual diet (phi(c)= 0.19), and based on workout intensity for 39.1% of athletes, with significant effects of sex (phi(c)= 0.13) and habitual diet (phi(c)= 0.17, allp < 0.001). Additionally, 89.0% of athletes reported using at least some type of dietary supplement (including caffeine from coffee/tea) within 1 hour before exercise. Conclusions Overall, nearly all factors measured relating to pre-exercise nutrition intake varied by sex, competitive level, habitual dietary pattern, and/or intensity/duration of the training session and suggest a large number of athletes may not be following current recommendations for optimizing endurance training adaptations.

Automated summary

The study aimed to determine beliefs and practices regarding pre-exercise nutrition intake among endurance athletes of varying ages and competitive levels. Findings showed that most factors related to pre-exercise nutrition intake varied by sex, competitive level, habitual dietary pattern, and intensity/duration of training session, indicating that many athletes may not be following current recommendations for optimizing endurance training adaptations.