(67) RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN NUTRIENT INTAKE, PERFORMANCE, AND BODY COMPOSITION IN MALE COLLEGIATE WRESTLERS

A wrestler must be proficient in aerobic capacity, anaerobic capacity, and maximal strength and power. Additionally, wrestlers are also required to manipulate their body mass (BM) to make weight, thus making body composition and nutrition a key component of wrestler success. It may be advantageous for wrestlers to maintain fat-free mass (FFM) through adequate nutrient intake while still making weight. However, there is little research examining the interrelationships between physiological and nutritional aspects influencing wrestling.

Purpose: Examine relationships among nutritional intake, anaerobic, and strength measurements of performance, and FFM.

Methods: Eleven male D1 collegiate wrestlers (mean±SD: age: 21.1±1.7 years; height: 174.9±8.5 cm; BM: 82.1±18.7 kg; years of wrestling experience: 14.5±2.2 years) volunteered for this study. Nutrient intake was collected with 3-day food records, and energy and macronutrients (carbohydrate (CHO), protein, and fat intake) were analyzed by a Registered Dietitian. A 7-site skinfold assessment was utilized to assess body fat percentage to calculate FFM. Maximal voluntary isometric contractions of the quadriceps and hamstrings were performed on an isokinetic dynamometer, and peak torque (PT, (Nm∙kg^-1) was recorded. An anaerobic protocol on a cycle ergometer examined time to exhaustion (TTE) and total work completed (TW, KJ). Pearson Product Moment Correlations analyzed relationships between nutrient intake (energy, macronutrients, and micronutrients), performance (PT, aerobic capacity, TTE, and TW), and body composition (FFM). For significant collinear relationships, first-order partial correlations (r_xyz) were calculated to partial out collinear influences. All statistical analyses were performed using IBM SPSS (v.28), with a significance level set at p< 0.05.

Results: Energy and macronutrient intake demonstrated moderate-high positive correlations with FFM (r=0.652-0.892, p< 0.001-0.030). Energy, CHO, and fat intakes showed positive moderate-very high correlations with quadricep PT, hamstring PT, TTE, and TW (r=0.652-0.902, p< 0.001-0.049), with no relationships observed with protein intake except a positive moderate relationship with quadricep PT (r=0.652, p=0.03). No correlations remained significant after partialing out the influence of FFM (p >0.05).

Conclusions: This study suggests collinearity between FFM, nutrient intake, and performance measurements in wrestlers. However, FFM accounted for most of the relationships observed between nutrient intake and performance, suggesting that body composition is a primary factor influencing performance. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS: These findings suggest that maintaining high FFM even when striving to make weight is potentially advantageous for performance measurements, along with consuming adequate nutrition. Individualized nutrition recommendations aimed to maintain FFM when making weight is necessary for optimizing performance.

Acknowledgements: None