Nutrition and the growing athlete.
As a group, adolescents demonstrate notoriously poor dietary habits. Sports and exercise participation actually encourages young people to attend to nutritional concerns. Nutritional factors play a major role in determining the adolescent's potential to reach full growth and the maintenance of good health. In addition to the effect on growth, food intake (quantity, quality, and pattern of) is a critical determinant of athletic performance. A review and synthesis of the recent literature concerning characteristics of adolescent athletes and the nutritional requirements of growth and performance are provided. Common nutritional deficiencies of the young athlete and dietary inadequacies resulting in disturbances of growth are identified. Maximal athletic performance and the promotion of the present and future good health of young people challenges health and fitness professionals to provide adolescents with accurate nutritional information and caution against widespread nutritional frauds. J Orthop Sports Phys 1984;6(3):173-177.
Vanswearingen
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