Energy balance
Structured, individualized nutritional interventions significantly improve sport-specific performance and increase energy availability in competitive female athletes compared to generic guidance.
If you are a competitive female athlete, generic advice is likely not enough. You need a personalized plan that targets at least 45 kcal per kg of fat-free mass daily. Focus on consuming 5-8g of carbs and 1.6-2.0g of protein per kg of body weight. Work with a professional to adjust this gradually to avoid psychological resistance, and monitor your energy availability regularly to ensure you are not in a deficit.
The intervention group demonstrated significantly greater improvements in sport-specific performance compared with the control group... Estimated energy availability increased significantly in the IG compared with the CG
Why this rating
Large-scale multicentre controlled quasi-randomised study (n=480) with large effect sizes (Cohen's d = 1.66 for performance, 1.03 for energy availability).
Source
Effects of Individualised Nutrition on Performance and Athlete Triad Risk
Fabiola Palmiero et al. · Physical Education Theory and Methodology · 2026
DOI 10.17309/tmfv.2026.2.17
More from this paper
- Individualized nutritional interventions significantly reduce the prevalence of Female Athlete Triad risk (LEAF-Q ≥ 8) in competitive female athletes.Good
- Individualized nutritional interventions significantly improve nutritional knowledge and reduce eating disorder risk behaviors (EDE-Q) in competitive female athletes.Good
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