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Insight: Right diet for the right movesDate: 16.06.2007
Posted by: Anabolic Info Team Malaysia
A GYMNAST may take hours, months and years of practice and sacrifice to perfect a routine move. Yet, beneath all that is a strict dietary regimen that could make or break a gymnast’s path to the pinnacle.
They prance, skip and dance gracefully across the floor, occasionally tossing and reaching out for the ribbon with a precise flick of the wrist.
The audience give the beaming gymnasts a thunderous applause.
But away from the glittering costume, atmospheric grandeur, appreciative crowd and medals galore, is a tale of gruelling regime, highly disciplined lifestyle and sacrifices.
For these gymnasts, suppressing hunger pangs and tightening their waistline to maintain a lithe frame and flawless execution of skills are all part of the game.
A local study has revealed that female national gymnasts are eating a lot less than they should.
Their daily energy intake of between 1,350 and 1,500 kcal falls short of the recommended nutrient intake (RNI) for adolescent girls.
RNI Malaysia, as drawn by the Health Ministry in 2005, suggests girls aged 13 to 15 and 16 to 18 should take 2,180 and 2,050 kcal per day respectively.
The study, published by Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia last year, measured the gymnasts’ body composition, compared their energy intake in three competition phases and identified their nutrition practices.
A total of 16 gymnasts — seven artistic and nine rhythmic — aged between 13 and 19 were involved in the study.
Only two met the normal body mass index (BMI) mark of 18.5, while the others were underweight with a BMI ranging from 15 to 17.9.
The mean body fat percentage of artistic and rhythmic gymnasts is 10.5 and 12.2 percent respectively.
They face a depletion of fat at the triceps, and a depletion of protein at their mid-upper arm.
The study also shows these athletes lack micronutrients like thiamin, niacin, vitamin A, calcium and iron.
According to the National Sports Institute, a gymnast’s diet comprises cereals and poached eggs for breakfast; salad, soup and a portion of chicken or fish for lunch; and fruits and salad for dinner.
Dr Nik Shanita Safii, dietician and honorary treasurer of the Malaysian Association for the Study of Obesity (MASO), said a general diet for an athlete should contain high carbohydrate, moderate protein and low fat.
"The gymnasts are adolescents who need enough food for their growth. They also train many hours a day, and therefore require even more energy than the RNI," she said.
"Girls who engage in heavy physical activities can take more than 2,500 kcal per day. Our gymnasts are eating 50 percent less than that."
Mohalijah Mohd Ali, the head of Sports Nutrition and Food Service Centre at the National Sports Institute, however, said all sports men and women have their own diet requirement, with gymnastics and bodybuilding at opposite extremes.
"Gymnasts, like synchronised divers, have to be weight-watchers because body image dictates the sport itself," said Mohalijah.
"Even before she starts performing, a gymnast is already judged on her appearance, features and body structure. Size plays a very big role in this sport.
"As such, diet is an important component of their weight management and performance. For some athletes, achievements come first."
The study affirms this, as the main reason given by the gymnasts for their low energy intake is they fear weight gain and the inability to stay slim.
Other factors are own will and pressure from coaches, parents and peers.
Paramaspathy Iyakkanoo, team manager of the national rhythmic gymnastics team, said the gymnasts’ eating habits are monitored by their coach.
"We don’t want them to be overweight or underweight. As of now, all are in the normal range except two who are slightly overweight," she said.
Working around such dietary restrictions, Mohalijah said she makes sure the gymnasts are given the healthiest choice available in the athletes’ cafeteria to ensure their wellbeing.
Gymnasts have been trained since young to follow a low calorie diet, and their body has adapted to it, she said.
Mohalijah added they are normal in the ‘gymnast range’ despite being underweight under the BMI scale.
The girls are weighed two to four times a day, and are told not to exceed 50kg.
Dr Nik Shanita said the immediate concern here is an obsession with extreme weight loss that can lead to the ‘female athlete triad’ syndrome, a combination of three related conditions — disordered eating, amenorrhea and osteoporosis.
The gymnasts are also prone to bone injuries due to a lack of calcium intake, the study indicates.
"They might be fine now, but what about the long-term effects? Osteoporosis only occurs during menopause," said Dr Nik Shanita.
Paramaspathy admitted to having one gymnast suffer from eating disorder.
"However, that is very slight. It’s not an alarming situation."
Malaysian Gymnastics Federation secretary N. Shanmugarajah played down the study’s findings.
"Unless the study shows that our gymnasts are malnourished or anorexic, there’s nothing to be alarmed about.
"All our gymnasts are healthy. The fact that our top gymnasts are delivering and winning medals in international competitions only goes to show that they have no health problems."
He said the findings reflect a worldwide phenomenon.
"Weight is important for gymnasts because being being light means higher elevation and better performance.
"It takes one to two years for them to master a single skill. It is essential to execute all the leaps technically correct.
"The elegance of the choreography can be shattered should weight becomes a hindrance," he said.
Shanmugarajah said he is not concerned as the gymnasts are in the good hands of the National Sports Council.
The study concludes that parents, coaches and peers play an important role in equipping gymnasts with proper dietary information, and that gymnasts should be educated on the needs for a proper and balanced diet.
Rhythmic gymnastics coach Marina Aksenenko said the sport does not enforce a weight category, but declined to elaborate on how weight influences the gymnasts’ performances nor their diet.
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