Vegetarian Diet Among Athletes on Nutrient Adequacy and Performance: Literature Review Fajria Saliha Puspita Prameswari (a), Delita Septia Rosdiana (a*), Putri Novitasari (a)
a) Faculty of Health and Sport Education, Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia
Jalan Dr. Setiabudi, Bandung 40154, Indonesia
*delitaseptia[at]upi.edu
Abstract
The dietary practice of not consuming meat and possibly other animal-derived foods and beverages is called vegetarianism. Although interest in plant-based diets among athletes is not new, their popularity seems to be increasing now. The study indicated that 8% of international elite athletes followed a vegetarian diet while 1% being vegan. The objective is to determine the effects of vegetarianism (vegan and semi-vegetarian) among athletes on their nutrient sufficiency and performance. This review is conducted based on articles listed in ResearchGate and PubMed with vegetarian athletes as subjects. The results show that athletes practicing a vegetarian diet may be at a greater risk of nutritional inadequacy especially proteins, essential fatty acids, iron, zinc, calcium, iodine, vitamin D, and vitamin B12. This literature review concluded that plant-based diets had no benefit or detriment to performance parameters in athletes compared with omnivorous mixed diets. This study suggests that vegetarian athletes should plan a well-planned diet, to meet the recommendations of macronutrients and micronutrients for training and recovery. Supplementations can be consumed if needed. Overall, it appears that vegetarianism in athletes had no effects on their performance and they can maintain nutritional adequacy by planning their dietary consumption and adding some supplementation to their diet if needed.
