athletes' medical information - Coca-Cola
athletes' medical information - Coca-Cola
athletes' medical information - Coca-Cola
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athletes’ <strong>medical</strong> <strong>information</strong><br />
The physiology of children and adolescents<br />
differs from that of adults in several ways. The<br />
mechanisms of thermoregulation are less<br />
effective in children, and special attention must<br />
be paid to the environment, activity patterns,<br />
clothing and hydration to avoid problems of<br />
hyperthermia or hypothermia.<br />
The growth spurts during childhood and<br />
adolescents require nutritional support in terms<br />
of adequate intake of energy, protein and<br />
minerals. Active young people may find it<br />
difficult to meet their needs for energy and<br />
nutrients when the costs of training and growth<br />
are added. Young people may not have<br />
developed the nutritional knowledge and time<br />
management skills to fit in all the eating<br />
occasions required to achieve high-energy,<br />
nutrient-rich eating.<br />
Although the rate of obesity in children is<br />
still rising, active youngsters and young athletes<br />
still need a plentiful supply of energy from<br />
foods, including nutritious snacks between<br />
meals and energy-containing drinks. A snack<br />
before afterschool or afternoon activities will be<br />
valuable in providing extra fuel for the session<br />
as well as an energy boost during the long<br />
period between lunch and dinner.<br />
Young athletes have been shown to drink<br />
more of a flavoured drink than water during<br />
activity, which may be an important consideration<br />
for promoting fluid intake, especially if exercise is<br />
in the heat. They may also be involved in sports<br />
in which there are benefits to consuming<br />
carbohydrate during exercise to supply additional<br />
muscle fuel. Therefore, there may be legitimate<br />
benefits to making sports drinks available to<br />
young athletes. After exercise, recovery is<br />
promoted by speedy intake of protein,<br />
carbohydrate and fluids. Snacks consumed<br />
before and after the workout may need to be<br />
eaten in the car or while travelling between<br />
activities. However, there are many portable<br />
nutrient-rich choices that can be consumed “on<br />
the run,” including sandwiches, cereal and milk,<br />
flavoured milk drinks, yoghurt and other dairy<br />
foods, fruit and dried fruit/nut mixes. It is not<br />
always easy to find appropriate choices at<br />
sporting venues, so it is wise to plan ahead. Many<br />
children and adolescents are not aware of their<br />
hunger until they become fatigued or suddenly<br />
ravenous, so it is good to educate them about<br />
being organised and preparing ahead of time.<br />
Many young athletes are eager to increase the<br />
rate of their growth and muscular development<br />
in pursuit of the physique of an adult. While<br />
growth and maturation are genetically<br />
determined, high-energy eating plans can assist<br />
the young athlete to maximise the outcomes of<br />
growth and specialised training programs.<br />
Young athletes eating a wide range of foods<br />
should not need to use dietary supplements,<br />
including the use of energy drinks which<br />
contain high amounts of caffeine and are not<br />
suitable for young athletes. Athletes and<br />
coaches should be aware that supplements do<br />
not provide a shortcut to success.<br />
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