CORRELATIONS BETWEEN SOMATOTYPES AND NUTRITIONAL INTAKE IN SPORTS STUDENTS

This explorative control study investigates the correlations between nutritio-nal intake (macronutrient) and somatotypes and other body constitutional types in 94 sports students (40♂, 54♀, the age span 20–46 years). Anthropo-metric data and computed constitutional and somatotypical parameters cor-respond to international standards. Nutrient intakes were estimated by the use of 3-day dietary recall records. Correlations between individual somatotypes or constitutional types after Conrad or Knussmann and the nutritional intake in the physical education students collective were generally weak, with only a few significant relations-hips identified: For female physical education students, there are significant inverse rela-tionships between body fat and protein (r=–0.4, p≤0.01) and carbohyd-rate intake (r=–0.3, p≤0.01), between BMI and protein (r=–0.3, p≤0.01), fat (r=–0.3, p≤0.05), carbohydrate (r=–0.2, p≤0.05) and energy (r=–0.3, p≤0.05) intake as well between endomorphy and protein (r=–0.4, p≤0.01 Parnell; r=–0.3, p≤0.01 Heath/Carter) and carbohydrate intake (r=–0.2, p≤0.05 Par-nell; r=–0.4, p≤0.01 Heath/Carter), between mesomorphy and fat (r=–0.3, p≤0.05 Heath/Carter), carbohydrate (r=–0.3, p≤0.05 Heath/Carter) and energy intake (r=–0.3, p≤0.01 Heath/Carter, r=–0.3, p≤0.05 Parnell). Positive relationships exist between the ectomorphy and protein (r=0.2, p≤0.05 Par-nell; r=0.3, p≤0.05 Heath/Carter), fat (r=0.3, p≤0.01 Heath/Carter) and energy (r=0.2, p≤0.05) intake. For the male physical education students, there are significant inverse rela-tionships between body fat and protein (r=–0.4, p≤0.01) as well as fat (r=–0.4, p≤0.01), carbohydrate (r=–0.3, p≤0.05) and energy intake (r=–0.4, p≤0.01), between BMI and fat (r=–0.4, p≤0.01) and energy intake (r=–0.3, p≤0.05) as well as between endomorphy and protein (r=–0.3, p≤0.05 Parnell and Heath