Monitoring of body weight changes in taekwondo athletes and the impact of dietary habits gained with a personalised nutrition plan

Taekwondo je olimpijski sport koji se po kriteriju masovnosti i rasprostranjenosti svrstava u globalne svjetske sportove i najpopularnije borilačke vještine u svijetu. Cilj ovog istraživanja bio je utvrditi koji modeli redukcije tjelesne mase se koriste kod sportašica taekwondo-a, te kako promjena pristupa načinu prehrane može utjecati na reguliranje tjelesne mase. U istraživan ju je sudjelovalo 6 profesionalnih sportašica iz 2 zagrebačka taekwondo kluba. Ispitanice su ispunile upitnik o metodama akutnog gubitka kilograma, te im je u razgovoru s nutricionistom napravljen je individualizirani jelovnik s ciljem smanjenja tjelesne mase prije natjecanja. Prema ispunjenom upitniku, sve ispitanice koriste metode akutnog skidanja kilograma od kojih su najzastupljenije metode preskakanja obroka, dehidracija i treniranje u debljoj odjeći. Nakon 6 mjeseci, ispitanice su smanjile tjelesnu masu za 2,1 ± 1,8 % ukupne tjelesne mase, a pritom nije primjećena statistički značajna razlika u gubitku nemasne tjelesne mase, što se smatra pozitivnim ishodom ovog istraživanja.Taekwondo is an Olympic sport that is classified according to the criteria of mass and distribution global world sports and the most popular martial arts in the world. The aim of this study was to determine which models of weight reduction are used in taekwondo athletes, and how changing the approach to diet can affect the regulation of body weight. 6 professional athletes from 2 taekwondo clubs in Zagreb participated in the research. Participants completed a questionnaire on methods of acute weight loss, and in a conversation with a nutritionist they made a personalized menu with the aim of reducing body weight before the competition. According to the completed questionnaire, all respondents use methods of acute weight loss, of which the most common methods are skipping meals, dehydration and training in thicker clothing. After 6 months, the subjects reduced their body weight by 2.1 ± 1.8 % of total body weight, and no statistically significant difference in weight loss was observed, which is considered a positive outcome of this study