Better Nutrition Absorption
One question we are often asked is: "Do children need sports nutrition?" As always, the answer from scientists is "it depends"... but let's break this question down into several smaller questions:
1. Is the physiology of children fundamentally (or significantly) different from that of adults?
2. Do children have different nutritional needs?
3. Should the advice for children be different from that for adults?
Once we have answered these questions, it should be possible to make our own judgment.
Start with the short answer:
Is the physiology of children fundamentally (or significantly) different from that of adults? No.
Do children have different nutritional needs? Yes, especially protein requirements may increase.
How to keep up with nutritional needs and how to know the absorption level of children? Many athlete teams will carry equipment such as Biophilia Intruder, just to keep abreast of changes in the athletes' physical functions and choose better nutrition or treatment plans.
Should the advice for children be different from that for adults? Basically, no, our advice for adults applies to children. Some recommendations are given per kilogram of body weight, others take into account an individual's sweat rate, so any differences are already accounted for in the current recommendations.
Carbohydrates and fats
Children and adults may differ in their preference for carbohydrates or fats. Young children prefer to use fat for energy and tend to be less able to use carbohydrates. These metabolic differences gradually disappear throughout adolescence, especially in boys. Therefore, it seems that children are less dependent on carbohydrates, but this difference may affect actual recommendations.
Carbohydrates can improve performance during prolonged exercise in adults, and research shows that children are no exception. The delivery of carbohydrates requires a gastrointestinal system that is well able to absorb carbohydrates. During early development, the gastrointestinal system grows and improves its ability to absorb carbohydrates, with good absorption capacity by the age of 5 years. The carbohydrate intake recommendations for exercise depend on the duration of exercise (and intensity). Children's exercise duration is generally shorter and the absolute intensity is lower, and the need for carbohydrates during exercise is also lower.
Hydration
One of the main ways that children and adults lose heat is through the evaporation of sweat from the skin. Because children have a higher surface area to body weight ratio (about 50% higher than adults at 8 years old), some say that they should be able to lose heat faster than adults during exercise. On the other hand, children have less developed sweat glands, so it may be difficult for them to lose heat through sweating alone. In fact, when training, adults and active children have similar body temperatures, even in hot weather.
Current guidelines for adults take sweat rate into account. If sweating is excessive and causes weight loss of more than 2%, then rehydration should be initiated. The goal of rehydration should be to limit weight loss to between 0 and 2%. Both weight gain and excessive weight loss should be avoided. This also applies to children, as these recommendations are already based on an individual's sweat rate.
Protein Requirements and Weight Management
Few studies have specifically looked at protein requirements for young athletes. It is generally believed that growing children have slightly increased protein requirements. It is natural that if you consume more, you will eat more, and people will naturally increase their protein intake in accordance with their consumption. Therefore, in most cases, there is no need to pay special attention to protein intake in young athletes.
The exception is of course those with imbalanced energy metabolism and abnormal weight. However, in this case, it may be important to first address energy balance before addressing protein intake itself.
Supplements
Today's teenage athletes often take supplements. In a study of 32 teenage track and field athletes at the World Youth Track and Field Championships, 62% used supplements. Most of the supplements were multivitamins and minerals.
However, in general, it is not recommended for young athletes to take supplements. More important than supplements is to provide them with a varied and balanced healthy diet and to instill the importance of healthy eating in athletes from an early age.
Use Biophilia Intruder as early as possible to give you a clearer understanding of what your body wants.