Nutrition for special populations: young, female, and masters athletes

Abstract

Athletics provides many benefits to people, including regular physical activity, social interaction, and the development of self-identity and self-esteem. How the International Association of Athletics Federations supports a positive lifelong connection to athletic pursuits for both men and women is fundamental to ongoing participation in track-and-field events. Responsibility for the provision of appropriate nutrition care to young, female, and/or masters athletes is shared among the sport’s leaders, coaches, parents, teachers, and the athletes themselves. This review incorporates aspects of physiology, psychology, training science, and sociology to describe our current understanding of the nutrition priorities for these special population athletes