Fat Intake in Sports and Training

Fat Intake in Sports and Training

Fat has a genuine role in an athlete's diet - it contributes energy density and offers other protective functions - but taking more than recommended can create health problems. For this reason athletes, like everyone else, should keep dietary fat within the suggested amount of 25-30% of total calories.

Within that limit, the kind of fat chosen makes a real difference. A diet that includes polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) - from vegetable oils, nuts and oil seeds - and monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA) - from groundnut oil, fish oil and the like - has clear advantages over a diet rich in saturated fatty acids (animal fat, desi ghee and butter), because it improves total cholesterol, LDL, HDL and triglyceride levels. These healthy fats should therefore make up the majority of the fat in an athlete's diet.

Invisible fat sources should also be chosen wisely. Including egg whites, fish and skimmed milk in place of high-fat animal foods helps keep total cholesterol below 200 mg/day. Choosing the right fats - not simply cutting fat out - is the message the NCERT/CBSE syllabus emphasises for CBSE Class 12 Physical Education.

Why fat cannot simply be removed from an athlete's diet. Fat is the most energy-dense macronutrient, supplying about 9 kcal per gram — more than double the energy density of carbohydrate or protein — which makes it a valuable fuel store for low-to-moderate intensity and very long-duration events once glycogen stores begin to run low. Fat is also the carrier for the fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E and K, supplies essential fatty acids the body cannot make for itself, and forms part of cell membranes and the hormones involved in recovery and adaptation to training. A common mistake among young athletes trying to "get lean" is cutting fat too aggressively, which can impair hormone production, fat-soluble vitamin status, and long-term joint and cardiovascular health — none of which help performance. …