Determination of the nutrition and nutritional ergogenic aids usage of soccer players in different leagues

The aim of this study is to determine the nutritional status of soccer players (Super League, TFF 1. League, 2. League, 3. League and Ameteur League) playing in different leagues and to evaluate the use of nutritional ergogenic aid products that have been used in recent years and also to search the frequency, amount, purpose of the use and awareness of the players if they use these products. The research group has been composed of a total of 380 male Turkish Federation League soccer players who play soccer in Turkish Super League, 1st League, 2nd League, 3rd League and Regional Amateur League in 2018-2019 Soccer Season. A questionnaire was used to question the anthropometric and general characteristics of the players and the consumption of nutrition and nutritional ergogenic aids for 24 hours. SPSS (version 25.0) and BEBIS program were used for statistical calculations. Frequency and percentage values of the obtained data were calculated and chi-square test was applied to find the differences between the teams in different categories. When P value was less than 0.05, the difference between the groups was considered significant. Then, in the questions with significance between leagues, a comparison was made and p value less than 0.005 was considered significant. Significant differences were observed in the nutritional status of soccer players according to different leagues. In soccer players, generally, as the league level decrease, a decrease in nutritional, daily consumed energy and nutrient intake status has been observed. It has been observed that soccer players do not know that they are undernourished in terms of many micronutrients and there is not much difference among the Leagues in terms of ergogenic food consumption and also the soccer players are over-trusted and overuse micronutrients. Generally, many studies about soccer players have been made with professional and amateurs. In our study, comparisons were made among the leagues. In our study, it is seen that soccer players consult trainers more than dietitians or health experts and their choices are not suitable for their personal needs. In conclusion, it is important to determine the nutritional needs of soccer players in terms of nutrition depending on the leagues and to prevent unconscious use of nutritional ergogenic support products. For this reason, it is clear that scientific-based dietician orientation will contribute to the development of soccer players and thus Turkish football.