Evaluation of nutritional consumption of athletes in terms of greenhouse gas emission and water footprint

It is of critical importance to ensure sustainability in the nutrition plan, which forms the basis of athletes' health and performance development. This study was carried out with athletes within the Turkish Olympic Preparation Center in Ankara and Ankara Athlete Health, Performance and Service Quality Standards Department. It is aimed to evaluate the sustainability of food consumption and their knowledge, attitudes and behaviors about sustainable nutrition by calculating the greenhouse gas emissions and water footprint of athletes' food consumption. The study was conducted with a total of 100 professional athletes from different sports branches, with an average age of 21.0±3.3. A survey was developed for the research by examining the literature on the subject. The survey, which consists of five sections, includes sections where the socio-demographic characteristics of the athletes, their knowledge, attitudes and behaviors regarding sustainable nutrition, the use of ergogenic support are questioned, and a food consumption frequency questionnaire. With the data obtained from the food consumption frequency questionnaire, the amount of red meat consumed by the athletes, the amount of vegetable and animal protein they consumed, greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) and water footprint (WF) of food consumption were calculated. The data collection process was carried out through face-to-face interviews with volunteer athletes who applied to the center. The GHG of letes' food consumption was calculated as 3017.1±1877.4 g CO2 equivalent/g/day per person and the WF was 5.4±3.2 mL/g/day per person. The GHG of food consumption of female athletes was recorded to be lower than that of male athletes (p<0.001). The WF of food consumption of female athletes was also found to be lower than that of male athletes (p<0.001).Individuals who generally pay attention to the environmental impact statement when purchasing food were higher dietary GHG and WF values (p<0.05). A statistically significant increase was found in the GHG values of the food consumption of athletes who pay more attention to the statement of ethical production when purchasing food (p<0.05). It was observed that there were differences in the GHG and WF of food consumption according to the sports branch (p<0.05). GHG and WF values of food consumption of team athletes were lower than other groups, while strength/power athletes are higher (p<0.05). A difference was found between the GHG and WF of athletes' food consumption according to the number of weekly training (p<0.05). The GHG and WF values of food consumption of athletes who train 5 times a week or less were lower than the other groups (p<0.05). Participants' daily red meat consumption per person is 95.2±11.6 g, vegetable protein intake is 58.0±32.0 g, and animal protein intake is 85.9±54.9 g. There is a significant relationship between the amount of red meat consumed by athletes, the amount of animal and vegetable protein they consume, and the GHG and WF values of food consumption (p<0.001). GHG and WF values of athletes' food consumption were higher than the general population.