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. 2021 Aug 26;7(3):e001082.
doi: 10.1136/bmjsem-2021-001082. eCollection 2021.

Portuguese Football Federation consensus statement 2020: nutrition and performance in football

Rodrigo Abreu  1   2 , Pedro Figueiredo  1   3 , Paulo Beckert  1 , José P Marques  1 , Samuel Amorim  4 , Carlos Caetano  5 , Pedro Carvalho  6 , Carla Sá  7   8 , Ricardo Cotovio  9 , Joana Cruz  10 , Tiago Dias  11 , Gonçalo Fernandes  5 , Elton Gonçalves  12 , César Leão  13   14 , Alexandre Leitão  15 , João Lopes  16 , Eduardo Machado  17 , Mónica Neves  18   19 , André Oliveira  20 , Ana I Pereira  21 , Bruno Pereira  22 , Fernando Ribeiro  2   23 , Luis M Silva  24 , Filipe Sousa  25   26 , Tânia Tinoco  27 , Vitor H Teixeira  2   28 , Monica Sousa  29   30 , João Brito  1
Affiliations

Portuguese Football Federation consensus statement 2020: nutrition and performance in football

Rodrigo Abreu et al. BMJ Open Sport Exerc Med. .

Abstract

Nutrition is an undeniable part of promoting health and performance among football (soccer) players. Nevertheless, nutritional strategies adopted in elite football can vary significantly depending on culture, habit and practical constraints and might not always be supported by scientific evidence. Therefore, a group of 28 Portuguese experts on sports nutrition, sports science and sports medicine sought to discuss current practices in the elite football landscape and review the existing evidence on nutritional strategies to be applied when supporting football players. Starting from understanding football's physical and physiological demands, five different moments were identified: preparing to play, match-day, recovery after matches, between matches and during injury or rehabilitation periods. When applicable, specificities of nutritional support to young athletes and female players were also addressed. The result is a set of practical recommendations that gathered consensus among involved experts, highlighting carbohydrates periodisation, hydration and conscious use of dietary supplements.

Keywords: consensus; elite performance; soccer; sports and nutrition.

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Conflict of interest statement

Competing interests: RA has received consulting fees Danone Portugal, The Coca-Cola Company Iberia and Glanbia Performance Nutrition Iberia. He did not receive any form of financial support directly related to this manuscript. RA, PF, PB, JPM and JB work in the Health and Performance Unit from the Portuguese Football Federation.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Conceptual framework for the football training cycle with one match per week.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Conceptual framework for the football training cycle with two-three matches per week.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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