Nutrition coaching could be vital for child and teen athletes’ recovery from surgery, research reveals

13 Sep 2024 --- Nutrition has the capacity to either facilitate or hamper a person’s physical recovery. A new study looking into the nutrition-related risk factors among postsurgical youth athletes found that many don’t consult a dietitian. The authors call for clinicians to discuss nutritional factors with patients, especially after surgery.

“Professional and college athletes know that an optimal, balanced diet is extremely important to their performance and plays a key role in managing inflammation and reducing muscle atrophy following an injury,” comments study co-author Henry Ellis, associate professor of Orthopaedic Surgery at University of Texas Southwestern, US.

“However, most younger athletes don’t have easy access to sports nutritionists who can help them develop proper eating habits, which is essential after surgery. Recognizing this need is the first step to helping young athletes manage nutritional risks for their sport and long-term health.”

The study published in the journal Nutrients assesses nutrition-related risk factors among postsurgical youth athletes using a custom Sports Nutrition Assessment for Consultation (SNAC) survey.

SNAC findings and implications

The research team asked 477 patients ages 8 to 18 to fill in the SNAC survey at their first post-operative office visit. All the respondents had been through a lower extremity surgery for a sports injury.

SNAC is presented in an electronic intake questionnaire with eight “yes or no” questions designed to identify nutritional risks. Almost two-thirds (41.5%) of respondents (319) indicated a desire to better understand how to use nutrition for recovery. 

A concerning 29.8% indicated regularly skipping at least one meal a day. The participants were also asked about food allergies, changes in appetite or weight, pressure to change body composition, dizziness or fatigue during practices or games and a history of stress fractures. A “yes” response to any of these prompted a question asking patients and parents if they would like a consultation with a sports dietitian.

“Despite the prevalence of nutritional risk factors, 64.3% declined a consultation, primarily because they felt it didn’t apply to them,” says Ellis. “This could be due to a number of factors, including a belief that athletes should manage rehabilitation independently or concerns over costs or scheduling. But it suggests there is a real need for clinicians to open a dialogue with young patients and coach proper post-operative nutrition.”

The research team hopes that SNAC could also help spot young athletes struggling with disordered eating behaviors and alert physicians, as this could be putting their recovery at risk. 

Nutrition concerns

Ellis explains that young athletes deal with many diverse nutrition-related issues, such as concerns about being overweight or underweight and inconsistent eating habits that can affect their performance.

Cutting calories was found in a recent study to not only be harmful to athletes’ physical and mental health, but also to their athletic performance.

SNAC can serve as a vital tool for clinicians to monitor their patients’ views and understanding of nutrition and whether they need support in creating a healthier diet.

A survey conducted last year in Europe revealed striking differences in the nutrition patterns and views of those who engage in sports regularly and those who do not. For example, people who exercise less often reported more interest in weight management, immune health, taste and texture than those who work out daily.