Correlations between somatotypes and nutritional intake in sports students

Abstract

This explorative control study investigates the correlations between nutritional intake (macronutrient) and somatotypes and other body constitutional types in 94 sports students (40♂, 54♀, the age span 20–46 years). Anthropometric data and computed constitutional and somatotypical parameters correspond to international standards. Nutrient intakes were estimated by the use of 3-day dietary recall records.

Correlations between individual somatotypes or constitutional types after Conrad or Knussmann and the nutritional intake in the physical education students collective were generally weak, with only a few significant relationships identified:

For female physical education students, there are significant inverse relationships between body fat and protein (r=–0.4, p≤0.01) and carbohydrate intake (r=–0.3, p≤0.01), between BMI and protein (r=–0.3, p≤0.01), fat (r=–0.3, p≤0.05), carbohydrate (r=–0.2, p≤0.05) and energy (r=–0.3, p≤0.05) intake as well between endomorphy and protein (r=–0.4, p≤0.01 Parnell; r=–0.3, p≤0.01 Heath/Carter) and carbohydrate intake (r=–0.2, p≤0.05 Parnell; r=–0.4, p≤0.01 Heath/Carter), between mesomorphy and fat (r=–0.3, p≤0.05 Heath/Carter), carbohydrate (r=–0.3, p≤0.05 Heath/Carter) and energy intake (r=–0.3, p≤0.01 Heath/Carter, r=–0.3, p≤0.05 Parnell). Positive relationships exist between the ectomorphy and protein (r=0.2, p≤0.05 Parnell; r=0.3, p≤0.05 Heath/Carter), fat (r=0.3, p≤0.01 Heath/Carter) and energy (r=0.2, p≤0.05) intake.

For the male physical education students, there are significant inverse relationships between body fat and protein (r=–0.4, p≤0.01) as well as fat (r=–0.4, p≤0.01), carbohydrate (r=–0.3, p≤0.05) and energy intake (r=–0.4, p≤0.01), between BMI and fat (r=–0.4, p≤0.01) and energy intake (r=–0.3, p≤0.05) as well as between endomorphy and protein (r=–0.3, p≤0.05 Parnell and Heath/Carter), fat (r=–0.4, p≤0.01, Parnell and Heath/Carter) carbohydrate intake (r=–0.3, p≤0.05 Heath/Carter) and energy intake (r=–0.3, p≤0.05 Parnell; r=–0.4, p≤0.01 Heath/Carter), mesomorphy (Heath/Carter) and fat (r=–0.4, p≤0.01), carbohydrate (r=–0.3, p≤0.05) and energy intake (r=–0.3, p≤0.01), between pyknomorphy and fat intake (r=–0.3, p≤0.05) and energy intake

Positive relationships exist between the ectomorphy (Parnell and Heath/Carter) and fat intake (r=0.4 and r=0.4, p≤0.05) as well as between Metrik- Index and fat intake (r=0.3, p≤0.05). The results indicate that differences may exist between the sexes in these correlations. Further follow-up studies are necessary to clarify these issues.