Content of some vitamins in the diet and blood serum of professional football players

Aim. This study evaluates the vitamin status of football players based on the data of actual nutrition and concentration of biomarkers in blood serum in the competition period of sports activity. Materials and Methods. The research involved 22 football players (men aged 24±5 years, body mass index – 22.9±0.2 kg/m2). Intake of С, В1, В2, РР, A vitamins and beta-carotene was evaluated using the 24-hour nutrition reproduction method. Concentrations of ascorbic acid, riboflavin, retinol, tocopherols, beta-carotene in blood serum were determined in fasting condition on the next day after a competition. Results. A reduced intake of vitamin A and beta-carotene relative to the recommended level was found in 86.0% of examined individuals, and of vitamins В1, В2, РР, and C in 77.2, 68.1, 36.3 and 63.6%, respectively. A study of biomarkers of provision with vitamins showed a reduced riboflavin concentration in blood serum relative to the norm (<5 ng/ml) and the optimal level (<10 ng/ml) in 45.4% and 100% of the examined athletes, respectively. The beta-carotene level did not reach the optimal level (<21.5 µg/dl) in each second athlete, and there were no deficits of vitamin A and vitamins-antioxidants C and E. No statistically significant (Spearman) correlations were found between the individual intake parameters of В2, С, А vitamins, and beta-carotene and the respective biomarkers' blood serum concentration. A positive relationship was found between the blood serum concentrations of ascorbic acid and beta-carotene (r=0.592, р=0.004). Conclusion. The data obtained to justify the necessity to optimize the B vitamins and the beta-carotene status of football players in the period of competitions. The traditional approaches to the realization of this task, including enrichment of the diet with vitamin-mineral complexes, should rest on the results of the evaluation of the individual provision of an organism with micronutrients and take into account the enhanced demand for group B vitamins in athletes engaged in high-energy-consuming kinds of sports.