Consumo alimentar, perfil metabolômico e vias de produção de energia de atletas do futebol feminino

Abstract

Soccer, which is an intermittent exercise, requires athletes to be able to fluctuate in levels of intensity throughout the match, which can change the concentrations of metabolites related to energy production, depending on their demands during matches. A better understanding of the contribution of energy production pathways in this process could help, along with other variables, in the prescription of training sessions aimed at women's soccer, since, although it has been described that men have a greater tendency to oxidize lipids than women, the metabolome of female athletes pre-match and post-match in championships has not yet been described. This paper is divided into three sections: the first is a narrative review that discusses some aspects of soccer, women's soccer, metabolomics, energy production pathways and food consumption; the second is a scientific article that aims to identify the main metabolites in the urine of female soccer players present at championship games and the energy production pathways they may be associated with; and the third presents another scientific article that points out the main associations between urinary metabolites and nutrients related to energy metabolism. To this end, pregame and post-game urine samples from national and state championships were collected. A Nuclear Magnetic Resonance metabolomic approach was used. In addition, the athletes' usual dietary intake, which may have an influence on the expression of metabolites, was analyzed using 24-hour recalls and food records. Forty-three metabolites were identified, including pyruvate, lactate, glucose, citrate, succinate, taurine and tyrosine, which may be intermediates in the metabolism of phenylalanine, tryptophan and tyrosine, the metabolism of taurine and hypotaurine and the tricarboxylic acid cycle. Positive and significant associations were observed between metabolites and nutrients related to energy metabolism, such as pyruvate with PTN and KCAL per kilogram of weight, dietary lipids, vitamins B2, B3 and B6, succinate with vitamin B2, KCAL and CHO per kilogram of weight, citrate and CHO per kilogram of weight, KCAL, PTN and CHO per kilogram of weight and malonic acid.