The Effect of Nutrient-Dense Foods in Older, Elite Pickleball Athletes

Abstract

Vasuki Wijendran, Kate Bauer, Charles Marsland, Stacey J Bell

Pickleball is a rapidly growing sport, especially among older individuals. Competitive players are elite athletes like those of any other sport, and nutritional information is lacking. The purpose of this two-week, single-arm, prospective study was to determine if elite pickleball athletes can improve quality of life with nutrient-dense foods. Subjects, with an average age of 55 ± 8 years, were recruited at a competition and were all avid players. Three nutrient-dense foods were provided daily – a brain-enhancing shake to improve focus, a bar to increase energy, and a hot meal to help with endurance and recovery. Ten, general quality of life questions used a rating system of 1 to 5, with 5 being the best. Four pickleball-targeted questions were asked using Yes (noticed a change) or No (no change). Three of these four were also asked using the numeric rating system. During week 1, about half of the participants (47%; 7/15) consumed one brain-enhancing product daily, but more consumed one energy bar daily (80%; 12/15) and the meals (60%; 9/15). At week 2, fewer participants consumed the one brain-enhancing shake daily (13%) and one meal daily (20%); but all consumed one energy bar each day. Participants engaged in exercise more than 500 minutes each week. For the ten general quality of life indicators, the range of the percentage change that showed improvement was 8% to 27%. Only Gastrointestinal issues worsened by 23%. The greatest improvements were seen in: Sleeping better (27%), Feeling full (24%), and Passion (21%). The four pickleball-targeted quality of life questions improved: 40% had better Endurance and Recovery; 33% had more Energy; and 27% had better Focus. The three questions that were asked using both systems showed similar improvements. The ability to improve quality of life in elite athletes exceeds what others have found. In summary, nutrient-dense foods can be readily incorporated into the lives of older, elite pickleball athletes and improve quality of life indicators.

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