角谷 雄哉

Background: Nutrient-enriched sports foods can support efficient nutrient intake in specific circumstances in athletic nutrition management, such as during competition, when training away from the usual environment, or during periods of weight management. Despite their widespread availability, sports foods are not always used appropriately, necessitating tools to support informed product selection. Objective: This study aimed to characterize sports foods consumed by Japanese athletes and to develop a Japanese sports food exchange list to facilitate product selection based on target nutrient requirements. Methods: Seven sports food categories commonly used in Japanese sports settings were examined: sports drinks, energy jellies, energy bars, energy gels, protein drinks, protein bars, and protein powders. Following the methodology of Spain’s sports food exchange list, development proceeded in two stages. First, suppliers were selected based on INFORMED CHOICE certification or listing on the Japan Anti-Doping Agency’s product information website, with input from experienced sports dietitians. Subsequently, 523 products were classified into subcategories based on nutrient content per unit using established statistical criteria, including the mean, standard deviation, coefficient of variation, and z-values. Results: After excluding products with z-values outside ±2 or compositions deemed unsuitable for carbohydrate or protein supplementation, 498 products from 36 suppliers were classified into 24 subcategories. Japanese sports foods exhibited broad distributions in nutrient composition, variability derived from ingredient differences, and a high proportion of plant-based protein powders. Conclusions: This study developed a Japanese sports food exchange list comprising 498 products across 24 subcategories, enabling evidence-based product selection aligned with the nutrient intake goals of Japanese athletes.

BackgroundSport Nutrition is a fast-growing academic subject. Language and/or insufficient training will be barriers to evidence-based practice (EBP) for non-English native practitioners.AimWe investigated the EBP implementation in Japanese Accredited Sports Dietitians (ASDs).MethodsJapanese ASDs (n = 77) were recruited by snowball sampling for a cross-sectional online survey using the Japanese version of the Health Science EBP questionnaire. Correlations between the five domains' scores (attitudes, literacy, application, reflection, and environment) and differences by participants' sub-groups were analysed. Multiple regression analyses were performed for the literacy and application scores, respectively, using other domain scores (Model 1) and participants' sub-groups (Model 2).ResultsCorrelations between reflection skills and application scores (rs = 0.724) and between the literacy and application scores (rs = 0.721) were strong. In multiple regressions Model 1, the scores in application and environment were significant predictors of the literacy score (R2 = 0.602), while the literacy and reflection scores were of the application score (R2 = 0.693). The working area, academic degree, and English reading ability were significant factors in the literacy score Model 2 (R2 = 0.396), but not in the application score regression (R2 = 0.156). Thirty-six percent of the participants answered that they did not read scientific articles written in English, including six participants working in research/education (20%).ConclusionsEBP implementation in ASDs in a low English proficiency country could be improved with more EBP training, with strategies for optimal use of Artificial Intelligence tools and/or official translation of evidence-based guidelines.

Background: Japanese animation, known as "anime," is a representative Japanese cultural export. Anime has been thought to have a potential impact on the eating behaviors of audiences. However, few studies have examined portrayals of food in Japanese anime. Aim: This study aims to clarify the characteristics of the foods portrayed in sports anime. Methods: Data were collected from 151 episodes of seven animated series, including sports anime featuring both male and female main characters produced between 2019 and 2022. Raters watched these episodes independently and selected scenes related to food. The total watch time of all episodes was 3,634 min. Results: A total of 282 food scenes were selected from the episodes, which is comparable to a scene containing food occurring every 12.9 min. The mean duration of each scene was 14.4 s. Of the food categories portrayed, grains appeared most frequently (39.4%), followed by beverages (32.6%), vegetables (31.9%), and meats (25.9%). In the series about girls, the frequency of the appearance of confectioneries was significantly higher than in series about boys (39.0% vs 3.5%, p < 0.001). Conclusion: Sports anime included numerous scenes in which grains, vegetables, meat, and beverages for hydration appeared. However, the frequency of the appearance of food categories varied depending on the characteristics of the series, the scenes. Further study is required to reveal the quality of the food portrayed in Japanese sports anime.

BACKGROUND: While many studies have been published on nutrient intake assessment for performance improvement and deficiency prevention in single-sport athletes, few studies have addressed nutrient intakes in athletes from a various sports. AIM: The aim of this study was to determine whether Japanese college athletes meet the Dietary Reference Intakes (DRIs) and sports nutrition recommendations (SNRs). METHODS: Dietary intake was assessed in 1049 Japanese college athletes from a variety of sports using a validated brief-type self-administered diet history questionnaire. The prevalence of inadequate intakes was estimated by comparing the DRIs and SNRs. RESULTS: For protein, riboflavin, niacin, vitamins B-6, vitamins B-12, folate, magnesium, zinc, and copper, <10% of females and males consumed diets that fell below the estimated average requirement (EAR) in the DRIs. A large proportion of female and male college athletes demonstrated intakes that were below the EAR for vitamin A (7.8% and 19.0%, respectively), thiamin (10.4% and 23.9%, respectively), calcium (20.4% and 29.7%, respectively), and iron (24.2% and 2.5%, respectively). Regarding DG for chronic disease prevention in the DRIs, over half of both female and male athletes exceeded the DG for saturated fat acid and sodium, and fell below the DG for dietary fiber. Few of both female and male had intakes below the SNRs for protein and carbohydrates. CONCLUSION: The results of the present study reveal the nutrient intake status of Japanese college athletes by comparing the DRIs and SNRs. Most meet the SNRs for optimal performance, but not the DRIs for health.