Do the nutritional needs of athletes differ from non-athletes?

Do the nutritional needs of athletes differ from non-athletes?

Jerry Pryde, MD, MPH, CIME (Clinical Chief, Department of Rehabilitation, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center) gives expert video advice on: Should I drink water or sports drinks while exercising?; Is it possible to hydrate too much?; What do my muscles use for energy when exercising? and more...

Nutrition is very important for an athlete because their energy expenditure is higher than most people. They are tearing down proteins in their muscles that they are using and they are also burning more calories. So the nutritional needs of an athlete are going to be higher. They will require higher calorie intake and they will also require higher protein intake. For instance, a marathon runner is going to be burning more calories and they are going to have more of a protein turnover from the tissues in their legs because of these long distance runs that they are doing. The calorie requirements for a merathon runner may actually triple from their normal daily requirements. So it will be important for them to evaluate their diet and make sure that they increase the amount of calories that they are getting while they are training for a marathon runner and that would include increased protein needs. A nutritionist can calculate that out for them.