Development and Evaluation of Nutraceutical Energy Rich Nutribar on the Sprint Performance of Women Athletes During Covid 19 Pandemic

Abstract

An athlete s dietary requirements depend on several aspects, including the sport, the athlete s goals, the environment, and practical issues. The present study attempts to develop a nutraceutical energy-rich sports nutrition bar (Nutribar) and investigate the efficacy of consuming Nutribar on sporting performance among female sprinters. A total of 140 women sprinters between the ages of 17-20 years old from the Avinashilingam Institute for Home Science and Higher Education for Women, Coimbatore were recruited voluntarily. Out of the 140 sprinters, 60 were selected for the nutrition intervention study based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria into two groups: experimental (n=29) and control (n=30). The experimental group was supplemented with 50g of Nutribar thrice a week for three months. The control group received nutrition education program thrice a week for three months. The anthropometric (height, weight and body mass index), body composition (percentages of body fat), biochemical parameters (glucose, haemoglobin, lactate) and physical fitness (speed, agility, reaction time, strength, power) were measured using standard protocols at baseline and end-line (3 months). The developed Nutribar was rich in energy (441kcals), protein (11g), fat (15.5g), zinc (1.20g), iron (5.8mg/100g), and phytochemicals such as flavonoids (3.2mg QE), alkaloids (1.8mg AE) and terpenoids (0.7mg LE) as compared to the standard product with the total antioxidant capacity of 158mcg. Anthropometrically, the decline in weight and BMI of the experimental group was found to be significant (plt0.05; t=2.293 and 2.038, respectively). There was also a significant decrease in the fat percentage from 30.89% to 29.52% in the experimental group (plt0.05; t = 5.041). Biochemically, there was a significant increase in haemoglobin (plt0.05; t = 6.254) in all subjects along with a significant decrease in LDH (plt0.05; t = 3.406) among the experimental group; after supplementation.