Consumption of ultra-processed foods does not affect neuromuscular and cardiovascular fitness but alters gut microbiota in elite basketball players

Edin Hadžić¹, Ana Ilić^1*, Jurica Žučko¹, Antonio Starčević¹, Dario Novak², Ivana Rumbak¹

¹University of Zagreb, Faculty of Food Technology and Biotechnology, Pierottijeva 6, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
²University of Zagreb, Faculty of Kinesiology, Horvačanski zavoj 15, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia

ARTICLE INFO	ABSTRACT
TYPE: Original scientific paper https://doi.org/10.17508/CJFST.2024.16.1.02 PDF	To enhance recovery, athletes often consume ready-to-eat foods, specialized sports foods and/or supplements that belong to the group of ultra-processed foods (UPFs), which may affect their health. The aim of this study was to estimate consumption of UPFs in basketball players and to determine whether there is a difference in anthropometric characteristics, neuromuscular and cardiovascular fitness and microbiota composition between players in relation to the proportion of daily energy from processed foods. The study involved 17 elite male basketball players (>18 years) from Croatia during the competitive season. After cluster analysis of daily energy contribution from NOVA food groups, 35% of players were clustered into higher UPFs consumption group. No differences in anthropometric characteristics, neuromuscular and cardiovascular fitness were observed between players who consumed more UPFs and those who consumed less UPFs. Players with higher consumption of UPFs had lower abundance of the order Veillonellales-Selenomonadales in their respective microbiotas, more precisely, of family Veillonellaceae (p = 0.040) and the genus Agathobacter (p = 0.025). These results suggest that the consumption of UPFs did not affect athletes’ performance but does impact their gut microbiota. Further studies on this issue are warranted to establish nutritional guidelines for athletes regarding the consumption of UPFs.
*CORRESPONDENCE Ana Ilić ailic@pbf.hr
ARTICLE HISTORY Received: October 12, 2023 Accepted: December 21, 2023
CITATION Hadžić E, Ilić A, Žučko J, Starčević A, Novak D, Rumbak I. Consumption of ultra-processed foods does not affect neuromuscular and cardiovascular fitness but alters gut microbiota in elite basketball players. Croatian Journal of Food Science and Technology (2024) 16 (1) xx-xx
COPYRIGHT: © 2024 by the author(s). This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY).
	KEYWORDS elite athletes; gut microbiota; fitness; NOVA classification; sport nutrition
	KEY CONTRIBUTION This is the first study that observed the ultra-processed food consumption in the elite athletes. This study provides information on the percentage of daily energy intake from ultra-processed foods and their subgroups in elite basketball players during the competitive season. The present study provides additional insight into the effects of UPF consumption on neuromuscular and cardiovascular fitness in elite basketball players. The present study demonstrates the differences in the gut microbiota of elite basketball players in relation to energy intake from ultra-processed foods.