Dietary analysis of full marathon runners over 50 years of age: a retrospective study.

AIM: There is little information known about the dietary intakes of older athletes. The purpose of this study was to assess the dietary intakes of full marathon runners over the age of 50 during the 3 days prior to and during a 26.2 mile marathon. METHODS: Participants completed a 3-day food record prior to the marathon and a food recall post-marathon. Dietary records were entered into a nutrient analysis software program and were analyzed for total energy, macronutrients, and micronutrients. RESULTS: The average energy intake based on the 3-day food records was 2670±225 kcal/day, which was below the estimated energy requirement of 3140±102 kcal/day. The participants consumed 56%, 17% and 27% of energy from carbohydrates, protein and fat, respectively, and these were within the acceptable macronutrient distribution ranges. The participants had a favorable omega-6 to omega-3 ratio of 5:1. The participants were consuming 3920±350 mg/day of sodium which is 70% above the goal of 2300 mg/day. The participants met the dietary reference intakes for only half of the micronutrients. Based on the food recall, 87% of the participants' energy intake was from carbohydrates (213±19 g or 852±75 kcal) before and during the marathon. CONCLUSION: Marathon runners over the age of 50 have a balanced diet during the 3 days prior to running a 26.2 mile marathon. Carbohydrates were the main source of energy consumed before and during the marathon.

Skin manifestations of obesity: a comparative study.

BACKGROUND: Obesity is one of the world's biggest health problems nowadays. Little research has been done on the skin diseases that affect obese patients. OBJECTIVE: To study the prevalence of skin manifestations in obese patients compared with a control group of normal-weight patients. METHODS: A total of 76 obese patients [body mass index (BMI) ≥30 kg/m(2) ] and 73 with normal-weight volunteers (BMI 18.5-24.9 kg/m(2) ) were included in the study and had their complete medical history and skin examination evaluated by the same examiner. All patients were investigated for the presence of metabolic syndrome. RESULTS: The dermatoses that showed a statistically significant relationship with obesity, compared with the control group were: striae (P < 0.001), plantar hyperkeratosis (P < 0.001), acrochordons (P = 0.007), intertrigo (P < 0.001), pseudoacanthosis nigricans (P < 0.001), keratosis pilaris (P = 0.006), lymphedema (P = 0.002) and bacterial infections (P = 0.05). The presence of striae, pseudoacanthosis nigricans and bacterial infections were also found to be correlated with the degree of obesity. CONCLUSIONS: Obesity is strongly related to several skin alterations that could be considered as markers of excessive weight. Skin care of obese patients deserves particular attention, not only because of the high prevalence of cutaneous alteration but mainly because many of these disorders are preventable and could be treated, improving patient's quality of life.