Effects of Nutritional Education with Provision of Rice on the Dietary Habits of High School Baseball Players

Abstract

Loss of appetite in the summer season leads to weight reduction, which subsequently affects sports performance. We investigated this issue in 94 high school freshmen baseball players at four high schools. The participants were divided into two groups: RICE (n＝38), receiving nutritional education with provision of rice; CON (n＝56), receiving nutritional education only. The study was conducted between May and August, which is considered the summer period in Japan. Analysis of covariance showed that body weight reduction in the RICE group was significantly diminished relative to the CON group (p＜0.001). In addition, the RICE group showed higher intakes of rice (p＝0.011), vegetables, and seaweed than the CON group (p＜0.05, respectively). These results suggest that nutritional education with provision of rice helped to attenuate the reduction of food intake in summer, thus maintaining body weight. On this basis we conclude that nutritional education with provision of rice can be a beneficial approach for maintaining and enhancing sports performance among high school baseball players.