Optimizing performance and wellness in soccer: Integrating hydration, nutritional strategies, and measurement techniques

• Autores: César Edgar de Sousa Leão
• Directores de la Tesis: José María Cancela Carral (dir. tes.)
• Lectura: En la Universidade de Vigo ( España ) en 2026
• Idioma: inglés
• Materias:
  • Ciencias de la vida
    • Fisiología humana
      • Fisiología del ejercicio
  • Ciencias médicas
    • Ciencias de la nutrición
      • Otras especialidades de ciencias de la nutrición
• Enlaces
  • Tesis en acceso abierto en: Investigo
• Resumen

  • The demands of modern football require players to sustain repeated high-intensity efforts, recover rapidly between bouts of exertion, and maintain an optimal state of health throughout the competitive season, particularly during periods of high competition fixtures. This thesis aimed to integrate three studies involving distinct populations, namely professional athletes, youth athletes, and active young adults, with the principal goal of advancing science-based practices for monitoring hydration status, assessing body composition, and implementing effective nutritional strategies in varied contexts. The first study monitored a professional football team composed of 27 players over a 38-day pre-season period. Hydration status was assessed through pre- and post-exercise body mass measurements and a validated urine color chart. Additionally, daily wellness scores (via questionnaire), external training load (using GPS tracking), and internal training load (via rating of perceived exertion) were recorded. The findings revealed that hypohydration levels exceeding 2% of body mass were associated with higher perceived exertion and lower wellness scores, underscoring the practical relevance of immediate hydration strategies. The second study aimed to test and validate a new digital device by comparing it to the widely used Harpenden skinfold caliper for the assessment of subcutaneous fat in 38 active young adults. The results demonstrated that the Lipowise digital caliper exhibits excellent reliability compared to the Harpenden (ICC > 0.95, CV < 4%) and minimal bias relative to DXA-derived muscle mass (mean difference ± SD: 0.3 ± 1.2 kg). These results support its application in the field, offering professionals a reliable tool that contributes to the standardization of anthropometric assessments, thereby improving the quality of the nutritional recommendations. The third study examined food diaries and GPS-derived training metrics in U19 youth football players. Carbohydrate intake was inadequate, with an average of 4.5 ± 1.0 g·kg⁻¹·day⁻¹, below current recommendations, and lacked appropriate periodization throughout the week. These findings highlight the need to improve nutritional interventions in this population, particularly to optimize carbohydrate distribution across the training microcycle. Furthermore, the absence of carbohydrate periodization was associated with lower energy availability on training days, especially on days with higher physical demands. Taken together, these three studies demonstrate that integrated monitorization, supported by emerging technologies, of the hydration status, body composition, and wellimplemented nutritional strategies can enhance both athletic performance and player wellbeing. The findings also emphasize the growing need to bridge the gap between existing scientific knowledge and its practical application, acknowledging the persistent barriers that hinder the implementation of best practices in the field.