By Bjorn Falck Madsen
DENMARK, Jul 04 (Reuters Health) - Are top athletes being properly advised
on what to eat in order to protect their health against the wear and tear of
hard physical exercise? Perhaps not. World famous handball star, Anja Andersen
from Denmark, claims she was led down a wrong path.
"I have learned a lesson. What I thought was responsible dietary advice
turned out to be absolutely worthless," Andersen told Reuters Health. " We
athletes are so used to being told to overload on rice and pasta just for the
fact that it is rich in carbohydrate and provides energy. Even snack bars are
considered OK for a quick carb-fix after a match. I honestly thought I was
getting all the nutrition I needed by following the dietary guidelines that were
put down for us."
However, this was not the case. It turned out the 31-year old super-player,
who has now retired from the national handball team, was dangerously low in
magnesium, a mineral that assists muscle activity. As a result of this
deficiency, her heartbeat became irregular, causing her to black out during a
training tournament in Norway.
"I remember feeling dizzy and very uncomfortable. All of a sudden I
collapsed and was rushed off to a local doctor who did an EKG. However, he was
unable to find anything wrong with my heart. My coach urged me to start playing
the next day in order to avoid negative press, but I really wasn't up to it,"
said Andersen.
Her health problems continued, she felt dizzy every time she pushed herself
too hard during training, and after numerous tests she was finally diagnosed
with an arrhythmia, an irregularity in the rhythm of the heartbeat.
By chance, Andersen got in contact with a Danish physician who suspected she
was low in magnesium. A blood analysis confirmed his suspicion, and after
treating her with oral magnesium and a few other nutrients, he managed to
improve her condition.
Today, Andersen feels fine but has nevertheless decided to retire from
handball, most importantly because her health has suffered a blow. Still, she
wishes to send a message to other athletes about nutrition.
"As I see it, there is far too much focus on our carbohydrate intake,
whereas too little attention is directed to the fact that we athletes are
exposing ourselves to excessive strain and therefore have an increased need for
vitamins and minerals. I don't think we are getting the nutrients we need in
order to protect the body from the physical strain of professional sport,"
Andersen pointed out.
As a future coach for fledgling handball talents, Andersen will have an
opportunity to warn up and coming players against the dangerous combination of
over-training and undernourishment, and she has her mind set on fighting for
better nutritional guidance in the future.
"It is about time that better dietary counseling is introduced in
professional sports, and I would like very much to contribute with my
experience. There is no point in spending a lot of time and money on health
checkups and expensive medicine when the real problem is what we eat, or rather
what we neglect to eat," Andersen said.
