Protein intake by master swimmers: Implications for practice in Sports Nutrition—A cross-sectional study.

This article focuses on analyzing the timing, quantity, and sources of dietary protein intake in competitive male master swimmers, comparing their intake to current sports nutrition recommendations. The study found that these athletes consumed an adequate total daily protein amount (mean 1.9 g/kg/day), primarily from animal sources (65.7%), with most protein intake concentrated at lunch and dinner rather than evenly distributed throughout the day. Post-training protein intake was approximately twice the recommended 0.25–0.3 g/kg, while pre-sleep protein intake averaged within the advised 30–40 g range but showed high individual variability. The findings suggest that although total protein intake meets guidelines, better distribution across meals may optimize muscle protein synthesis and recovery in master athletes.