Background: Adequate and appropriate nutrition in type 1 diabetic athletes is essential not only to increase the physical performance but also to prevent the hypoglycemic events. Detailed nutrition history represents the initial step in developing a proper meal plan according to the specific characteristics of the physical activity performed.

Purpose: This study assessed changes in habitual dietary intake and macronutrient distribution in response to intermittent-type futsal-based exercise under free-living conditions in people with type 1 diabetes who have not previously received structured nutritional diabetes education.

Methods: Nine people with type 1 diabetes (HbA1c 7.6±0.9%; Age 28±5 years; BMI 23.7±1.8 kg/m2; Diabetes duration 11.3±6.4 years) completed a 24-hour weighed food diary on two separate occasions: 1) on a day containing exercise (EX), and 2) a non-exercise day (CON). The exercise day consisted of performing a standardized 80-minute intermittent-type typical futsal-based training session. All participants were competing at an international-level in futsal. Participants had not previously received dietary education as part of their diabetes care. Food frequency and dietary intake were subsequently analyzed.

Results: EX resulted in 78% of participants experiencing hypoglycemia, whereas this was limited to 45% under CON. Meal frequency and meal-time energy intake was similar between conditions (P≥0.050), however all participants under EX consumed additional carbohydrate-based snacks, whereas this was limited to 56% under CON. Correspondingly, total kcal intake was on average 31% greater under EX (EX 2470±783 vs. CON 1888±601 kcal.day−1; P=0.047), with more carbohydrate (EX 287.7±81.5 vs. CON 238.4±92.6 g.day−1; P=0.044), fat (EX 94.6±50.3 vs. CON 60.9±22.0 g.day−1; P=0.013), and protein (EX 128.2±68.2g vs. CON 99.2±44.2 g.day−1; P=0.039) consumed.

Discussion: This is the first investigation to show that people with type 1 diabetes with no prior structured nutritional diabetes education performing intermittent-type futsal-based exercise rely predominantly on carbohydrate-based snacks to prevent exercise-induced hypoglycemia rather than adjust meal frequency, meal-macronutrient distribution, or meal-macronutrient amount.