Paralympians face nuanced nutrition challenges. Dietitians seek solutions

Paris (AP) — Like many other athletes, Justin Phongsavanh has a take on the chocolate muffins at the Paralympic Village.

“It doesn’t get much better than that,” said Phongsavanh, a U.S. Paralympian and bronze medalist in the seated javelin throw. However, Phongsavanh and other Paralympians can’t live on muffins alone. They and their dietary teams face complex challenges, but scientists and athletic personnel are workshopping their own solutions even as research lags behind.

The biggest challenge of para nutrition strategy is that athletes’ needs vary tremendously based not only on their sport, but on their disabilities and other underlying conditions, said applied sports nutrition scientist Joëlle Leonie Flück.

“Disability types are so different in terms of needs and requirements from a nutritional perspective, but also from a medical perspective,” said Flück, who also serves as president of the Swiss Sports Nutrition Society. “There are a lot of things to consider, like energy expenditure, which can be totally different from individual to individual, or from disability to disability.”