| NUTRITION |
THE I M P O R TA N C E OF GOOD NUTRITION AND ITS BEARING O N M E N TA L H E A LT H
FIRST PUBLISHED IN EUROPEAN TRAINER MAGAZINE
U
nique to the racing in ndustry is the daily neeed fo or staffff to meeet reequireed maximu um weights. Many in racing alreadyy believe they understand nutrition and the best methods to make weight, using tried and tested prractices that have been in common use for decades. The perceived success of such practicess leads to an attitu ude of ‘it works for me’ and a reluctance to change or adoptt new suggestions, and few consider thee future consequeences on health in later years. Dehyd drating and starvation to make weight is common nplace, and long periods in saunas and saalt baths,
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laxaativees and self-iinduced vo omiting are familiar practices. Thee heealtth imp pliccatio onss associaated wiitth theese incclu ude poor bone density ty, y hormonal isssues and impaired mood proffile. i Despite increased awareness of these problems, they remain as common globallly as they were thirty ty years ago. To help address this, th he UK based Racing Foundation awarded a grant of just ovver £200,000 ($260,000) to support a ground-breaaking, nutritional intervention program developed over three years by a specialist team at the Research Institute of Sport and Exercise Sciences at Liverpool John Mooress University. The team is led by former jockey, Dr. Geo orge Wilson, and includes