NutraCast Podcast: Researcher reveals unexpected findings on esports athlete nutrition
Kevin Rudolf, PhD, is a research associate at the German Sport University Cologne joined the NutraCast to discuss some of the findings. He has been involved in esports research since the University started doing so in 2014.
“The research in eSports increased over the years. Back in 2014, all the literature you found about esports was just four to five people that were investigating esports mostly from a psychological perspective. And now, you have many, many manuscripts and papers about esports from different perspectives,” Rudolf observed.
“I think our department became something like a mouthpiece, maybe the voice for the esports in Germany because our head of the department, Professor Dr. Ingo Froböse, was a very prominent speaker for eSports and was always trying to get people to know esports, to take a look at it and stop thinking in stereotypes.”
Indeed, based on the research which included about 820 esports athletes, the researchers did just that. The team found that esport athletes are actually healthier than the average German.
“Many vegetarians and vegans are part of the group of esports players. They do not eat a lot of sugar and chocolate and junk foods. So the stereotype that the esport player sits in front of his console and eats pizza and chips all day long is no longer appropriate,” said Rudolf.
He added that while there is still work to be done on how the eSport athletes are perceived, Rudolf said it’s an important step in the right direction: “We hope that our research helps a little bit to get a clearer picture on how esport players look, what they do, and their health behaviors, so they can get the same attention in research as other target groups get.”
To hear more about the evolution of esports and what Rudolf said about females in the sport, listen to the NutraCast.
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NutraCast is a podcast that focuses on insights from inside the nutrition industry. It is a production by NutraIngredients-USA. Music by Kevin Macleod.
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