Rational management of food intolerance in an elite soccer club

Background Gastric intestinal, skeletal muscle and neurological symptoms are just some of the possible effects of alimentary intolerances that may represent a risk for one’s health and may frustrate the athlete’s practice benefits and thwart the performance. The immunological tolerance recovery and the re-establishment of a normal diet are generally reached by means of strict dietetic schemes (a turnover or elimination diet) requiring a strong effort into changing one’s diet habit. In the elite soccer athlete, an intense competitive schedule including long transfers represents another risk to these dietetic therapies fulfilment that may even worsen the symptomatology once the allergens responsible for the intolerances are again within the diet.The purpose of this study was to objectively estimate an food intolerance in elite soccer players who have foodintolerance symptoms, by arranging a nutritional plan for the immunological tolerance recovery, the symptomatology improvement and to test the effectiveness in terms of nutritional situation by means of the BIVA, assuming a close relation among food intolerances, inflammatory reactions and nutritional status.