7%) correctly answered the false statement that “”saturated and unsaturated oils both have equal effect on health”". An important proportion of the students (67.1%) correctly answered that “”alcohol consumption can affect absorption and utilization of nutrients”". Many alcoholics are malnourished, either because they ingest too little essential nutrients (e.g., carbohydrates, proteins, and vitamins) or because alcohol and its metabolism prevent the body from properly absorbing, digesting, and using those nutrients [28]. In this study, the highest

score was 21 which could be obtained when all the questions were MK-0518 research buy correctly answered. However, the mean score of the participants was 12.247 ± 3.525, which was considered low and indicated the inadequacy of nutrition knowledge of students. In various studies, sportsmen’s nutrition knowledge was also reported inadequate [7, 22, 26, 29–33]. On the other hand, there were some

other studies determining nutrition knowledge adequate [10, 34]. Considering the importance of nutrition for sportsmen, it is necessary to increase the knowledge of sportsmen and their trainers on nutrition. In this study, it was found that the mean knowledge scores of the male students were higher compared to female students. However, the difference was not statistically JPH203 significant (p > 0.05). In other studies see more carried out by Rosenbloom et al. and Corley et al. [7, 34], it was determined that the nutrition knowledge did not vary according to gender. In contrast, there were some other studies reporting that the

knowledge levels of females were higher than males [31, 35]. This discrepancy might be caused by the difference between the study groups. The mean nutrition knowledge scores of the fourth year students were higher than those of the first year students. The difference between the first and fourth year students was found statistically significant (p < 0.001). Considering the fact that the fourth-year students took nutrition class, the importance of this information could become more evident. This was caused by the lack of knowledge. Increasing the education on nutrition will also increase the knowledge scores on this matter. Nutrition education should be more emphasized and the permanency of the education should be provided. Conclusions In general, neither athletes nor coaches have sufficient knowledge on nutrition to create an environment ZD1839 supplier that can result successfully in enhanced performance and optimal health [5]. The importance of nutrition education is increasingly recognized at present, and there is a consensus that people’s food choices, dietary practices, and physical activity behaviors influence health [36]. Nutrition knowledge was found low for the students enrolled in universities to become prospective teachers and coaches and they were not aware of the importance of the nutrition for performance. Enough and balanced nutrition should be a perfect life style and an eating habit for a sportsman.