Background Endurance runners frequently experience exercise-induced gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms, negatively impacting their performance. Food choices pre-exercise have a significant impact on the gut’s tolerance to running, yet little information is available as to which foods runners restrict prior to exercise. Methods A questionnaire designed to assess dietary restrictions pre-racing and gastrointestinal symptoms was administered to 388 runners. Fisher’s exact tests determined differences in gender, age, performance level, and distance with follow-up multivariable logistic regression modeling. Results Runners regularly avoided meat (32%), milk products (31%), fish/seafood (28%), poultry (24%), and high-fiber foods (23%). Caffeinated beverages were commonly avoided in events 10 km or less ( p < .001); whereas in females, increased running distance was a predictor of avoiding high-fiber foods (OR = 6.7; 95% CI = 1.6–28.5). Rates of food avoidance were elevated in younger and more competitive runners. Common GI symptoms included stomach pain/cramps (42%), intestinal pain/discomfort (23%), side ache/stitch (22%), urge to defecate (22%), and bloating (20%). The prevalence of GI symptoms was higher in younger athletes, especially females, which may explain their propensity to avoid foods. Lower recreational athletes were the least likely to report GI symptoms. Diarrhea incidence increased with running distance. Conclusions: Identification of voluntary food restrictions in the pre-running meal highlights trends that can direct further research.

中文翻译：

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耐力跑者的饮食限制可减轻运动引起的胃肠道症状

背景 耐力跑者经常会出现运动引起的胃肠道 (GI) 症状，从而对其表现产生负面影响。运动前的食物选择对肠道对跑步的耐受性有重大影响，但关于跑步者在运动前限制哪些食物的信息很少。方法 对 388 名跑步者进行了一份旨在评估赛前饮食限制和胃肠道症状的调查问卷。费舍尔的精确检验通过后续多变量逻辑回归模型确定了性别、年龄、表现水平和距离的差异。结果 跑步者经常避免肉类（32%）、奶制品（31%）、鱼/海鲜（28%）、家禽（24%）和高纤维食物（23%）。在 10 公里或以下的赛事中通常避免饮用含咖啡因的饮料 (p < .001)；而在女性中，跑步距离的增加是避免高纤维食物的预测因素（OR = 6.7；95% CI = 1.6–28.5）。年轻且竞争激烈的跑步者的回避食物率较高。常见的胃肠道症状包括胃痛/痉挛（42%）、肠道疼痛/不适（23%）、侧痛/缝合（22%）、排便冲动（22%）和腹胀（20%）。年轻运动员，尤其是女性运动员，胃肠道症状的患病率较高，这可能解释了她们倾向于避免进食的原因。低级休闲运动员报告胃肠道症状的可能性最小。腹泻发生率随着跑步距离的增加而增加。结论：确定跑前餐中自愿食物限制突出了可以指导进一步研究的趋势。