MATCH DAY GLUCOSE FLUCTUATIONS IN ELITE FEMALE SOCCER PLAYERS: INSIGHTS FROM INTERSTITIAL MONITORING

Purpose: Female’s soccer remains an understudied field. To sustain the physical demands of a match, the body relies on carbohydrates as an energy source. Understanding glucose fluctuations during a match provides valuable insights into the metabolic profile of athletes. This study aimed to characterize the glucose profile of female soccer players during official matches. Methods: Ten elite female soccer players (age: 27.2 ± 3.8 years; weight: 64.8 ± 5.7 kg; height: 172.8 ± 4.6 cm; BMI: 21.7 ± 1.5 kg/ m2) from the same team had their interstitial glucose (iG) continuously monitored over two match days using a continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) system. Matches external loads were recorded using global positioning systems. Players were categorized as either starters or bench players, and match day was divided into four periods: night-time, pre-match, match, and post-match. Both matches were played at the same time of day. Results: The between-subject coefficient of variation (CV) for iG over the entire day was 13%, while the within-subject CV was 17%. Starters exhibited greater between- and within-subject variability (16% and 20%, respectively) compared to bench players (9% and 13%). iG remained consistent across both observation days (F = 0.20, p = 0.6, gp2 = 0.001) and match periods (F = 1.19, p = 0.3, gp2 = 0.001). However, starters displayed higher iG during the match period compared to night-time (?26.5 mg/dL, p = 0.001), pre-match (?22.2 mg/dL, p = 0.002), and post-match (?25.9 mg/dL, p = 0.004). Conclusions: CGM may help practitioners develop individualized nutritional strategies, given the substantial inter-individual variability observed. This study highlights the need for further research in this area, which remains largely unexplored across different sports contexts.