Evening Edge

On these beautiful spring days you are likely to see groups of women cycling in Atlanta and the surrounding neighborhoods and many of them are members of Sorella Cycling. The mission of the group is to foster a supportive environment for women cyclists of all ages and abilities (www.sorellacycling.com).

I met with about 20 of team members one evening to answer some of their questions about nutrition and sport for women.

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Q: I'm cutting out or back on dairy foods, so is a multivitamin enough to meet calcium needs? Which foods and supplements are well absorbed?

A: A multivitamin is not enough. A typical multivitamin has only 200 milligrams of calcium and women need 1,500 milligrams a day. If you limit dairy foods, try calcium-fortified orange juice (look for juice with calcium citrate malate as it is absorbed at about 30 percent or the same as milk calcium), or vegetables with high absorption rates of calcium including bok choy, broccoli, napa (Chinese cabbage), collards or turnip greens, okra, and kale. If you need a supplement, choose a calcium citrate supplement. Calcium is better absorbed in divided doses, so don't take more than 500 milligrams at one time.

Q: What ballpark range of protein do you recommend for female athletes who want to maintain or lose a couple of pounds without bulking up and getting "man" legs?

A: Developing "man" legs is more tied to genetics than your diet. We all have a certain body type and exercise affects us differently. Excess protein doesn't automatically go to muscles to make them bigger, but ends up being repackaged and stored as fat, so it is possible to get too much. An endurance athlete needs 1.2 to 1.6 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight, so a 125-pound athlete needs 67 to 94 grams of protein per day. With the emphasis on energy bars and recovery drinks, it is easy to get more protein than you need.

Q: Do you have any nutrition advice that can help athletes with irregular menstrual cycles or amenorrhea (lack of menstrual cycles)?

A: This sounds like a classic case of low energy availability. You are burning too much energy and not eating enough. With a negative energy balance, your body responds by suppressing physiological functions that are needed for growth, development and health. The consequence can be disrupted fertility and poor bone health. If a woman misses her period for 6 months or longer, there is a negative effect on the skeleton that may not be completely recoverable. Even after menses resume, athletes may have low bone mass before menopause placing them at risk for premature fractures. You should see a physician and get a baseline bone mineral density test (preferably with DXA).

Here some recommended references for cyclists:

• Endurance Sports Nutrition, 2nd edition by Suzanne Girard Eberle

(Human Kinetics, $19.95)

• Vegetarian Sports Nutrition. D. Enette Larson-Meyer

(Human Kinetics, $17.95),

• Nancy Clark's Sports Nutrition Guidebook, 4th edition. Nancy Clark

(Human Kinetics, $19.95)