High school athletes push their bodies hard — on the field, in the gym, and in practice. But a new UConn-led study shows many aren’t giving themselves the right fuel. Researchers, including Jennifer B. Fields of UConn’s Department of Nutritional Sciences, found both general and sport-specific nutrition knowledge among adolescent athletes to be surprisingly low.

“There’s this preconceived notion that all athletes are healthy,” Fields says. “A lot of times that’s not the case.”

Forty-four high school athletes completed a validated nutrition knowledge questionnaire. On average, the students got only about 45% of the questions right. Their grasp of general nutrition hovered around 58%, while sport-specific nutrition knowledge was much lower — around 35% correct. For example, many underestimated how many carbohydrates and total calories athletes really need, and overestimated the amounts of protein and fat.

What’s feeding these misperceptions? Social media, coaches, friends, and family are often the primary sources of nutrition info — yet many of those outlets aren’t rooted in solid science. Health classes, by contrast, often skip sports nutrition entirely. Fields warns that without proper knowledge early on, these gaps can lead not just to sub-par athletic performance, but to injury, recovery issues, and poor long-term health.

The next step? Designing educational interventions tailored to adolescent athletes — school or club programs that bridge general and performance nutrition. When athletes learn how to fuel properly, they don’t just finish the season — they thrive.