New Orleans, LA -- In the current war against terrorism in Afghanistan, the Army’s Special Forces have been among the first in combat, adjusting to the treacherous terrain and more than matching the combat skills of the enemy. Their success can be attributed to their dedication and training conducted at their home installations.

Findings of a new study measuring the energy intake and expenditure of these most elite of warriors offers America’s oldest military service the opportunity to better understand if changes in the ways in which food is made available requires updating. This research is part of a continuing effort by the United States Army to enhance the quality of life of the best trained soldiers in the world.

The authors of the new research, “Nutritional Requirements Of US Army Special Forces Soldiers,” are M.E. Bovill, C.J. Baker-Fulco, W.J. Tharion, C.M. Champagne, H.R. Allen, and J.P. DeLany, from the US Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine, Natick, MA and Pennington Biomedical Research Center, Baton Rouge, LA. Their findings will be presented during the American Physiological Society’s (APS) annual meeting, part of the "Experimental Biology 2002” conference. More than 12,000 attendees will attend the conference being held at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, New Orleans, LA from April 20-24, 2002.

Forty soldiers volunteered to participate in the study. Volunteers included Special Forces soldiers and Support soldiers assigned to the unit to provide administrative functions. Over nine consecutive days, testing consisted of percent body fat and body weight measures and estimation of energy (kcal) consumed and expended.

Special Forces and Support personnel energy intakes were 3154 ± 542 kcal and 3445 ± 692 kcal, respectively. While energy intake for both SF and SP soldiers was similar, Special Forces personnel expended 22 percent greater kcal: 4099 ± 740 kcal and 3361 ± 939 kcal, respectively. Percent body fat and body weight measurements did not change over the study period, suggesting that self-reported food intake consumed outside of the military dining facility was underreported.

This study demonstrated that Special Forces soldiers did not meet energy requirements from garrison dining facility meals and other self-reported foods during routine garrison training. This training can be characterized as prolonged and vigorous, as confirmed by the notably high-energy expenditure (4099 kcal/day). However, while it appears that Special Forces soldiers did not consume adequate energy (average daily intake was 1123 kcal below energy expenditure), their body fat percent and body weights did not change over the study period. This suggests that perhaps not all foods and beverages consumed outside of the dining facility were captured on the daily food records.

Energy expenditure for the Special Forces soldiers exceeded the MDRI for energy, which the food allowance in the dining facility is based on (3250 kcal). Consuming 4099 kcal/day from three meals/day in the dining facility would be difficult. Options to this course could be small frequent meals, but military dining facilities are not resourced to accommodate this. A supplement to the food allowance would allow the dining facility to provide high quality, nutrient dense snacks that Special Forces soldiers could take and consume between meals, enhancing the intake of these highly active elite soldiers.

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