Nutrition in Military Divers, Dos and Don'ts: A Narrative Review

Background: Military divers face health-threatening conditions such as hypoxia, hyperbaric pressure, decreased physical performance, and dehydration due to prolonged underwater exposure. These factors significantly impact their health. Paying attention to an appropriate and specialized diet is crucial for these individuals to mitigate these harms. Materials and Methods: In this narrative review, four independent researchers searched for relevant articles published between the years ۲۰۰۰ and ۲۰۲۵ in reputable Iranian and international scientific databases, including PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, SID, and Magiran, as well as the Google Scholar search engine. The main keywords used were "Nutrition," "Military diving," "Underwater Work," "Divers," "Scuba diving," and "Occupational diving." The ۲۶ articles identified in the initial stage were assessed using the CASP tool, and ۱۰ were ultimately included in the final analysis. Findings: The nutritional factors related to divers were categorized into eight areas: fats, proteins, carbohydrates, vitamin B۹, vitamin B۱۲, vitamin D, vitamin E, minerals (including zinc, selenium, and iron), antioxidants, water, and dark chocolate. The consumption of ۲۰ to ۳۰ grams of protein per meal is recommended for divers. ۴۵% to ۶۵% of divers' daily energy should be supplied by carbohydrates, and low-carbohydrate diets are not recommended for them. Most studies have advised a higher proportion of fat in divers' diets. Maintaining hydration during diving, with the addition of essential electrolytes, is highly important. Consuming approximately ۰.۶۹ liters of water two hours before diving is recommended to reduce the formation of nitrogen bubbles in the divers' circulatory system. The best recommended diet for divers is the Mediterranean diet Conclusion: Modifying the dietary plan and appropriately utilizing the necessary nutrients for military divers, in alignment with their physical activity, will lead to improved health, increased combat readiness, and enhanced performance in assigned missions. The Mediterranean diet is recommended for military divers.

Keywords:

Nutrition , Underwater Work , Divers , Scuba diving , Occupational diving , Military diving