title: Bone acquisition during adolescence in athletes.
abstract: Bone mass (BM) and skeletal size are similar in prepubertal girls and boys and double between the onset of puberty and early adult life. Sex steroids are responsible for the maturation in human skeleton, as well as for the sexual dimorphism, observed after the onset of puberty. Physical activity in childhood is critical for maximizing bone growth and thus for preventing osteoporosis during older age. Therefore, it constitutes the most effective prevention strategy available. In athletes, high-impact loading activities have been shown to improve BM, whereas in sports requiring a lean somatotype (therefore leading to a negative energy balance), the delay in skeletal maturation and pubertal development predisposes athletes to osteopenia and osteoporosis. Although the early onset of training, the continuous intensive exercise and its long duration attenuate bone acquisition, the excess mechanical load to which these athletes are exposed from a young age exerts beneficial effects on bone formation that lead to a positive net-effect on BM.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Endocrinology, University of Patras Medical School, University Hospital, Patras, Greece. markou@med.upatras.gr
authors.forename: Kostas B
authors.initials: KB
authors.lastname: Markou
authors.forename: Anastasia
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Theodoropoulou
authors.forename: Athanasios
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tsekouras
authors.forename: Apostolos G
authors.initials: AG
authors.lastname: Vagenakis
authors.forename: Neoklis A
authors.initials: NA
authors.lastname: Georgopoulos
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D041923:Adolescent Development / Q000502:physiology*; D000328:Adult; D056352:Athletes; D001696:Biomechanical Phenomena / Q000502:physiology; D001846:Bone Development / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D036341:Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D008297:Male; D010809:Physical Fitness / Q000502:physiology; D010812:Physical Stimulation
chemical_list: D036341:Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins