title: Skeletal mass in adolescent male athletes and nonathletes: relationships with high-impact sports.
abstract: Dias Quiterio, AL, Canero, EA, Baptista, FM, and Sardinha, LB. Skeletal mass in adolescent male athletes and nonathletes: relationships with high-impact sports. J Strength Cond Res 25(12): 3439-3447, 2011-This study examined the relationships between the practice of different categories of sports (high-impact vs. nonimpact) and bone status in adolescent male athletes and investigated differences from an age-matched control group. A total of 54 adolescent male athletes and 26 adolescent nonathletes were evaluated. Bone mineral density, bone mineral content (BMC), and bone area at the whole-body, limbs, and lumbar spine were determined by dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry, along with total and regional fat-free mass and body fat. The high-impact group included 34 athletes: 9 gymnasts, 18 basketball players, and 7 handball players (age: 15.7 ± 1.6 years; weight: 72.0 ± 15.0 kg; height: 178.5 ± 12.5 cm). The nonimpact group consisted of 20 swimmers (age: 16.4 ± 2.5 years; weight: 66.9 ± 10.4 kg; height: 173.7 ± 10.9 cm). The nonathletic control group included 26 male adolescents (age: 15.9 ± 2.8 years; weight: 64.7 ± 16.3 kg; height: 168.6 ± 15.1 cm). No differences were observed between the nonimpact and the control group in all bone variables, before and after adjustments for maturation level, body weight, and height (p > 0.05). After adjustments for these variables, the high-impact group displayed greater bone mass in most of the measured sites when compared to the other 2 groups (p < 0.001). Subjects in the nonimpact group showed lower values of BMC, particularly in the lower limbs, than both the high-impact and the nonathletic control groups (p < 0.05) after adjustments for maturation, high, and fat-free mass. This study reinforces the positive associations between high-impact physical activities and skeletal health in adolescent boys.
authors.affiliation: Exercise and Health Laboratory, Faculty of Human Movement, Technical University of Lisbon, Cruz-Quebrada, Portugal.
authors.forename: Ana L
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Dias Quiterio
authors.forename: Elvis A
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Carnero
authors.forename: Fátima M
authors.initials: FM
authors.lastname: Baptista
authors.forename: Luís B
authors.initials: LB
authors.lastname: Sardinha
mesh_terms: D015502:Absorptiometry, Photon; D050154:Adiposity; D000293:Adolescent; D001490:Basketball / Q000502:physiology; D015519:Bone Density; D001842:Bone and Bones / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000502:physiology*; D006173:Gymnastics / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D035002:Lower Extremity / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000502:physiology; D008159:Lumbar Vertebrae / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000502:physiology; D008297:Male; D009929:Organ Size; D013177:Sports / Q000502:physiology*; D013550:Swimming / Q000502:physiology; D034941:Upper Extremity / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000502:physiology