Body composition and performance:  influence of sport and gender among adolescents.
Body composition is well known to be associated with endurance performance among adult skiers; however, the association among adolescent crosscountry and alpine skiers is inadequately explored. The study sample comprised 145 male and female adolescent subjects (aged 15-17 years), including 48 crosscountry skiers, 33 alpine skiers, and 68 control subjects. Body composition (%body fat [BF], %lean mass [LM], bone mineral density [grams per centimeter squared]) was measured with a dual-emission x-ray absorptiometer, and pulse and oxygen uptake was measured at 3 break points during incremental performance tests to determine physical fitness levels. Female crosscountry and alpine skiers were found to have significantly higher %LM (mean difference = 7.7%, p < 0.001) and lower %BF (mean difference = 8.1%, p < 0.001) than did female control subjects. Male crosscountry skiers were found to have lower %BF (mean difference = 3.2%, p < 0.05) and higher %LM (mean difference = 3.3%, p < 0.01) than did male alpine skiers and higher %LM (mean difference = 3.7%, p < 0.05) and %BF (mean difference = 3.2%, p < 0.05) than did controls. This study found strong associations between %LM and the onset of blood lactate accumulation and VO2max weight adjusted thresholds among both genders of the crosscountry skiing cohort (r = 0.47-0.67, p < 0.05) and the female alpine-skiing cohort (r = 0.77-0.79, p < 0.001 for all). This study suggests that body composition is associated with physical performance amongst adolescents.
Department of Surgical and Perioperative Science, Sports Medicine, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden.
Gabriel M
GM
Högström
Tom
T
Pietilä
Peter
P
Nordström
Anna
A
Nordström
D050154:Adiposity; D000293:Adolescent; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D054874:Athletic Performance / Q000502:physiology*; D001823:Body Composition; D015992:Body Mass Index; D015519:Bone Density; D005080:Exercise Test; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D019344:Lactic Acid / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal; D010101:Oxygen Consumption; D010807:Physical Endurance; D010809:Physical Fitness / Q000502:physiology*; D011674:Pulse; D012737:Sex Factors; D012865:Skiing / Q000502:physiology*
D019344:Lactic Acid