title: Ventricular mass in relation to body size, composition, and skeletal age in adolescent athletes.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To examine the contribution of chronological age (CA), skeletal age (SA), stature, sitting stature, fat-free mass (FFM), and fat mass (FM) to interindividual variability in left ventricular mass (LVM) in male adolescent roller hockey players using allometric models.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cross sectional.
  
  
  METHODS
  Training and competitive sport during adolescence.
  
  
  METHODS
  Seventy-three Portuguese male roller hockey players aged 14.5 to 16.5 years.
  
  
  METHODS
  Stature, sitting stature, body mass, estimated FM and FFM, and SA assessed by the Fels method.
  
  
  METHODS
  Allometric modeling of LVM assessed in accordance with recommendations of the American Society of Echocardiography.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Hockey players (CA: 15.4 ± 0.6 years; SA: 16.4 ± 1.5 years) showed an eccentric remodeling of LV structure within the reference range (ie, 0.24-0.42), a dilated LV chamber, but no LVM increase. Exponents for body size descriptors were 2.69 for stature (R(2) = 27%; P < 0.001), 2.49 for sitting stature (R(2) = 37%; P < 0.001), 0.76 for FFM (R(2) = 31%; P < 0.001), and 0.22 for FM (R(2) = 26%; P < 0.001). The combination of size descriptors with CA and SA increased the explained variance in LVM slightly (26%-45%).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  When stature and FM are used for indexing LVM in a sample of adolescent athletes, biological maturity status should also be considered.
authors: Faculty of Sport Sciences and Physical Education, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal.
authors: João
authors: J
authors: Valente-Dos-Santos
authors: Manuel J
authors: MJ
authors: Coelho-e-Silva
authors: Vasco
authors: V
authors: Vaz
authors: António J
authors: AJ
authors: Figueiredo
authors: Joaquim
authors: J
authors: Castanheira
authors: Neiva
authors: N
authors: Leite
authors: Lauren B
authors: LB
authors: Sherar
authors: Adam
authors: A
authors: Baxter-Jones
authors: Marije T
authors: MT
authors: Elferink-Gemser
authors: Robert M
authors: RM
authors: Malina
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000886:Anthropometry; D001823:Body Composition; D049628:Body Size; D001846:Bone Development; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004452:Echocardiography; D006321:Heart / Q000502:physiology*; D006352:Heart Ventricles / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D006688:Hockey / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male