Categorizing ten sports according to bone and soft tissue profiles in adolescents

Abstract

Purpose: Considering the different loading and training characteristics of the sports practiced during growth, it is important to specify and categorize the bone and soft tissue adaptations in adolescent athletes. This study aimed to categorize ten different loading sports and a non-sport group and identify the differences in bone density and soft tissues. Methods: The sample included 625 adolescents (10 to 17 years of age) of ten sports (soccer, basketball, volleyball, track & field, judo, karate, kung-fu, gymnastics, baseball and swimming) and a non-sport group. Dual energy X-ray absorptiometry assessed areal bone mineral density (aBMD), bone mineral apparent density (BMAD) and soft tissues (lean soft tissue and fat mass). The results were adjusted for sex, peak height velocity (PHV) status, lean soft tissue, fat mass and weekly training volume. Results: The comparisons among groups showed that soccer had the highest whole body aBMD (mean  SEM: 1.082 g/cm2  0.007) and lower limbs aBMD (1.302g/cm2

 0.010). Gymnastics presented the highest upper limbs (0.868 g/cm2  0.012) and whole body BMAD (0.094 g/cm2  0.001). Swimming presented the lowest aBMD values in all skeletal sites (except at the upper limbs) and whole body BMAD. The soft tissue comparisons showed that soccer had the highest lean soft tissue (43.8 kg  0.7). The lowest fat mass was found in gymnastics (8.04 kg  1.0). Conclusion: The present study investigated and categorised for the first time ten different sports according to bone density and soft tissue profiles. Soccer and gymnastics sport groups found to have the highest bone density in most body segments and both sports were among the groups with the lowest fat mass.