TY - JOUR

T1 - The bone response to non-weight-bearing exercise is sport-, site-, and sex-specific

AU - Magkos, Faidon

AU - Kavouras, Stavros A

AU - Yannakoulia, Mary

AU - Karipidou, Melina

AU - Sidossi, Silia

AU - Sidossis, Labros S

N1 - (Ekstern)

PY - 2007

Y1 - 2007

N2 - Objective: To examine whether skeletal adaptations to chronic non-weight-bearing exercise depend on the type of aquatic exercise (swimming or water polo) as well as on sex (men or women).Design, setting, and participants: This was a cross-sectional study at the Laboratory of Nutrition and Clinical Dietetics, Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, Harokopio University, Athens, Greece. A total of 43 water polo players, 26 swimmers, and 30 sedentary individuals, aged 17 to 34 years, were recruited (52 men, 47 women).Main outcome measures: Bone mineral content (BMC) and areal bone mineral density (aBMD) of the total body and of various subregions.Results: Compared with controls, swimmers had lower leg and total aBMD (P < 0.05), whereas water polo players had lower leg but higher arm and trunk aBMD (all P < 0.05). Swimmers and water polo athletes differed at the arms (men only), trunk, and total body (all higher in water polo players, at P < 0.05). Bone adaptations to water polo playing were unaffected by sex. Female swimmers, but not male swimmers, had 13% higher arm BMC than controls (P < 0.05), whereas male swimmers, but not female swimmers, had 12% lower leg BMC than controls (P < 0.05).Conclusions: Athletes participating in long-term water polo playing and swimming have substantially different total and regional aBMD. The effect is not mediated by sex in water polo players; however, sex may mediate the differences between swimmers and controls. Whether the observed differences between athlete groups and sexes arise from different bone adaptations to activity or from other factors cannot be answered by the current data.Clinical relevance: Water polo playing may be preferable over swimming for maintaining bone health; both types of aquatic exercise at the elite level of participation, however, have unfavorable effects on the lower limb bones.

AB - Objective: To examine whether skeletal adaptations to chronic non-weight-bearing exercise depend on the type of aquatic exercise (swimming or water polo) as well as on sex (men or women).Design, setting, and participants: This was a cross-sectional study at the Laboratory of Nutrition and Clinical Dietetics, Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, Harokopio University, Athens, Greece. A total of 43 water polo players, 26 swimmers, and 30 sedentary individuals, aged 17 to 34 years, were recruited (52 men, 47 women).Main outcome measures: Bone mineral content (BMC) and areal bone mineral density (aBMD) of the total body and of various subregions.Results: Compared with controls, swimmers had lower leg and total aBMD (P < 0.05), whereas water polo players had lower leg but higher arm and trunk aBMD (all P < 0.05). Swimmers and water polo athletes differed at the arms (men only), trunk, and total body (all higher in water polo players, at P < 0.05). Bone adaptations to water polo playing were unaffected by sex. Female swimmers, but not male swimmers, had 13% higher arm BMC than controls (P < 0.05), whereas male swimmers, but not female swimmers, had 12% lower leg BMC than controls (P < 0.05).Conclusions: Athletes participating in long-term water polo playing and swimming have substantially different total and regional aBMD. The effect is not mediated by sex in water polo players; however, sex may mediate the differences between swimmers and controls. Whether the observed differences between athlete groups and sexes arise from different bone adaptations to activity or from other factors cannot be answered by the current data.Clinical relevance: Water polo playing may be preferable over swimming for maintaining bone health; both types of aquatic exercise at the elite level of participation, however, have unfavorable effects on the lower limb bones.

KW - Absorptiometry, Photon

KW - Adaptation, Physiological

KW - Adolescent

KW - Adult

KW - Analysis of Variance

KW - Bone Density/physiology

KW - Case-Control Studies

KW - Cross-Sectional Studies

KW - Female

KW - Humans

KW - Lower Extremity/physiology

KW - Male

KW - Sex Factors

KW - Swimming/physiology

KW - Upper Extremity/physiology

U2 - 10.1097/JSM.0b013e318032129d

DO - 10.1097/JSM.0b013e318032129d

M3 - Journal article

C2 - 17414480

VL - 17

SP - 123

EP - 128

JO - Clinical Journal of Sport Medicine

JF - Clinical Journal of Sport Medicine

SN - 1050-642X

IS - 2

ER -