Relationships between body composition and anaerobic performance parameters in female handball players

Background and Study Aim. The purpose of this study was to investigate of the relationships between total/segmental body composition and anaerobic performance parameters in female handball players. Material and Methods. Voluntary 16 women handball players (age= 19.6±2.6years, body height= 168.0±5.5cm, body weight= 64.7±10.7kg), trained last 3 years, were participated to the study. Twelve of them were students from Faculty of Sports Sciences. All measurement and tests were completed in the week right after Turkish Women Handball 1th League. Total and segmental body composition parameters (body fat percentage, body fat mass, lean body mass, leg fat percentage, leg fat mass, lean leg mass, torso fat percentage, torso fat mass, and lean torso mass) of each player were evaluated with dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry method. Squat jump test for explosive power, countermovement jump test for elastic (reactive) power, and Wingate test for anaerobic power (WAnT AP) and anaerobic capacity (WAnT AC) were used. Relationships of total/segmental body composition parameters with jump and anaerobic power-capacity parameters were analysed with Pearson correlation and the probability level was set to p£0.05. Results. As a result of statistical analyses, there were negative relationships (p<0.05) between anaerobic performance parameters (countermovement jump and anaerobic power-capacity) and total/segmental body composition parameters except for lean body mass, lean leg mass, and lean torso mass. Conclusions. Total/segmental body composition parameters based on endomorphy had negative effects on explosive power, elastic power, WAnT AP and WAnT AC. It is suggested that coaches should not allow female handball players to rise in ectomorphy for the anaerobic performance loss in the season finale.

Relationships between body composition and anaerobic performance parameters in female handball players

Background and Study Aim. The purpose of this study was to investigate of the relationships between total/segmental body composition and anaerobic performance parameters in female handball players. Material and Methods. Voluntary 16 women handball players (age= 19.6±2.6years, body height= 168.0±5.5cm, body weight= 64.7±10.7kg), trained last 3 years, were participated to the study. Twelve of them were students from Faculty of Sports Sciences. All measurement and tests were completed in the week right after Turkish Women Handball 1th League. Total and segmental body composition parameters (body fat percentage, body fat mass, lean body mass, leg fat percentage, leg fat mass, lean leg mass, torso fat percentage, torso fat mass, and lean torso mass) of each player were evaluated with dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry method. Squat jump test for explosive power, countermovement jump test for elastic (reactive) power, and Wingate test for anaerobic power (WAnT AP) and anaerobic capacity (WAnT AC) were used. Relationships of total/segmental body composition parameters with jump and anaerobic power-capacity parameters were analysed with Pearson correlation and the probability level was set to p£0.05. Results. As a result of statistical analyses, there were negative relationships (p<0.05) between anaerobic performance parameters (countermovement jump and anaerobic power-capacity) and total/segmental body composition parameters except for lean body mass, lean leg mass, and lean torso mass. Conclusions. Total/segmental body composition parameters based on endomorphy had negative effects on explosive power, elastic power, WAnT AP and WAnT AC. It is suggested that coaches should not allow female handball players to rise in ectomorphy for the anaerobic performance loss in the season finale.

Effects of limb dominance on the symmetrical distribution of plantar loading during walking and running

The purpose of this study was to investigate the symmetry or asymmetry in the plantar pressure, foot axis angle and muscle mass of dominant and non-dominant legs. Sixty-eight able-bodied participants (age: 20 ± 1 years, height: 162 ± 8 cm, mass: 53 ± 7 kg, BMI: 20.63 ± 2 kg/m2) were recruited for the walking and running tests. All participants with right dominant feet, defined as the preferred leg when kicking a ball, were asked to perform four successful trials at their self-selected walking and running speeds after warm-up. FootScan force-measuring plate was utilized to collect plantar pressure and foot axis angle. The Tanita Segmental Body Composition Analyzer was used to measure the muscle mass of the lower limbs. The time-series parameters were checked using an open-source statistical parametric mapping 1d package. The result exhibited that the medial foot pressure of the dominant limb was higher than the non-dominant limb ( p < 0.05). Foot balance index range showed asymmetry in both walking and running tasks (absolute symmetry index <10%). There was no significant difference in muscle mass between the dominant and non-dominant lower limbs ( p = 0.79). The quantification of potential differences and asymmetries could provide implications for gait injury prevention and shoe design.

The Use of SenseWear Armband for Assessment of Daily Energy Expenditure and the Relation to Body Fat Distribution and Nutritional Intake in Lean Women with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome

Objective. To evaluate nutritional intake, energy expenditure, and segmental body composition in lean women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and compare them with age- and body mass index- (BMI-) matched control women. Methods. 32 nonobese patients with PCOS and 31 age- and BMI-matched healthy women were included in the study. Energy expenditure and physical activity level were assessed by metabolic Holter equipment (SenseWear Armband, SWA) which was never previously used in lean PCOS population. Food intake is recorded with 24 hours of food record. Segmental body composition analysis was assessed by bioelectrical impedance analyses (BIA). Results. Mean BMI was 22.64 ± 3.64 and 21.55 ± 2.77 kg/m2 (p=0.185) in PCOS and control groups, respectively. Mean age was 22.03 ± 4.21 and 21.71 ± 2.67 year (p=0.720), respectively. No significant differences were found in total energy intake and percentage of carbohydrates, fats, and other micronutrients (p>0.05). Energy percentage of proteins (%12.73 ± 1.98, p=0.008) was statistically lower in subjects versus the control group. The measurements of physical activity duration (PAD) (1.40 ± 0.87/2.18 ± 0.99 hours, p=0.002), active energy expenditure (372.35 ± 198.32/494.10 ± 186.50 kcal, p=0.018), and step counting (9370.03 ± 3587.49/11730.90 ± 3564.31 steps, p=0.013) measurement of the PCOS group were lower than the control group, respectively. Conclusions. New diagnosed women with PCOS had similar distribution and quantity of body fat parameters and nutritional status when compared to healthy women. Control subjects were found more active in energy expenditure.

Lifetime Weight Cycling and Central Fat Distribution in Females With Obesity: A Brief Report

Weight cycling (WC) is a common phenomenon in patients with obesity, however, its consequence on body composition has not yet been fully understood. Therefore, we aimed to determine whether multiple WC can negatively affect the latter, especially in terms of body fat distribution in female adults seeking treatment that are overweight or obese. Body composition was obtained using a segmental body composition analyser (MC-780MA, Tanita Corp., Tokyo, Japan) in 125 adult females who had been referred to the Department of Nutrition and Dietetics at the Beirut Arab University (Lebanon). WC was defined as intentional weight loss of ≥3 kg followed by involuntary weight regain of ≥3 kg, and participants were categorized as WC if they had experienced ≥2 cycles. Ninety of the 125 participants met the criteria for WC and displayed a higher total and trunk fat mass than those without WC. This was confirmed through linear regression analysis, showing that multiple WC were associated with increased fat mass (FM) by nearly 4.2 kg (β = 4.23, 95%CI: 0.81–7.65, p = 0.016)–2.4 kg in the trunk region (β = 2.35, 95%CI: 0.786–3.917, p = 0.004) when compared to the non-WC group, after adjusting for age and fat-free mass. In conclusion, multiple WC is associated with increased body fat, especially in the central region. Future studies are needed to examine the impact of this fat distribution on health outcomes in this phenotype of patients.