Body Composition

The primary aim of the proposed study is to examine the efficacy of an 8-month supervised, high-intensity progressive resistance training and impact loading programme in comparison with a supervised machine-based isometric exercise training programme using the bioDensity system in older men with low bone mass. We will also determine the safety and acceptability of each exercise training mode. Intervention group responses will be compared with those of a self-selected, non-randomised control sample of sex-matched and age-matched men who will follow their usual lifestyle activities for 8 months. Apparently healthy men over 50 years with low bone mass, screened for medical conditions and medications known to adversely affect bone health, will be recruited. Eligible participants will be randomly allocated to 8 months of either exercise programme with block randomisation based on presence or absence of osteoporosis medications. A twice-weekly, 30-minute, supervised exercise programme wil...

The purpose of the study was to investigate the effect of the four-week two strength training program on the skin fold thickness and body fat percentage (BFP) characteristics according to the maximal strength and strength endurance principles. Sixteen male volunteers participated in the study. The subjects were divided into two groups as the maximal strength group (MSG, n=8, Age=24.00±3.78 year, Height=172.25±2.19 cm, Weight=75.13±6.60 kg) and the strength endurance group (SEG, n=8, Age=25.13±3.09 year, Height=173.38±2.62 cm, Weight=77.00±7.54 kg). 4 weeks training program was applied to maximal strength group according to maximal strength training principles and applied to strength endurance group according to strength endurance training principles. In both groups, body weight, body mass index (BMI), skin fold thickness (triceps, biceps, pectoral, subscapula, abdominal, suprailiac, femur anterior and posterior, calf) and body fat percentage measurements were taken one day before and after the 4 week period. Between pre-test and post-test of SEG group, significant change was showed in triceps, biceps, pectoral, subscapula, abdominal, suprailiac, femur anterior and posterior skin fold thickness measurements and VFM parameters (p < 0.05). Significant change was determined in pre-test and post-test of MSG group in triceps, pectoral, subscapula, abdominal, suprailiac, femur anterior skin fold thickness measurements and VFM parameters (p < 0.05). When the pre-post test differences of the groups were compared, no difference was found between MSG and SEG groups (p > 0.05). As a result, it can be said that 4-week maximal strength training and strength endurance training have positive effects on the skin fold thickness and body fat percentage parameters.

To identify the physiological and anthropometric predictors of rhythmic gymnastics performance, which was defined from the total ranking score of each athlete in a national competition. Thirty-four rhythmic gymnasts were divided into 2 groups, elite (n = 15) and nonelite (n = 19), and they underwent a battery of anthropometric, physical fitness, and physiological measurements. The principal-components analysis extracted 6 components: anthropometric, flexibility, explosive strength, aerobic capacity, body dimensions, and anaerobic metabolism. These were used in a simultaneous multiple-regression procedure to determine which best explain the variance in rhythmic gymnastics performance. Based on the principal-component analysis, the anthropometric component explained 45% of the total variance, flexibility 12.1%, explosive strength 9.2%, aerobic capacity 7.4%, body dimensions 6.8%, and anaerobic metabolism 4.6%. Components of anthropometric (r = .50) and aerobic capacity (r = .49) were ...

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) has been recently recognized as a leading cause of pituitary dysfunction. Current data clearly demonstrated that sports related head trauma due to boxing, kickboxing, and soccer might results in pituitary hormone deficiencies, isolated growth hormone (GH) deficiency in particular. In the present report physiologic dose GH replacement therapy (GHRT) was performed in two GH deficient retired amateur boxers for the first time. The boxers received recombinant GH for 6 months. After 6 months of GHRT there were substantial improvements, but not complete normalization, in the body composition parameters, lipid profiles and quality of life scores in both boxers. These preliminary results suggest that GHRT may have beneficial effects in retired boxers with severe isolated GH deficiency due to sports related head trauma. But more data with higher number of boxers and longer GHRT duration are warranted.

OBJECTIVE: Recently, new body indices, including body adiposity (BAI), a body shape (ABSI), and body roundness (BRI) indices have been developed to estimate adiposity. The aim of this study was to compare percent fat mass (%FM) with novel indices in an elite athlete population.
METHODS: Using a cross-sectional design, %FM in 159 male and 50 female athletes using a four-component model was assessed. The %FM was compared with body mass index (BMI), BAI, ABSI, BRI, and with other %FM field methods (bioimpedance spectroscopy and skinfold prediction equation). These associations were determined using multilinear regression analysis, which resulted in predictive models of %FM in athletes. Cross-validation was performed using the prediction residual error sum of squares (PRESS) statistics method.
RESULTS: Although higher associations than other indices were observed, BRI still presented low coefficients of determination (men: R(2) = 0.36; women: R(2) = 0.25) when comparing with other field methods (R(2) range, 0.33-0.75). Using BAI as the independent variable, the R(2) was 0.07 for men and 0.14 for women. ABSI did not result in a significant association with %FM in women (R(2) = 0.05) while in men a significant association was found (R(2) = 0.22). The BMI model resulted in a R(2) = 0.20 for men and R(2) = 0.22 for women. Waist circumference and the sum of skinfolds were the anthropometric variables with the highest association with adiposity. New alternatives were presented with higher coefficients of determination (PRESS R(2) ranged from 0.47 to 0.71).
CONCLUSIONS: The newly developed body indices are limited in predicting %FM in elite athletes, particularly when compared with other commonly and readily available field methods like bioimpedance analysis or skinfold prediction models.

This review updates and complements the review of energy balance and body composition in the Proceedings of the 2003 IOC Consensus Conference on Sports Nutrition. It argues that the concept of energy availability is more useful than the concept of energy balance for managing the diets of athletes. It then summarizes recent reports of the existence, aetiologies, and clinical consequences of low energy availability in athletes. This is followed by a review of recent research on the failure of appetite to increase ad libitum energy intake in compensation for exercise energy expenditure. The review closes by summarizing the implications of this research for managing the diets of athletes.

Advances in body composition assessment enable a detailed body composition analyses and the respective organization at different levels. Sports-related professionals are interested in understanding how and which body components are relevant for improving performance, prevent injury risk, and monitor athletic health. The aim of this review is to propose an integrative model that links performance, injury risk, and athletic health with body components, and to report their cross-sectional and longitudinal associations. Cross-sectional studies reveal that endurance athletes with higher fat mass (FM) show a longer race time, whereas a higher fat-free mass benefits power and strength-related tasks. Longitudinal studies indicated that increases in intracellular water, assessed through dilution techniques, were associated with power and strength improvements, independently of weight and lean-soft-tissue changes. There is evidence that athletes involved in weight-sensitive sports restrict energy intake, thus reducing energy availability (EA) and compromising bone health (Female Athlete Triad). To counteract the low EA and related negative energy balance, metabolic adaption (MA) occurs to promote energy conservation. Currently, reference values for body composition assessment using anthropometry and DXA are available for a few sports, according to sex. More research is needed to develop a functional body composition profile according to sports-specific requirements.

To assess the effectiveness of the current UK clinical practice in reducing hepatic fat (IHCL). Whole body MRI and (1)H MRS were obtained, before and after 6 mo nutritional counselling, from liver, soleus and tibialis muscles in 10 subjects with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). A 500 Kcal-restricted diet resulted in an average weight loss of 4% (-3.4 kg,) accompanied by significant reductions in most adipose tissue (AT) depots, including subcutaneous (-9.9%), abdominal subcutaneous (-10.2%) and intra-abdominal-AT (-11.4%). Intramyocellular lipids (IMCL) were significantly reduced in the tibialis muscle (-28.2%). Decreases in both IHCL (-39.9%) and soleus IMCL (-12.2%) content were also observed, although these were not significant. Several individuals showed dramatic decreases in IHCL, while others paradoxically showed increases in IHCL content. Changes in body composition were accompanied by improvements in certain liver function tests: serum aspartate aminotransferase (A...

Phase angle as measured by bioelectrical impedance analysis reflects fat-free mass. Fat-free mass loss relates to worse prognosis in chronic diseases. Primary aim of this study was: to determine the association between fat-free mass at intensive care unit admission and 28-day mortality. Ten centres in nine countries participated in this multicentre prospective observational study. The inclusion criteria were age &gt;18 years; expected length of stay &gt;48 h; absence of pacemaker, heart defibrillator implant, pregnancy and lactation. Fat-free mass was assessed by measurement of the 50-kHz phase angle at admission. The primary endpoint was 28-day mortality. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) was used to assess prediction of 28-day mortality by fat-free mass at ICU admission. The variables associated with 28-day mortality were analysed by means of multivariable logistic regression. Of the 3605 patients screened, 931 were analysed: age 61 ± 16 years, male ...

We investigated whether spiders fed lipid-rich rather than protein-rich prey elevate metabolism to avoid carrying excessive lipid deposits, or whether they store ingested lipids as a buffer against possible future starvation. We fed wolf spiders (Pardosa prativaga) prey of different lipid:protein compositions and measured the metabolic rate of spiders using closed respirometry during feeding and fasting. After a 16-day feeding period, spider lipid:protein composition was significantly affected by the lipid:protein composition of their prey. Feeding caused a large and fast increase in metabolism. The cost of feeding and digestion was estimated to average 21% of the ingested energy irrespective of diet. We found no
difference in basal metabolic rate between dietary treatments. During starvation ˙VO2 and ˙VCO2 decreased gradually, and the larger lipid stores in spiders fed lipid-rich prey appeared to extend survival of these spiders under starvation compared to spiders fed protein-rich prey. The results show that these spiders do not adjust metabolism in order to maintain a constant body composition when prey nutrient composition varies. Instead, lipids are stored efficiently and help to prepare the spiders for the long periods of food deprivation that may occur as a consequence of their opportunistic feeding strategy.

To examine the association of body mass index (BMI), triceps skinfold thickness (TST) and percentage body fat (%BF) from bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) with blood lipids, systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) in children. Cross-sectional study was conducted on 1280 schoolchildren aged 8-11 years from the Cuenca province (Spain). Data collection was conducted under standardized conditions, taking several measurements of each variable to enhance accuracy. Analyses were performed using age-adjusted correlation coefficients, and multiple linear regression adjusted for age, BMI, TST and %BF. Correlations between %BF and apolipoprotein (apo) B, total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-c), total cholesterol/HDL-c ratio and DBP were higher than those for BMI and TST. In contrast, the correlations between BMI, and apo A-I and SBP were higher than those for %BF and TST. The results were similar across the sexes. The correlations between each of the three measures of body fatness, and blood lipids and blood pressure were highest in children with greatest BMI and %BF. When analyses were adjusted for the three body fatness measures, %BF showed stronger associations than did BMI or TST with blood lipids and blood pressure, with the exception of apo A-I and SBP, which were more closely associated with BMI. %BF from BIA is more strongly associated than either BMI or TST with most of the blood lipid fractions in schoolchildren aged 8-11 years.

Background and Objective: Obesity plays an important role in the development of chronic diseases including diabetes, hyperlipidemia, and cardiovascular diseases (CVD). This study was conducted to evaluate the association of the age of onset of obesity with resting metabolic rate (RMR) in overweight and obese women during adulthood.
Methods: This descriptive-analytical study was done on 295 overweight and obese women aged 18-50 years in Tehran, Iran. The anthropometric measurements of all participants were measured. Dietary intake and total daily energy intake were assessed by using a semi-quantitative food-frequency questionnaire (FFQ) which the list including 147 food items. Resting metabolic rate was measured by indirect calorimetric method. In order to measure the physical activity International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) was used. The questionnaire includes 7 items to assess the intensity of activities by the vigorous, medium, and light for at least 10 minutes during the last week.
Results: There was a significant difference between those whose age of onset of obesity was under 18 or over 18, in RMR per body weight (kg) (Beta: 0.16, CI: 0.11 to 0.00, P: 0.03). In addition, it was seen a significant inverse correlation between age of onset of obesity and body weight (Beta: -0.11, CI: -0.30 to 0.00, P: 0.005) and adipose tissue content (Beta: -0.13,
CI: -0.23 to -0.01, P: 0.02). After adjustment for confounders including (age, physical activities, and energy intake), the correlations still remain significant.
Conclusion: Age of onset of obesity was associated with increased weight and fat and decreased resting metabolic rate in adulthood. In fact, people with lower obesity age have higher body weight and fat and lower RMR.
Keywords: Body Composition [MeSH], Basal Metabolism [MeSH], Obesity [MeSH], Overweight [MeSH],

To determine whether patterns of sleeping metabolic rate (SMR) are altered in obesity. Specifically to determine the relationship between changes in SMR and body weight, body mass index (BMI, kg/m(2)), and fat-free mass (FFM); and to compare resting metabolic rate (RMR) with SMR during different periods of sleep. Eighteen healthy, pre-menopausal, obese (BMI &gt;30, n=9) and non-obese (BMI &lt;30, n=9), female subjects (six Caucasians and 12 African-Americans), with an average age of 36 y (range 22-45). Total energy expenditure (TEE or 24 h EE), metabolic rate (MR), SMR (minimum, average and maximum) and resting metabolic rate (RMR) or resting energy expenditure (REE) measured by human respiratory chamber, and external mechanical work measured by a force platform within the respiratory chamber. Physical activity index (PAL) was derived as TEE/REE. Body composition was determined by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA). SMR decreased continuously during sleep and reached its lowest ...

Data are lacking regarding regional morphological changes among women after prolonged physical training. This study employed dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry to assess changes in whole body and regional (i.e., trunk, legs, arms) fat mass, lean mass, and bone mineral content body composition adaptations in 31 healthy women pre-, mid-, and post-6 mo of periodized physical training. These results were compared with those of 1) a control group of women who had not undergone the training program and were assessed pre- and post-6 mo and 2) a group of 18 men that was tested only once. Additionally, magnetic resonance imaging was used to assess changes in muscle morphology of the thigh in a subset of 11 members of the training group. Physical training consisted of a combination of aerobic and resistance exercise in which the subjects engaged for 5 days/wk for 24 wk. Overall, the training group experienced a 2.2% decrease, a 10% decrease, and a 2.2% increase for body mass, fat mass, and soft...

1. Genetic parameters of slaughter and carcase traits were estimated for 5-week-old Japanese quail reared under the one-to-one sire and dam pedigree recorded system. Data were analysed using restricted maximum likelihood (REML) with relationship matrix. Records of 1244 animals from 119 sires and 156 dams were analysed.2. An individual animal model was used which had the animals’ genetic effect as the only random factor. Heritability and standard errors of slaughter, cold carcase, breast, leg, wing, others, liver weights and dressing percentage were 0·40 ± 0·07, 0·55 ± 0·07, 0·58 ± 0·07, 0·54 ± 0·07, 0·49 ± 0·07, 0·42 ± 0·06, 0·13 ± 0·04 and 0·21 ± 0·05 respectively. Moderate to high heritability for most of the studied traits suggested that selection to increase or decrease these traits will be successful.3. The strongest genetic correlation was found between slaughter, carcase and breast weights (0·97–0·87). These high genetic correlations provide an opportunity to select for breast weight on the basis of 5-week weight.4. It can be concluded that carcase weight and 5-week weight of quail can be included in a selection index to increase the weights of valuable carcass parts.