Body composition in male lifelong trained strength, sprint and endurance athletes and healthy age-matched controls
IntroductionAging involves many physiological processes that lead to decreases in muscle mass and increases in fat mass. While regular exercise can counteract such negative body composition outcomes, masters athletes maintain high levels of exercise throughout their lives. This provides a unique mod...
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2023-10-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Sports and Active Living |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fspor.2023.1295906/full |
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| author | Simon Walker Mikaela von Bonsdorff Mikaela von Bonsdorff Sulin Cheng Sulin Cheng Keijo Häkkinen Dmitriy Bondarev Ari Heinonen Marko T. Korhonen |
| author_facet | Simon Walker Mikaela von Bonsdorff Mikaela von Bonsdorff Sulin Cheng Sulin Cheng Keijo Häkkinen Dmitriy Bondarev Ari Heinonen Marko T. Korhonen |
| author_sort | Simon Walker |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | IntroductionAging involves many physiological processes that lead to decreases in muscle mass and increases in fat mass. While regular exercise can counteract such negative body composition outcomes, masters athletes maintain high levels of exercise throughout their lives. This provides a unique model to assess the impact of inherent aging. The present study compared lean mass and fat mass in young and masters athletes from different sports to age-matched non-athletic individuals.MethodsParticipants included young (20–39 years, n = 109) and older (70–89 years, n = 147) competitive male athletes, and 147 healthy age-matched controls (young = 53, older = 94 males). Athletes were separated into strength (e.g., weightlifters, powerlifters), sprint (e.g., sprint runners, jumpers) and endurance (e.g., long-distance runners, cross-country skiers) athletic disciplines. Body composition was assessed by dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA). Upper and lower limb lean mass was combined for appendicular lean mass as well as appendicular lean mass index (ALMI; kg/m2). Individuals’ scores were assessed against established cut-offs for low muscle mass, obesity, and sarcopenic obesity to determine prevalence in each group.ResultsALMI was greater in young strength (0.81–2.36 kg/m2, ∼15% and 1.24–2.74 kg/m2, ∼19%) and sprint (95% CI = 0.51–1.61 kg/m2, ∼11% and 0.96–1.97 kg/m2, ∼15%) athletes than in endurance and controls, respectively (all P < 0.001). In masters athletes, only strength athletes had greater ALMI than endurance athletes, but both older strength and sprint athletes had greater ALMI than older controls (0.42–1.27 kg/m2, ∼9% and 0.73–1.67 kg/m2, ∼13%, respectively, both P < 0.001). Fat mass was significantly lower in sprint and endurance athletes compared to strength athletes and controls in both age-groups. Sarcopenic obesity was identified in one young (2%) and eighteen (19%) older controls, while only two older endurance athletes (3%) and one older strength athlete (2%) were identified.DiscussionLifelong competitive sport participation leads to lower prevalence of sarcopenic obesity than a recreationally active lifestyle. This is achieved in strength athletes by emphasizing muscle mass, while sprint and endurance athletes demonstrate low fat mass levels. However, all older athlete groups showed higher fat mass than the young groups, suggesting that exercise alone may not be sufficient to manage fat mass. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T14:29:53Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-215a87e91caa457fb32862c0d80f446e |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2624-9367 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T14:29:53Z |
| publishDate | 2023-10-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
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| series | Frontiers in Sports and Active Living |
| spelling | doaj.art-215a87e91caa457fb32862c0d80f446e2023-10-31T10:09:42ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Sports and Active Living2624-93672023-10-01510.3389/fspor.2023.12959061295906Body composition in male lifelong trained strength, sprint and endurance athletes and healthy age-matched controlsSimon Walker0Mikaela von Bonsdorff1Mikaela von Bonsdorff2Sulin Cheng3Sulin Cheng4Keijo Häkkinen5Dmitriy Bondarev6Ari Heinonen7Marko T. Korhonen8NeuroMuscular Research Center, Faculty of Sport and Health Sciences, University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä, FinlandGerontology Research Center (GEREC), Faculty of Sport and Health Sciences, University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä, FinlandFolkhälsan Research Center, Helsinki, FinlandFaculty of Sport and Health Sciences, University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä, FinlandShanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, ChinaNeuroMuscular Research Center, Faculty of Sport and Health Sciences, University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä, FinlandGerontology Research Center (GEREC), Faculty of Sport and Health Sciences, University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä, FinlandFaculty of Sport and Health Sciences, University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä, FinlandGerontology Research Center (GEREC), Faculty of Sport and Health Sciences, University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä, FinlandIntroductionAging involves many physiological processes that lead to decreases in muscle mass and increases in fat mass. While regular exercise can counteract such negative body composition outcomes, masters athletes maintain high levels of exercise throughout their lives. This provides a unique model to assess the impact of inherent aging. The present study compared lean mass and fat mass in young and masters athletes from different sports to age-matched non-athletic individuals.MethodsParticipants included young (20–39 years, n = 109) and older (70–89 years, n = 147) competitive male athletes, and 147 healthy age-matched controls (young = 53, older = 94 males). Athletes were separated into strength (e.g., weightlifters, powerlifters), sprint (e.g., sprint runners, jumpers) and endurance (e.g., long-distance runners, cross-country skiers) athletic disciplines. Body composition was assessed by dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA). Upper and lower limb lean mass was combined for appendicular lean mass as well as appendicular lean mass index (ALMI; kg/m2). Individuals’ scores were assessed against established cut-offs for low muscle mass, obesity, and sarcopenic obesity to determine prevalence in each group.ResultsALMI was greater in young strength (0.81–2.36 kg/m2, ∼15% and 1.24–2.74 kg/m2, ∼19%) and sprint (95% CI = 0.51–1.61 kg/m2, ∼11% and 0.96–1.97 kg/m2, ∼15%) athletes than in endurance and controls, respectively (all P < 0.001). In masters athletes, only strength athletes had greater ALMI than endurance athletes, but both older strength and sprint athletes had greater ALMI than older controls (0.42–1.27 kg/m2, ∼9% and 0.73–1.67 kg/m2, ∼13%, respectively, both P < 0.001). Fat mass was significantly lower in sprint and endurance athletes compared to strength athletes and controls in both age-groups. Sarcopenic obesity was identified in one young (2%) and eighteen (19%) older controls, while only two older endurance athletes (3%) and one older strength athlete (2%) were identified.DiscussionLifelong competitive sport participation leads to lower prevalence of sarcopenic obesity than a recreationally active lifestyle. This is achieved in strength athletes by emphasizing muscle mass, while sprint and endurance athletes demonstrate low fat mass levels. However, all older athlete groups showed higher fat mass than the young groups, suggesting that exercise alone may not be sufficient to manage fat mass.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fspor.2023.1295906/fullmuscleageingexerciseresistance trainingfat masslean mass |
| spellingShingle | Simon Walker Mikaela von Bonsdorff Mikaela von Bonsdorff Sulin Cheng Sulin Cheng Keijo Häkkinen Dmitriy Bondarev Ari Heinonen Marko T. Korhonen Body composition in male lifelong trained strength, sprint and endurance athletes and healthy age-matched controls Frontiers in Sports and Active Living muscle ageing exercise resistance training fat mass lean mass |
| title | Body composition in male lifelong trained strength, sprint and endurance athletes and healthy age-matched controls |
| title_full | Body composition in male lifelong trained strength, sprint and endurance athletes and healthy age-matched controls |
| title_fullStr | Body composition in male lifelong trained strength, sprint and endurance athletes and healthy age-matched controls |
| title_full_unstemmed | Body composition in male lifelong trained strength, sprint and endurance athletes and healthy age-matched controls |
| title_short | Body composition in male lifelong trained strength, sprint and endurance athletes and healthy age-matched controls |
| title_sort | body composition in male lifelong trained strength sprint and endurance athletes and healthy age matched controls |
| topic | muscle ageing exercise resistance training fat mass lean mass |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fspor.2023.1295906/full |
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