Regional distribution of bone mass in adult athletes and adult sedentary men

Abstract

Introduction The aim of this study was to explore the effects of weight-bearing physical activity practice on bone mass and regional distribution of bone mass in a group of young men. Summary of facts Fifteen young athletes (aged 23.3 ± 4.8 years) practising different kinds of sports (basketball, soccer, volleyball, and running) and 20 young sedentary men (aged 22.4 ± 5.5 years) participated in this study. Body weight and height were measured, and body mass index was calculated. Body composition (lean mass, fat mass and fat mass percentage) and bone mineral density (BMD) of the whole body (WB), the lumbar spine (L2–L4), the total hip (TH), the femoral neck (FN) and the total forearm (TF) were measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA). The ratios head BMD/WB BMD, L2–L4 BMD/WB BMD, TH BMD/WB BMD and TF BMD/WB BMD were calculated. WB BMD, L2–L4 BMD, TH BMD, FN BMD and TH BMD/WB BMD were higher in athletes compared to the controls while TF BMD, head BMD/WB BMD, L2–L4 BMD/WB BMD and TF BMD/WB BMD were not significantly different between the two groups. Conclusion This study suggests that weight-bearing physical activity has a positive influence on BMD and can also influence bone mass distribution in young men.