COMPARISON OF BONE PARAMETERS BY BODY REGION IN UNIVERSITY ATHLETES: SYSTEMATIC REVIEW

• Published in: Revista brasileira de medicina do esporte 2021-12, Vol.27 (6), p.627-636
• Main Authors: Moraes, Mikael Seabra, Martins, Priscila Custódio, Silva, Diego Augusto Santos
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: PHYSIOLOGY; SPORT SCIENCES
• ISSN: 1517-8692; 1806-9940; 1806-9940
• DOI: 10.1590/1517-8692202127062020_0051

ABSTRACT Introduction: Bone mineral density (BMD) and bone mineral content (BMC) vary depending on the type of sport practiced and the body region, and their measurement can be an effective way to predict health risks throughout an athlete’s life. Objective: To describe the methodological aspects (measurement of bone parameters, body regions, precision errors and covariates) and to compare BMD and BMC by body region (total body, upper limbs, lower limbs and trunk) among university athletes practicing different sports. Methods: A search was performed on the databases PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, ScienceDirect, EBSCOhost, SportDiscus, LILACS and SciELO. Studies were selected that: (1) compared BMD and BMC of athletes practicing at least two different sports (2) used dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) to assess bone parameters (3) focused on university athletes. The extracted data were: place of study, participant selection, participants’ sex, sport practiced, type of study, bone parameters, DXA model, software used, scan and body regions, precision error, precision protocol, covariates and comparison of bone parameters between different sports by body region. Results: The main results were: 1) BMD is the most investigated bone parameter; 2) total body, lumbar spine and proximal femur (mainly femoral neck) are the most studied body regions; 3) although not recommended, the coefficient of variation is the main indicator of precision error; 4) total body mass and height are the most commonly used covariates; 5) swimmers and runners have lower BMD and BMC values; and 6) it is speculated that basketball players and gymnasts have greater osteogenic potential. Conclusions: Swimmers and runners should include weight-bearing exercises in their training routines. In addition to body mass and height, other covariates are important. The results of this review can help guide intervention strategies focused on preventing diseases and health problems during and after the athletic career. Level of evidence II; Systematic Review. RESUMEN Introducción: La densidad mineral ósea (DMO) y el contenido mineral óseo (CMO) varían en función del deporte practicado y de la región corporal, y su medición puede ser una forma efectiva de predecir los riesgos para la salud a lo largo de la vida de un atleta. Objetivo: Describir los aspectos metodológicos (medición de parámetros óseos, regiones corporales, errores de precisión y covariables) y comparar la DMO y el CMO por región cor