Former elite combat sports athletes who practiced rapid weight loss during their careers had a significantly higher prevalence of metabolic syndrome compared to athletes who did not (39.5% vs. 16.2%).
Case-Control (n=150)
No
Does a history of rapid weight loss during a sports career increase the prevalence of metabolic syndrome in former elite combat sports athletes?
Former elite combat sports athletes who practiced rapid weight loss during their careers have a significantly higher prevalence of metabolic syndrome and impaired glucose tolerance compared to athletes who did not.
Absolute Event Rate: 39.5% vs 16.2%
p-value: p=0.002
BACKGROUND: In terms of the potential influence of rapid weight loss (RWL) on the metabolic health of former combat sports athletes (CSA), the scientific literature is quite scarce. Therefore, the objective of the presented research was to determine the differences in metabolic syndrome (MetS) parameters and the prevalence of MetS between former athletes who performed RWL and athletes who did not. METHODS: The sample of the presented study comprised 150 participants from Serbia, equally divided into two groups: 75 former athletes who had practiced combat sports and 75 ex-athletes of various other sports who did not practice RWL during their careers. The following parameters related to the MetS were evaluated: waist circumference, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, fasting glucose, and triglycerides. The oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) was used to assess the participant's body response to sugar. RESULTS: The RWL group had significantly higher both systolic (p < 0.001) and diastolic blood pressure (p < 0.001) compared to the group of athletes who did not practice weight reduction during their careers. Additionally, a tendency toward statistically significant differences between groups was recorded in the variable triglycerides (p = 0.069). Regarding OGTT, increased values of fasting blood glucose at the final measurement were revealed only in the RWL group (p = 0.003). The prevalence of MetS was substantially higher in CSA than in the control group (39.5% vs. 16.2%, respectively p = 0.002). CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests that former elite CSA who used RWL during their sports career are susceptible to negative metabolic alterations at the end of their competitive period.
Maksimovic et al. (Mon,) conducted a case-control in Metabolic Syndrome (n=150). Rapid weight loss (RWL) during sports career vs. Former athletes from other sports who did not practice RWL was evaluated on Prevalence of Metabolic Syndrome (p=0.002). Former elite combat sports athletes who practiced rapid weight loss during their careers had a significantly higher prevalence of metabolic syndrome compared to athletes who did not (39.5% vs. 16.2%).