Key result
Indexing left ventricular mass to fat-free mass or body cell mass in young athletes delayed the apparent onset of sex-based cardiac differences from 13 to 14 or 15 years of age (p<0.05).
Cross-Sectional (n=220)
p-value: p=<0.05
Indexing left ventricular parameters to metabolically active mass (fat-free mass or body cell mass) rather than body surface area delays the apparent onset of sex-based cardiac differences in young athletes until after puberty.
Indexing LV mass to fat-free mass may delay detected sex differences in youth; hypothesis-generating for refined pediatric norms.
Competitive sports induce gradual cardiac adaptations in young athletes. During growth, changes occur in their body composition. The purpose of this study is to provide the left ventricular parameters indexed for body composition during young athletes’ growth 220 young athletes (110 females and 110 males) aged from 8 to 19 years old were enrolled. An accurate body composition analysis and echocardiography were performed. The left ventricular parameters were then indexed to the body surface area formula with the data related to body composition (fat-free mass and body cellular mass). The left ventricular and body composition parameters increased continuously during growth and no differences between the sexes were found before puberty. Higher fat mass was found in females from 12 years old (Fat Mass Index: Female = 4.8 ± 1.8 kg/m2, Male = 3.6 ± 0.9 kg/m2; p< 0.05). Cardiac differences started at 13 years old, with a greater left ventricular mass in males (Female = 110.9 ± 20.2 g, Male = 128.7 ± 23.7 g; p< 0.05). The indexing of the left ventricle to the body composition parameters increased the age of onset of these cardiological differences to 14 years old with fat-free mass (Female = 91.8 ± 18.7 g/m2, Male = 105.0 ± 19.5 g/m2; p< 0.05), or to 15 years old with body cell mass (Female = 124.3 ± 17.9 g/m2, Male = 145.8 ± 28.5 g/m2; p< 0.05). Differences between the sexes appear to start after puberty. The above indexing was used in order to normalize the differences between the sexes according to body composition. This study reports the reference values for age and gender of the left ventricular parameters indexed for metabolically active mass.
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Mascherini et al. (2018) conducted a cross-sectional in Young athletes (n=220). Male sex vs. Female sex was evaluated on Left ventricular mass indexed to body composition (fat-free mass and body cell mass) (p=<0.05). Indexing left ventricular mass to fat-free mass or body cell mass in young athletes delayed the apparent onset of sex-based cardiac differences from 13 to 14 or 15 years of age (p<0.05).
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