Document Type : RESEARCH PAPER
Authors
1
Department of Sport Sciences, Faculty of Human Sciences and Sport Sciences, University of Gonbadekavoos, Gonbadekavoos, Iran
2
Department of Health & Sport Rehabilitation, Faculty of Sport Science & Health, University of Shahid Beheshti, Tehran, Iran
3
Department of Sport Sciences, Kish International Campus, University of Tehran, Kish, Iran
4
Department, Faculty of Physical Education and Sport Sciences, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran
10.22038/abjs.2022.67195.3196
Abstract
Objectives: Sport is one of the best ways to prevent osteoporosis; however, not all sports have the
same impact on bones, for instance, swimming (SW) may have no effect or be harmful. Elite athletes
are the best choice to detect the effects of any sport. Thus, this study was conducted firstly to compare
the bone mineral density (BMD) and bone mineral content (BMC) of elite athletes in vol leyball (VB),
basketball (BB), and long-distance running (LR) together, and secondly to compare those
corresponding values in SW athletes with those of non-athletes (NA).
Methods: The subjects (n=58) of this cross-sectional study included elite male athletes (members of Iran's national
teams, with a minimum of 12-15 hours of training per week) and NA (control; C) who were divided into BB, VB, LR,
SW (n=12 for each), and C (n=10) groups. The DEXA scan measured the amount of BMD and BMC values in the
lumbar spine (LS; L2-L4) and proximal femur (PF; neck, trochanter, and Ward’s triangle) areas.
Results: In the LS areas, LR had significantly higher BMD than the BB, VB, SW, and C groups (P<0.001), while for
BMC, both LR and VB were significantly superior to other groups (P<0.001). Moreover, the BMD and BMC of the
PF areas of VB and BB were significantly higher than those of the LR, SW, and C groups (P<0.001). Finally, in all
areas, SW showed significantly higher BMD and BMC, compared to the C group (except for trochanter and femur
neck BMC) (P<0.05).
Conclusion: LR athletes showed the most bone acquisition in the LS areas and VB players in the PF areas, while
BB players ranked third in osteoporosis prevention in the mentioned regions. Unexpectedly, SW athletes also had
better BMD and BMC than NA; therefore, after weight-bearing sports, this type of sport can be effective in bone
acquisition.
Level of evidence: III
Keywords
Main Subjects
)