COMPARISON OF NUTRITIONAL STATUS, ANTHROPOMETRIC FEATURES AND BONE MINERAL DENSITY MEASUREMENTS IN ADOLESCENT WRESTLERS AND APPRENTICE JOCKEYS

The aim of this study is to investigate the relationship between bone mineral density and nutritional status in adolescent apprentice jockeys and wrestlers. The study included a total of 54 athletes, consisting of 31 apprentice jockeys and 23 wrestlers. More ever, in the evaluation of the study 7 apprentice jockeys and 5 wrestlers whose weight averages were between the 25th and 75th percentiles were also evaluated. All athletes that participated in the study got their bone mineral density measured by Dual Energy X-ray Absorptiometry (DEXA) method, and also got their 7-day food and fluid intake recorded. Based on overall evaluation, apprentice jockeys were found to have lower total-body bone mineral density (1.013±0.99) than wrestlers (1.352±0.121). However, the BMI (kg/m2) and mean age of the athletes whose weights are between the 25th and 75th percentile were found to be similar, and the BMD (1.226±0.084) values of the wrestlers in this group were also higher than the apprentice jockeys (1.062±0.037) (p= 0.007). Food and fluid intake comparisons showed that apprentice jockeys had higher energy intake (kcal/kg), CHO intake (g/kg) and water intake (ml/kg) compared to wrestlers. Statistical analysis revealed a positive correlation between calcium and phosphorus intake and bone mineral density measurements (p < 0.05). It has been determined that the BMD values of the wrestlers are higher than the apprentice jockeys, whether they have similar BMI and average age or not. Wrestlers resort to less weight loss practices and less food restriction, and engage in higher-intensity exercise, which may be associated with higher bone mineral density.