Abstract
PURPOSE: The purpose of the study was to examine the relationship and comparisons of athletic amenorrhea and body composition in adolescent, cross-country runners. SUBJECTS: Twenty-eight female adolescent cross-country runners (Mean Age ± SD = 15.0 ± 1.3 years); consisting of seventeen eumenorrheics & eleven amenorrheics. Design: The design consisted of a six-month longitudinal design in which the subjects were measured before and after cross-country season for height, weight, and lean tissue (LT), body fat (BF), bone mineral content (BMC), and bone mineral density (BMD) using whole-body scan densitiometry with a Lunar Dual-energy X-ray Absorptiometer (DXA). Statistical analyses consisted of paired t-tests to measure seasonal body composition changes, multivariate analysis (MANOVA & MANCOVA) to investigate the subgroup differences of variables, and simple linear regression to determine the best body composition predictor variable for BMD. RESULTS: The eumenorrheic subgroup's BMD was significantly greater than the amenorrheic subgroup's BMD (F(1,54) = 16.22, p<.05, partial η2 = .231). The eumenorrheic subgroup's bodyweight (F(1,54) = 7.65, p<.05, partial $eta;2 = .124), BF (F(1,54)= 8.56, p<.05, partial η2 = .137), and BMC (F(1,54) = 8.52, p<.05, partial η2 = .136) were significantly greater than the amenorrheic subgroup. There was also a significant seasonal increase in BMD (t(27) = −4.01, p < .05) for the overall group. Bodyweight was the body composition component that best predicted BMD (F(1,26) = 46.434, p<.05, R2=.641). CONCLUSIONS: Athletic amenorrhea was highly associated with lower levels of BMD in adolescent, cross-country runners. Athletic amenorrhea was also highly associated with lower levels of bodyweight, BF, and BMC in adolescent cross-country runners. Finally, cross-country running was highly associated with increased BMD in adolescent athletes. Implications: The long-term implication of the study is that subjects with lower levels of BMD may be at a greater risk of osteoporosis. Recommendations: Educate and instruct runners to utilize proper training methods so the healthful benefits of crosscountry running, as well as improved performance, are obtained.
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