Abstract
The aim of the present study was to determine the level of morphological asymmetry among the general population of Polish youth as it correlates to sex and body type. The anthropometric characteristics of a group of 618 Polish youths (354 males aged 19.5 ± 1.2 years and 264 females aged 19.2 ± 1.2 years) were evaluated to assess their somatotypes using the Heath–Carter method. Body composition was calculated using the bioelectrical impedance method, and the absolute asymmetry index was used for comparisons between the right and left sides of the body. Significant differentiation was observed between all morphological characteristics (≤ 0.0001) and two body types (≤ 0.0001) among sexes. Females and males largely exhibited endomorphic and mesomorphic somatotypes, respectively. The findings demonstrated that dominant somatotype and sex both affect the level of fat mass asymmetry in the arms and legs. Furthermore, significant variations in the levels of asymmetry between sexes were observed in fat mass in both the arms and legs, with greater variation observed in the arms. In the case of muscle mass, no great differences were observed between men, women, or body types. This study provides new data on the morphological asymmetry of given body composition according to somatotype and sex. This study has potential medical implications, given that a large degree of inter-limb imbalance could be shown to have a negative effect on health; the findings of the present study would therefore be important for arriving at an understanding of how to prevent such imbalances, or to mitigate their negative effects.
Highlights
The human body varies in size according to many factors and can be described based on its size, proportion, somatotype and composition [1]
Morphological asymmetry level of Polish youth may be more prevalent in specific body segments; examples include the length of upper limb favoring the right side, and asymmetry in the lower limbs favoring the left side [3]
The purpose of the study was to determine the level of morphological asymmetry in the general population of Polish youth with regard to sex and body type
Summary
The human body varies in size according to many factors (e.g., sex, age, climate and physical activity level) and can be described based on its size (e.g., body height and mass), proportion, somatotype and composition (e.g., muscle mass and body fat) [1]. Those differences can relate to levels of asymmetry in morphological traits. Minor limb asymmetry is common and more noticeable in the upper limbs than in the lower limbs [4, 5]. Right-handed individuals have larger dimensions on their right side, whereas left-handed people have larger dimensions on their left side [6]
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