Faculty of Health, Welfare and Organisation, Østfold University College, Fredrikstad, Norway
School of Human Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Perth, Western Australia, Australia.
Br J Sports Med. 2023 Sep;57(17):1148-1158. doi: 10.1136/bjsports-2023-106812.
The assessment of body composition (BC) in sport raises concern for athlete health, especially where an overfocus on being lighter or leaner increases the risk of Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport (REDs) and disordered eating.
We undertook a critical review of the effect of BC on performance (29 longitudinal, prospective or intervention studies) and explored current practice related to BC considerations via a follow-up to a 2013 internationally distributed survey.
The review found that a higher level of body fat was negatively associated with endurance performance, while a gain in muscle mass resulted in performance benefits across sports. BC did not contribute to early talent identification, and no unique cut-off to signify a performance advantage for BC was identified. BC appears to be one of an array of variables impacting performance, and its influence should not be overstated. The survey (125 practitioners, 61 sports and 26 countries) showed subtle changes in BC considerations over time, such as an increased role for sport dietitian/nutrition practitioners as BC measurers (2013: 54%, 2022: 78%); less emphasis on reporting of body fat percentage (2013: 68%, 2022: 46%) and reduced frequency of BC assessment if ≥every fourth week (2013: 18%, 2022: 5%). Respondents remained concerned about a problematic focus on BC (2013: 69%, 2022: 78%). To address these findings, we provide detailed recommendations for BC considerations, including an overview of preferable BC methodology.
The 'best practice' guidelines stress the importance of a multidisciplinary athlete health and performance team, and the treatment of BC data as confidential medical information. The guidelines provide a health focus around BC, aiming to reduce the associated burden of disordered eating, problematic low energy availability and REDs.
在运动中评估身体成分（BC）引起了人们对运动员健康的关注，尤其是当过于关注体重变轻或更瘦时，会增加运动相关的能量不足（REDs）和饮食紊乱的风险。
我们对 BC 对运动表现的影响进行了批判性评估（29 项纵向、前瞻性或干预性研究），并通过对 2013 年国际分布的调查进行后续调查，探讨了当前与 BC 考虑相关的实践。
该综述发现，体脂水平较高与耐力表现呈负相关，而肌肉质量的增加则使各种运动的表现受益。BC 不能促进早期人才选拔，也没有确定独特的临界点来表示 BC 的表现优势。BC 似乎是影响表现的一系列变量之一，其影响不应被夸大。该调查（125 名从业者、61 项运动和 26 个国家）显示，随着时间的推移，BC 考虑因素发生了微妙的变化，例如，运动营养师/营养从业者在 BC 测量中的作用增加（2013 年：54%，2022 年：78%）；较少强调报告体脂百分比（2013 年：68%，2022 年：46%），如果每四周评估一次 BC（2013 年：18%，2022 年：5%）则频率降低。受访者仍然对 BC 的问题关注表示担忧（2013 年：69%，2022 年：78%）。为了解决这些发现，我们提供了详细的 BC 考虑建议，包括对首选 BC 方法的概述。
“最佳实践”指南强调了多学科运动员健康和表现团队的重要性，并将 BC 数据视为机密医疗信息。该指南围绕 BC 提供了健康重点，旨在减少与饮食紊乱、能量不足和 REDs 相关的负担。
