When stature and FM are used for indexing LVM in a sample of adolescent athletes, biological maturity status should also be considered.

Stature, FM and FFM are the best combination for normalizing LVM in adolescent boys; when body composition is not available, an indicator of biological maturity should be included with stature.

No abstract

Background: The aim of the study was to examine the contribution of chronological age (CA), skeletal maturation, training experience and concurrent body size descriptors, to inter-individual variance in left ventricular mass (LVM) among female adolescent soccer players. Methods: The sample included 228 female soccer players 11.8-17.1 years. Training experience defined as years of participation in competitive soccer (range 2-9 years), was obtained by interview. Stature, body mass and skinfolds (triceps, medial calf) were measured. Fat mass was estimated; Fat-free mass was derived. LVM was assessed by echocardiography. Skeletal maturity status was as the difference of skeletal age (SA, Fels method) minus CA. Results: Fat-free mass was the most prominent single predictor of LVM (R 2 = 36.6%). It was associated with an allometric coefficient close to linearity (k = 0.924, 95%CI: 0.737 to 1.112). A significant multiplicative allometric model including body mass, fat-free mass, CA, training experience and skeletal maturity status was also obtained (R = 0.684; R 2 = 46.2%). Conclusion: Stature has limitations as a valid size descriptor of LVM. Body mass, fat-free mass, training experience, CA, body mass and skeletal maturity status were relevant factors contributing to inter-individual variability in LVM.