Body Composition and Bone Mineral Density of Division 1 Collegiate Football Players: A Consortium of College Athlete Research Study

Abstract

The purpose of the present study was to generate normative data for total and regional body composition in Division 1 collegiate football players using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) and examine positional differences in total and regional measurements. Data was used from the Consortium of College Athlete Research (C-CAR) group. Four hundred-sixty-seven players were included in this study. Height, weight, total and regional fat mass, lean mass and bone mineral density were measured in each athlete in the preseason (June–August). Players were categorized by their offensive or defensive position for comparisons. Linemen tended to have the higher fat and lean mass measures (p<0.05 for all) compared to other positions. Positions that mirror each other (ex. Linemen) had similar body composition and body ratios. All positions were classified as overweight or obese based on BMI (>25 kg/m2), yet other than offensive and defensive linemen, all positions had healthy percent body fat (13–20%) and low visceral fat mass (<500 g). The data presented here provide normative positional data for total and regional fat mass, lean mass, and bone density in Division 1 collegiate football players. Player position had a significant effect on body composition measures and is likely associated with on-field positional requirements. From a player health perspective, even though all positions had relatively high BMI values, the majority of positions had relatively low body fat and visceral fat, which is important for the health of players during and after their playing career. The increased accuracy and reliability of DXA provides greater information regarding positional differences in college football players compared to other methods.

Total and Regional Body Composition of NCAA Division I Collegiate Baseball Athletes

“…vances in DXA technology allow for quantification of visceral adipose tissue (VAT)-fat mass located within the abdominal region, with higher amounts associated with a greater cardiometabolic disease risk [4][5][6]. While previous studies have examined VAT in both professional and collegiate football players and normal weight young adults [2,7,8], no studies to date have reported VAT mass for baseball players.…”

“…To date, no studies have examined baseball players' VAT mass. Notably, previous studies have only examined VAT mass in professional [7] and collegiate football players [2] and in young adults [8,24]. In a previous study [24] conducted in males and females aged 19-47 years, VAT mass was shown to significantly increase once individuals reached a particular percent body fat threshold.…”

“…Because DXA allows for accurate regional body composition assessments [1][2][3], the effect of sport and position on compositional differences between throwing and non-throwing arms can be evaluated. To date, no studies have compared throwing and nonthrowing arm composition in baseball players.…”

“…Body composition assessment in athletic populations is important in the evaluation of athletes' health and sport-specific performance. Recently, dual X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) has been used within the athletic setting to examine total body composition changes in response to training and nutritional interventions [1] and to compare body composition across sports or positions within the same sport [2]. DXA also allows for accurate assessment of an athlete's total and regional (i. e., arms, legs, trunk) body composition (i. e., lean mass, fat mass, bone mineral density) [3].…”

Body Composition and Visceral Adipose Tissue in Female Collegiate Equestrian Athletes

“…Higher amounts of VAT have been associated with greater cardiometabolic disease risk [3,8,20]. Whereas previous studies have examined VAT in professional and collegiate football players [2,6] and normal weight young adults [5], no studies to date have examined VAT mass in female athletes or, specifically, female equestrian athletes.…”