Nutritional Status and Body Composition of Young Artistic Gymnasts From Bulgaria

Kolimechkov, Stefan; Yanev, Iliya; Kiuchukov, Iliya; Petrov, Lubomir; Alexandrova, Albena; Zaykova, Dilyana; Stoimenov, Emil; Levski, Vassil

doi:10.37393/jass.2019.01.4

Cited by 4 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 22 publications

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“…Moreover, the mean percentile scores (PRs) of height and %Fat in the gymnasts were also lower than the 50 th percentile of the WHO norms for children at the same age and from the same gender. However, such lower mean values are within the published results in children engaged in gymnastics [6,21,25,31,34]. Although gymnasts are shorter on average and their height-for-age progressively decreases as the age increases [7,25], review on the role of training on the growth of the gymnasts concluded that adult height of artistic gymnasts of both genders is not compromised by intensive gymnastics training at a young age or during the pubertal growth spurt [39].Thus, artistic gymnastics plays an unique role as a sport which provides opportunities for those with smaller body sizes in a world where many sports are biased in favour of tall or big athletes [54].…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 83%

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2021

IJAEP

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Artistic gymnastics requires the performance of a variety of technical elements on different apparatuses where gymnasts have to overcome their body mass. Maintaining optimal health and a good level of physical fitness is crucial in order to successfully perform the routines. The aim of this study was to assess health and physical fitness related biomarkers in young gymnasts, whilst estimating the benefits of regular gymnastics practice at primary school ages. The study included 90 children, 49 of whom (mean age 9.5 years) were practising artistic gymnastics for at least 2 years with an average of 6 hours per week, and a control group of 41 children (mean age 8.9 years). The participants completed the Alpha-Fit physical fitness test battery (BMI, %Fat, handgrip strength, standing long jump, 4x10m shuttle run test and 20m multistage fitness test). Percentile scores were calculated for the results of each test. The height, body mass, BMI, and %Fat of the male and female gymnasts were significantly lower than those of the control groups (p<0.001, with very large effect size d>1.20). All gymnasts had their body fat within the norms. The results from the standing long jump test, 4x10m shuttle run test, as well as the 20m shuttle run test, were significantly greater in favour of the gymnasts in comparison to the control groups for both genders (p<0.001, d>1.20). These findings show that practising artistic gymnastics has a positive impact on the health-related biomarkers of children's physical fitness, and it contributes to sustaining a normal health status.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 83%

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2021

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“…The food frequency questionnaire (FFQ), which was used in other nutritional surveys on gymnasts 38,39 was applied in this study in order to assess the nutrient intake of the rhythmic gymnasts. This questionnaire consists of questions relating to the weekly consumption of different types of food, in addition to questions about the physical activity and height and weight of the gymnasts.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Nutrition and body composition of elite rhythmic gymnasts from Bulgaria

Miteva

Yanev

Kolimechkov

et al. 2019

International Journal of Sports Science & Coaching

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Rhythmic gymnastics is a sport in which special consideration is given to diet and body appearance. The purpose of this study was to assess the nutrient intake and body composition of elite rhythmic gymnasts in comparison with guidelines for female gymnasts. Twenty-one elite rhythmic gymnasts from Bulgaria were divided into three groups: First National Team, mean age 24.2; Second National Team, mean age 17.8; and Junior National Team, mean age 12.6. Body fat and muscle mass were estimated by skinfold methods, and a food frequency questionnaire was applied to assess the nutrient intake. The gymnasts showed low per cent of body fat (13.9% for the First National Team, 17.0% for the Second National Team, and 15.6% for the Junior National Team) and high per cent muscle mass (44.0, 40.5, and 37.6%, respectively). They kept their weight close to the ideal one, as recommended by the coaches, and the following equation best corresponded to the recommended ideal weight: height (cm) − 118. The energy intake was lower than the calculated energy requirements, in addition to low intake of fat and carbohydrates. The relative protein intake was 1.7 g/kg for the First National Team, 1.7 g/kg for the Second National Team, and 1.9 g/kg for Junior National Team, and the energy contribution of proteins was higher than the recommended 15%. Rhythmic gymnasts should be encouraged to maintain their ideal weight without great variance from the health-related guidelines, and coaches should consider not only the body image, but also the norms relating to body composition in women when determining ideal weight.

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“…The food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) [48,49], which was applied in this study to assess the nutrition of the swimmers, included questions about the weekly use of basic food products and questions about the age, sports experience, and number of training sessions per week. The composition and energy value of different groups of food were calculated based on the USDA National Nutrient Database -Release 28 [50].…”

Section: Nutritional Assessmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effect of glutathione supplementation on swimmers’ performance

Petrov¹,

Alexandrova²,

Kachaunov³

et al. 2021

ppcs

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Background and Study Aim. Continuously increasing the volume and intensity of the training sessions often leads to overtraining. It has been demonstrated that glutathione supplementation might improve the aerobic metabolism in skeletal muscle and reduce exercise-induced muscle fatigue. The aim of the study was to assess the effect of glutathione supplementation on fatigue, recovery processes, and competitive results of elite swimmers during a six-week training period. Material and Methods. Twenty-four elite swimmers (10 women and 14 men) from the Bulgarian national swimming team, with a mean age of 18.7±3.78 years, took part in this double-blind placebo control study. The swimmers from the experimental group were supplemented once a day with a capsule of 250mg glutathione, whilst the swimmers from the control group took a placebo once a day. The urine concentration levels of cortisol and cortisone, as well as the degree of overtraining, were evaluated on the 1st(T1), 14th(T2), 28th(T3), and 42nd(T4) days. Anthropometric measurements and a nutritional assessment were performed at T1 and T4. Results. The swimmers showed a gradual decrease of cortisol and cortisone during the study, with significantly lower concentrations in the experimental vs the control group at T4 (19.4 vs 42.5 ng/mL, p < 0.05). At the end of the study, the swimmers from the experimental group showed improvements in their time in 41 out of the 43 swimming events, whilst those from the control group had significantly smaller improvements (-1.66 vs -0.97%, p < 0.05). Conclusions. In conclusion, glutathione supplementation at a dose of 250mg/day for six weeks improves the adaptation of elite swimmers towards training schedules, which is likely to lead to better sports results.

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Nutritional Status and Body Composition of Young Artistic Gymnasts From Bulgaria

Cited by 4 publications

References 22 publications

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Nutrition and body composition of elite rhythmic gymnasts from Bulgaria

Effect of glutathione supplementation on swimmers’ performance

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