Prevalence, Magnitude and Methods of Rapid Weight Loss Reported by Male Mixed Martial Arts Athletes in Ireland

Abstract

Rapid weight loss (RWL) is frequently practiced in weight category sports, including Mixed Martial Arts (MMA). The aim of the present study was to describe self-reported methods of RWL in a sample of competitive MMA athletes comprising of both amateur and professional fighters. The previously-validated Rapid Weight Loss Questionnaire, with the addition of questions on water loading and hot salt baths, was completed anonymously online by athletes (n = 30; all male, n = 15/15 professional/amateur) from MMA clubs around Dublin, Ireland. All but one (97%) of the athletes surveyed lost weight in order to compete, with the average weight loss being 7.9% ± 3.1% of habitual body mass. The RWL score (mean ± SD) for this sample was 37.9 ± 9.6, and a tendency for higher [6.0 (95%CI; −1.1, 13.1) (p = 0.093; d = 0.64)] RWL scores for professional (40.8 ± 8.9) compared to amateur (34.8 ± 9.6) athletes was observed. Frequencies of “always” or “sometimes” were reported as 90% for water loading, 76% for hot salt baths and 55% for 24 h of fasting. Fellow fighters (41%) and coaches/mentors (38%) were “very influential” on RWL practices of these athletes, with doctors (67%), dietitians (41%), and physical trainers (37%) said to be “not influential”. RWL is highly prevalent in MMA across both amateur and professional athletes, and RWL scores are higher than other combat sports. Water loading and hot salt baths are amongst the most commonly used methods of RWL despite little research on these methods for body mass reduction or effects on performance in weight category sports.

Acute Effects of Supervised Making Weight on Health Markers, Hormones and Body Composition in Muay Thai Fighters

“…We highlight the fact that there are more sensitive and specific markers to evaluate acute kidney injury than BUN and serum creatinine [ 35 ], given that recent evidence suggest that the BUN-to-creatinine ratio is not a reliable parameter for distinguishing prerenal from intrinsic acute kidney injury [ 36 ]. Our findings did not reveal negative impact on kidney health, contrary to what has been reported in participants that abuse of dehydration methods and diuretics to making weight [ 15 , 37 ], but further research is needed with more sensitive markers and long term monitoring to assess properly the impact of RWL and RWG.…”

Less Aggressive Weight Making Practices in Combat Sport When Recovery Time is Limited: Weight Loss Practices of Pencak Silat Athletes in Singapore

“…It is essential that registered dietitians are involved in this process as they are qualified to advise proper fuelling and weight loss. Similar to previous studies [1,7,9,13,19,24], registered dietitians were found to be an underutilised resource in this group of Silat athletes. Access to registered dietitians for sport-specific weight loss advice is limited as many countries lack sport dietitians.…”

“…Further investigation is necessary to discern this. The overall RWLS score of 27.7 ± 8.7 in this group was observed to be lower than Irish MMA fighters (37.9 ± 9.6) [9], Malaysian combat athletes (karate, boxing, taekwondo) (34.7 ± 7.3) [28], Australian combat athletes (boxing, judo, taekwondo, wrestling) (30.6 ± 10.8) [24] and European kickboxers (52.4 ± 12.9) [13]. Although a higher RWLS is indicative of more aggressive weight management, one limitation of the questionnaire is that a linear relationship cannot be assumed between the score and the degree of harm [2].…”

“…Although a higher RWLS is indicative of more aggressive weight management, one limitation of the questionnaire is that a linear relationship cannot be assumed between the score and the degree of harm [2]. Cut off scores to indicate the It is notable that in the entire sample of 102 Silat athletes, only 24.5% engaged in pre-competition weight loss compared to the > 90% prevalence reported in other combat sports [9,13,19,28]. Remarkably, only 4% of the current sample engaged in acute weight loss compared to 30% reported by Park et al [19].…”

“…The questionnaire used in this study was previously validated by Artioli et al [2] and had demonstrated good stability, reliability and validity to accurately assess weight loss patterns in judo athletes using a Rapid Weight Loss Score (RWLS). This questionnaire has been modified to investigate weight loss in several other combat sports [5,7,9,11,13,24,28]. The higher the RWLS, the more aggressive and harmful the respondents weight management behaviours are.…”