Evaluating the Associations Between Energy Availability, Eating Attitudes, and Bone Strength in Young Endurance-Trained Individuals
SASSI-funded student in charge of the project: Ada Sevinc, Master’s student
Supervisor: Dr. Jenna Gibbs
Project status: Underway
Project summary: Endurance athletes are at a greater risk of low energy availability due to a high volume of training, elevated nutritional demands, and a higher prevalence of disordered eating. Low energy availability can lead to impaired bone health, decreased bone mineral density, and overall decreases in bone strength. There are few studies that have examined the interactions between energy availability, eating attitudes, and bone health in endurance-trained individuals with even less known about sex differences. The objective of this project was to evaluate these factors between male and female endurance trained individuals. We recruited 43 healthy males and females aged 18-35 years who participated on a competitive endurance sports team and/or in regular weight-bearing endurance exercise (≥180 minutes/week in past 6 months). We used accelerometers to determine physical activity levels; treadmill testing to measure maximal aerobic capacity; peripheral quantitative computed tomography to measure volumetric bone mineral density and area, and stress-strain index in the tibia; dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry to determine whole body composition and areal BMD at the total hip, spine, and femoral neck; three subscales from EDI-3 to assess eating attitudes. We found that male participants had greater bone mineral density, greater total area, greater stress-strain index, and greater cortical area compared to the female participants. Energy availability was negatively associated with trabecular thickness and stress strain index. However, when the results were adjusted for age, sex, and BMI, the results did not remain significant. There were no significant eating attitude or energy availability differences between the sexes. These findings indicate that field-based energy availability measures may lack the sensitivity to identify associations between energy availability, eating attitudes and bone strength among male and female endurance athletes. Future studies with longer-term assessments of energy availability are needed to confirm these associations between energy availability, eating attitudes, and measures of bone strength, and potential sex differences.
Relevance to Sports Science:
“This project provides knowledge on the interrelationship between energy availability, eating attitudes, and bone strength in endurance-trained individuals, and describes potential sex-differences in these associations. The results from this project can inform exercise and nutritional interventions aimed to improve bone strength and reduce the risk of bone stress injuries in endurance athletes by enhancing our understanding of the physiological and behavioural determinants of bone strength at the tibia.”
Conference Presentations:
Sevinc A, Levee J, Amato A, Gardy S, Churchward-Venne TA, Reed JL, Gibbs JC. Evaluating the associations between energy availability and bone strength in young endurance-trained individuals: A cross-sectional study protocol. Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology Annual Meeting. November 3, 2022 (Poster Presentation).
Sevinc A, Levee J, Amato A, Gibbs JC. Evaluating the associations between energy availability, bone strength and eating attitudes in young endurance-trained individuals. McGill University Rehabilitation Colloquium. May 9, 2022. (Virtual Oral Presentation)
Sevinc A, Levee J, Amato A, Gibbs JC. Evaluating the associations between energy availability, bone strength and eating attitudes in young endurance-trained individuals. McGill Minds in Motion Conference. Montreal, Quebec, Canada. March 18, 2022 (Oral Presentation)
Publications:
Sevinc A, Levee J, Amato A, Gardy S, Churchward-Venne TA, Reed JL, Gibbs JC. Evaluating the associations between energy availability and bone strength in young endurance-trained individuals: A cross-sectional study protocol. Appl Phys Nutr Metab. 47 (10 Suppl. 2) S96
Sex-Specific Effects of Fatigue on Knee Joint Muscle Activation and Kinematics during a Single-Leg Lateral Jump Landing Task
Supervisor: Dr. Julie Côté
Project status: Completed
Project summary: The goal of the project was to compare changes in muscle activation and knee joint angles during a sideways jump landing task after high-intensity exercise between the sexes. The use of a sideways jump landing in fatigue is currently novel and can provide more information on biomechanical sex differences in direction-changing in sports. Currently, a higher injury rate is shown in females. Thus, healthy male and female varsity athletes performed a sideways single-leg jump-landing task before and after high-intensity cycling. Electromyography of the quadriceps and hamstrings was measured during landing, as well as knee joint displacement. Sex differences in fatigue effects were found in quadriceps activation. Females displayed higher quadriceps activation before fatigue, but no sex differences were found after fatigue. Females also exhibited higher activation of the medial quadriceps regardless of fatigue. Finally, no sex differences were found in knee joint angles before and after fatigue. Greater quadriceps activity before fatigue in females may reflect a hindered ability to warm up the muscles for high-impact loading, which could potentially help explain females’ higher knee injury risk in sporting contexts.
Relevance to Sports Science: The project examines biomechanical parameters in high-level athletes from numerous sports and how changes with fatigue can contribute to injury mechanisms. Results of the study can contribute to the development of movement techniques and training protocols that are better suited to female athletes to reduce injury risk and improve performance, particularly during direction changing.
