A altura de membros inferiores, altura tronco-cefálica e suas razões estão relacionados com a adiposidade central e o estado nutricional em adolescentes esportistas?

Abstract

The use of leg length (LL) and trunk length (TL) anthropometric measurements has proven to be a useful strategy to evaluate prior nutritional status, which relates to the risk of developing chronic diseases in adulthood. The TL is affected by genetic environmental conditions and nutritional factors. When the trunk is bigger than the legs, it characterizes a nutritional impairment in prepubescent and adolescent age. LL is a more sensitive indicator of exposure to socio-economic, nutritional and environmental unfavorable conditions during early childhood. Relative short legs and short stature - due to the short legs - can increase the risk for overweight, coronary heart disease and diabetes in adolescence and adulthood. The aim of this study was to determine whether the LL and TL and its ratio are related to central adiposity and current nutritional status of adolescent athletes, according to the biological maturation. The study included 555 adolescents, 268 females (48%). The adolescents were classified by maturation trough Mirwald protocol (2002). All the girls were already mature. Anthropometric measurements (weight, height, and sitting-height) were performed according to a validated protocol. LL was determined by subtracting the sitting-height from the height. The nutritional status was determined by the BMI to age Z-score, according to the gender. For all adolescents of both genders, the classification of abdominal adiposity was determined by the waist to height ratio (W:H) ≥ 0.5, indicating cardiovascular risk. Among all adolescents, 11% and 7.5% had short LL and TL, respectively, with only one adolescent in this group presenting with central adiposity. Regarding biological maturation, all female adolescents were mature while among the male ones, 122 (42,5%) were mature. Among adolescent females, 32% were overweight (BMI to age Z-score percentile ≥ 85) and 20% presented with cardiovascular risk. The WC correlated slightly with TL (r = 0.259, p = 0.001), TL:H (r = 0.212, p = 0.001), LL:TL (r = -0.221, p = 0.001) and LL:H (r = -0.218, p = 0.001) and W:H showed negatives correlations with LL (r = -0.165, p = 0.007) and LL:TL (r = - 0.271, p = 0.001). Among the male adolescents, 33% were classified as overweight, 16% had cardiovascular risk (W:H ≥ 0.5). The immature male adolescents showed negative correlations between the W:H and LL (r = - 0.194, p = 0.012), LL:TL (r = - 0.235, p = 0.002) and LL:H (r = - 0.176, p = 0.024); the mature ones showed only between W:H and LL (r = - 0.232, p = 0.010 ), however those were weak correlations. The results showed that, despite the daily exercise practice, some adolescents were classified as overweight and presented with cardiovascular risk. The height s components ratios rather than the isolated components had greater correlation despite weak ones - with obesity indicators and central adiposity