Effect of different sports activities on body composition in pubescent girls

Introduction: The purpose of the study was to determine the effects of different sports on body fat and lean body mass in pubescent girls. Material and Methods: The sample of 40 girls (12 ± 1.2 years of age) were divided into 4 groups: 10 volleyball players, 10 basketball players, 10 swimmers, and 10 girls formed the control group. Body height was measured using portable stadiometer. We used InBody 230 to measure body mass, body mass index, fat mass, lean mass, visceral fat, and sum of skeletal muscles. The measured variables were evaluated using the Body-vision program and Statistica 12.0 cz. For normal distribution we used Shapiro-Wilk normality test. The differences between the groups were determined by Kruskal-Wallis test, p<0.05. Results: We found statistically significant differences in fat mass between the groups of swimmers and the control in the body fat (10.62%; p= 0.033) and fat mass in upper limbs (1.42 kg; p= 0.027). Statistically significant difference was found between the group of swimmers and volleyball players in the lower limbs fat mass (2.43 kg; p= 0.045). Furthermore, statistically significant difference in lean mass was found between the volleyball players and the control in the weight of the lower limbs muscle mass (3.59 kg; p= 0.047). Conclusions: Our findings show that sports such as volleyball, basketball, and swimming provide appropriate development of lean mass in pubescent girls. We may conclude that pubertal girls practicing sports have lower body fat mass and higher lean body mass compared to youth who do not practice sports.