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Decrease in body fat during an ultra-endurance triathlon is associated with race intensity.

B Knechtle1, B Knechtlet, M Schwanke

  • 1Gesundheitszentrum St. Gallen, Vadianstr. 26, St. Gallen 9001, Switzerland. beat.knechtle@hispeed.ch

British Journal of Sports Medicine
|December 1, 2007
PubMed
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Ultra-endurance triathletes experienced significant body mass and body fat reduction during a non-stop triathlon. Skeletal muscle mass remained stable, indicating fat loss is the primary driver of weight change in extreme endurance events.

Area of Science:

  • Sports Science
  • Human Physiology
  • Endurance Sports Medicine

Background:

  • Ultra-endurance events like triathlons push the human body to its limits.
  • Understanding body composition changes during such events is crucial for athlete health and performance.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To determine if adipose subcutaneous tissue or skeletal muscle mass decreased during a non-stop ultra-endurance triathlon.
  • To analyze the relationship between body composition changes and race performance.

Main Methods:

  • A descriptive field study was conducted during the Triple Iron Triathlon Germany 2006.
  • Body mass, skin-fold thicknesses, limb circumference, skeletal muscle mass, and body fat percentage were measured in 17 male triathletes before and after the race.

Related Experiment Videos

Main Results:

  • Significant decreases were observed in body mass (p<0.001), BMI (p<0.001), and body fat percentage (p<0.001).
  • Skeletal muscle mass (p>0.05) and limb circumferences (p>0.05) did not change significantly.
  • Skin-fold thicknesses decreased significantly (p<0.05), except at the chest and thigh.
  • Loss of body fat correlated with loss of body mass (r(2) = 0.55) and race intensity (r(2) = 0.24).

Conclusions:

  • Ultra-endurance triathletes experience significant reductions in body mass and body fat.
  • The decrease in body fat percentage is associated with race intensity.
  • Skeletal muscle mass is preserved during extreme endurance events, with fat loss being the primary contributor to weight reduction.