Reference values for body composition and anthropometric measurements in athletes

Area of Science:

• Sports Science
• Human Physiology
• Anthropometry

Background:

• Body composition is crucial for athletic performance, yet specific reference data are lacking.
• Existing data do not adequately cover diverse sports and sexes.
• This gap hinders accurate athlete assessment and performance optimization.

Purpose of the Study:

• To establish comprehensive sex- and sport-specific reference values for body composition.
• To provide benchmarks for anthropometric measurements in athletes.
• To support evidence-based practice in sports science and medicine.

Main Methods:

• Collected anthropometric and dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) data from 898 athletes across 21 sports.
• Calculated sex- and sport-specific percentiles (5th-95th) for various body composition and anthropometric variables.
• Employed a Bayesian framework to manage small sample sizes within specific sports.

Main Results:

• Generated sex- and sport-specific reference percentiles for bone mineral content, density, fat mass, and fat-free mass using DXA.
• Derived height-normalized indexes for key body composition metrics.
• Published reference percentiles for weight, height, BMI, skinfolds, circumferences, and muscle circumferences.

Conclusions:

• The developed reference percentiles serve as a valuable tool for sports professionals.
• Facilitates accurate body composition assessment in both clinical and field environments.
• Aids in monitoring athlete development and optimizing training strategies.