High intensity activities in young women: site specific bone mass effects among female figure skaters

We compared young female figure skaters, aged 10-23, with non-athletic control subjects to ascertain whether there were differences in skeletal densities at various sites. We also compared other characteristics of body size, including height, weight and percent body fat. Although the skaters were thinner and significantly more likely to have oligo- or amenorrhea, they had similar skeletal densities at upper body sites (spine, arms, ribs) and significantly greater densities in the pelvis and legs. These differences were not evident until the mid-teens, however, suggesting that there is little likelihood of selection bias as the cause of the observed differences.