Bone mineral density of young boy soccer players at different pubertal stages: Relationships with hormonal concentration

Abstract

To examine the effects of soccer in relation with the hormonal concentration, on the bone mass of young Tunisian players at different pubertal stages.

Methods Two groups of 152 young boys (age: 13.3 ± 0.9 years) participated in this study: (1) 91 soccer players, and (2) 61 non-athletic boys used as control subjects. The bone mineral density (BMD) and the bone mineral content (BMC) were measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA). Pubertal stages were assessed, and serum concentrations of insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1), insulin-like growth factor binding protein-3 (IGFBP-3), growth hormone (GH) and the total testosterone were measured.

Results