•Approximately 20% of the athletes were afflicted by iron deficiency.•Iron deficiency was more prevalent in females and in young athletes.•Iron deficiency was independently associated with reduced ...athletic performance.
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Iron is an important micronutrient in pathways of energy production, adequate nutrient intake and its balance is essential for optimal athletic performance. However, large studies elucidating the impact of iron deficiency on athletes’ performance are sparse.
Competitive athletes of any age who presented for preparticipation screening 04/2020–10/2021 were included in this study and stratified for iron deficiency (defined as ferritin level <20 µg/l with and without mild anemia hemoglobin levels ≥11 g/dl). Athletes with and without iron deficiency were compared and the impact of iron deficiency on athletic performance was investigated.
Overall, 1190 athletes (mean age 21.9 ± 11.6 years; 34.2% females) were included in this study. Among these, 19.7% had iron deficiency. Patients with iron deficiency were younger (18.1 ± 8.4 vs. 22.8 ± 12.1 years, P < 0.001), more often females (64.5% vs. 26.8%, P < 0.001), had lower VO2 peak value (43.4 38.5/47.5 vs. 45.6 39.1/50.6ml/min/kg, P = 0.022) and lower proportion of athletes reaching VO2 peak of >50 ml/min/kg (8.5% vs. 16.1%, P = 0.003). Female sex (OR 4.35 95% CI 3.13–5.88, P > 0.001) was independently associated with increased risk for iron deficiency. In contrast, the risk for iron deficiency decreased by every life year (OR 0.97 95% CI 0.95–0.99, P = 0.003). Iron deficiency was independently associated with reduced VO2 peak (OR 0.94 0.91–0.97, P < 0.001) and lower probability to reach VO2 peak >50 ml/min/kg (OR 0.42 95% CI 0.25–0.69, P = 0.001).
Iron deficiency is common in athletes (predominantly in female and in young athletes). Iron deficiency was independently associated with reduced VO2 peak during exercise testing and lower probability to reach a VO2 peak >50 ml/min/kg.
One of the most widespread illnesses, hypertension can cause other cardiovascular conditions that shorten life expectancy and lower quality of life. Primary hypertension is the most typical type, and ...while there are some risk factors, we cannot determine what is the primary cause. We should first change our lifestyles before using medications. Sport activity is the strategy that has the most potential. Numerous researchers have attempted to evaluate its impact on hypertension control. They all concurred that engaging in almost any sport can aid in the management of hypertension. Other studies looked at the best sports to keep hypertension under control. They experimented with isometric exercises, tai chi, brisk walking, and aerobic exercise. Matching the appropriate sport to the level of hypertension can be important too.Athletes experience hypertension as well, despite the fact that exercise is beneficial for the condition. Because of anti-doping regulations, there are some restrictions on how they can be treated.In addition to exercise, other lifestyle changes are crucial in the treatment of hypertension. It involves changing one's diet, attempting to lose weight, and avoiding stressful situations.
Badminton is a fast-paced sport that requires a high level of skill and coordination. To improve their skills, players can use activity trackers to monitor different shots and activities. These ...trackers utilize inertial measurement units (IMUs), which measures acceleration and angular velocity on the rackets, and the ultra-wideband (UWB) sensors, which measure the location of the player. This study first analyzes the use of UWB localization for tracking badminton players on the court and analyzes the location where shots are played. Furthermore, this study focuses on using both IMU at the racket and wrist and UWB sensors to recognize strategies utilized in badminton matches, employing convolutional neural network (CNN) and Long-Short-Term Memory (LSTM) models. The goal is to classify thirteen badminton shots, as well as an extra class that contains non-shot activities. The output of this shot classifier is provided to the strategy recognition model, which can identify four main strategies, with eleven variations in total, alongside an additional class designated for non-strategy instances such as movement or rest intervals. We trained and tested the models on data from six skilled badminton players. The best results were achieved by using both IMU and UWB data. The proposed 2D-CNN achieved a shot classification accuracy of 90.9%, while the proposed LSTM achieved a strategy recognition accuracy of 80%. The results of this study suggest that neural networks can be used to effectively classify badminton shots and strategies to improve the training of badminton players, as well as to analyze match data.
Hair loss is a problem that affects many people around the world. Androgenic alopecia (AGA) is the most common cause of hair loss affecting up to 50% of men and 40% of women over the age of 50. This ...type of hair loss is mediated by androgens, the strongest of which is dihydrotestosterone (DHT). This hormone influences the weakening hair follicles. The problem of excess DHT and the associated androgenic hair loss may concern people practicing sports, especially aerobic disciplines of moderate and high intensity. In the recent decades, many topical and oral therapies have been introduced to delay and stop hair loss. However, commonly used medications have only a partial and temporary effect, therefore alternative treatment methods are needed. Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) is known, among other things, for its use in orthopedics. The use of PRP may benefit athletes in the treatment of injuries to tendons, ligaments, muscles and cartilage. Many publications indicate good results with the use of PRP in the treatment of hair loss.
The aim of this study is to summarise the published reports on the effect of platelet-rich plasma (PRP) on hair loss prevention in people with androgenic alopecia (AGA) and to analyse the papers discussing androgen levels in physically active people.
The paper aims at making us understand what kind of relation exists between certain aspects concerning the extrapolation of the data obtained by the sportswomen and which of this data must be ...analyzed and included in the model, when a certain issue is studied.
The thesis of agonality as the fundamental characteristic of the Classical Greek culture is supported in the article. Competitiveness as the system-forming principle of the Greek society penetrates ...all spheres of the social life. Acquisition of high status by agonality is connected with the Greek cognitive peculiarities.
Hip Osteoarthitis (OA) risk is sport-specific and depends on frequency, intensity, and type of mechanic stress the hip is subjected to. This retrospective observational study aims to investigate the ...safety and performance of Hymovis (HYADD-4) injection, a hexadecyl (C-16) HA-derivative, when used to manage symptomatic hip OA in active middle-aged sportsmen over a 24-month observation period.
The retrospective analysis included clinical records of active sportsmen, aged between 40 and 65 years, and suffering from symptomatic Kellgren-Lawrence grade II to III hip OA, treated with two (24 mg/3 ml) Hymovis injections, two weeks apart, every 3–4 months, for two years. When available, data on MRI examination were included in the analysis as well as Heidelberg Sports Activity Score (HAS) and Copenhagen Hip and Groin Outcome Score (HAGOS) questionnaires.
Thirty patients (56.4 ± 7.3 years) were included in the study, sixteen cyclists and 14 tennis players. For all patients, HAS and most HAGOS scores improved significantly (p < 0.05) at the first control visit (4 months) and further improved over time. For all other scores an important clinical benefit was experienced by more than 50% of participants. No adverse events were recorded.
Treatment of hip OA in active sportsmen with Hymovis seems a safe and effective approach for the management of OA symptoms, by potentially protecting cartilage and subchondral bone from further damage.
ABSTRACTThe histologic features of aging muscle suggest that denervation contributes to atrophy, that immobility accelerates the process, and that routine exercise may protect against loss of motor ...units and muscle tissue. Here, we compared muscle biopsies from sedentary and physically active seniors and found that seniors with a long history of high-level recreational activity up to the time of muscle biopsy had 1) lower loss of muscle strength versus young men (32% loss in physically active vs 51% loss in sedentary seniors); 2) fewer small angulated (denervated) myofibers; 3) a higher percentage of fiber-type groups (reinnervated muscle fibers) that were almost exclusive of the slow type; and 4) sparse normal-size muscle fibers coexpressing fast and slow myosin heavy chains, which is not compatible with exercise-driven muscle-type transformation. The biopsies from the old physically active seniors varied from sparse fiber-type groupings to almost fully transformed muscle, suggesting that coexpressing fibers appear to fill gaps. Altogether, the data show that long-term physical activity promotes reinnervation of muscle fibers and suggest that decades of high-level exercise allow the body to adapt to age-related denervation by saving otherwise lost muscle fibers through selective recruitment to slow motor units. These effects on size and structure of myofibers may delay functional decline in late aging.Trial registrationClinicalTrials.gov (NCT01679977).
In this study, we investigated the intensity of sport participation in the Netherlands comparing urban and rural areas. Using a socio-ecological theoretical model, we focussed on the extent to which ...the rural-urban divide in sport participation is explained by micro-level (socio-demographics), meso-level (safety and socio-economic status of neighbourhoods) and exo-level (variety and proximity of sport facilities) characteristics. We tested our theoretical expectations using representative data on 17,910 Dutch inhabitants between 6 and 79 years of age. Our study reconfirmed the importance of individual socio-demographics (micro-level), such as age, education and household income for sports participation. Furthermore, our results showed that weekly sport participation was more common in rural than in urban areas. This rural-urban divide in sport participation especially was attributed to social environmental factors (meso-level); physical conditions of the environment provided no explanation. Our findings should, however, not be taken as a denial of the importance of the physical environment (exo-level). This study was conducted in the Netherlands, a country with a high density, abundant sport facilities and a supportive sport climate. Moreover, variety of sport facilities nearby proved significant in explaining an individual's monthly sport participation. To conclude, this study enhances our understanding of the rural-urban divide in sport participation and highlights the importance of especially meso-level features in addition to the socio-demographics. It thus may inform policymakers to critically assess sport promotion policies.
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