The Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness 2021 Feb 22

DOI: 10.23736/S0022-4707.21.12158-9

Copyright © 2021 EDIZIONI MINERVA MEDICA

lingua: Inglese

Biological age, testosterone, and estradiol as discriminating factors of muscle strength levels in young athletes

Paulo F. ALMEIDA-NETO ¹ ✉, Dihogo G. de MATOS ², Vanessa C. PINTO ¹, Vitória M. OLIVEIRA ³, Rafaela C. MEDEIROS ^{1, 4}, Ian JEFFREYS ⁵, Paulo M. SILVA DANTAS ¹, Felipe J. AIDAR ², Breno G. CABRAL ¹

¹ Department of Physical Education, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, UFRN, Natal, Brazil; ² Group of Studies and Research of Performance, Sport, Health and Paralympic Sports, GEPEPS, the Federal University of Sergipe, UFS, São Cristovão, Sergipe, Brazil; ³ Departament of Physical Education, State University of Ceará, UECE, Fortaleza, Brazil; ⁴ Department of Physical Education, State University of Rio Grande do Norte, UERN, Mossoró, Brazil; ⁵ Faculty of Life Sciences and Education, University of South Wales, Pontypridd, Wales, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Pontypridd, UK

BACKGROUND: Neuromuscular fitness can be influenced at puberty by a steroid hormones, such as testosterone (TRT) and estradiol (EST). However, more information is needed to assess the reliability between the discriminatory power of biological age (BA) markers with the discriminatory power of TRT and EST in relation to muscle strength in young athletes who are at puberty.
PURPOSE: Aimed to analyze BA, TRT and EST as discriminating factors of upper limb (ULS) and lower (LLS) strength levels in young athletes.
METHODS: The sample of 81 young athletes (54.4% female and 45.6% male; age: 11.4±1.08). Hormones were analyzed by chemiluminescence, BA markers by anthropometric variables and body composition by tetrapolar bioimpedance. ULS was verified by the medicineball launch test and LLS by the countermovement jump test on a force platform.
RESULTS: EST was reliable for discriminating ULS (p<0.05) and LLS (p<0.05) in females. TRT showed reliability in discriminating ULS (p<0.05) and LLS (p<0.05) in males. BA was significant in discriminating ULS (p<0.0001) in females and ULS (p=0.002) and LLS (p<0.0001) in males. BA showed significant reliability with hormonal analyzes (p<0.05).
CONCLUSIONS: That hormonal concentrations are reliable in discriminating ULS and LLS of young athletes of both sexes. BA was shown to be effective in discriminating ULS (in both sexes) and LLS (in males). BA showed significant reliability with hormonal analyzes (ULS and LLS in male sex; LLS for female sex).

KEY WORDS: Muscle strength; Puberty; Testosterone; Estradiol