Currently, there are no studies that compares bone condition markers between professional (PRO) and amateur (AMA) cyclists. Amateur cyclists are the ones who practice this sport the most. Therefore, there is an interest in behaving if there is a negative effect at the bone level could be similar than previously described in professional cyclists. The aim of this study was to identify the differences in bone level between professional and amateur road cyclists, and to see if the differences found are related to differences in performance. A parallel trial was carried out with 15 AMA and 10 PRO cyclists. All cyclists performed 2 visits: 1) in a fasted state, body composition with measured by densitometry (DEXA) was analyzed and 2) physiological variables were measured using an incremental test until exhaustion. Significantly lower values were found in bone mineral density, bone mineral content and fat free mass in PRO compared to AMA (p<0.05). In addition, significantly higher power produced in ventilatory thresholds 1 and 2 (VT1 and VT2) and VO2MAX were found in PRO compared to AMA (p<0.05). PRO cyclists present lower values in bone health and muscle mass markers but better results in performance compared to AMA.
Copyright © 2021. Published by Elsevier Inc.

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