What is it about?
Present study was designed to determine the reliability and diagnostic accuracy of non-invasive urinary dehydration markers, in field-based settings on a day-to-day basis in elite adolescent Olympic-style boxers. In addition, present study also examined the influence of urine protein metabolites to the diagnostic accuracy of urine specific gravity in youth boxers during the preparation period.
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Why is it important?
Despite a popular concept within the combat sports community, field determination of hydration status via urinary indices could be misleading. Collectively, it should be avoided to assess hydration status via urinary dehydration markers based on single sampling time-point, which is typically used to determine hydration status of combat athletes on competition day. Apparently, ad libitum fluid intake did not attenuate the increment of urinary dehydration markers in these boxers during an authentic preparation period. Total urine proteins were not correlated to urine specific gravity, indicating that the inter-assay reliability of urine sampling may remain skewed, especially for samples which have increased protein content
Perspectives
Stand-alone hydration status assessment, derived from a single urine specimen readings appears to be inappropriate diagnostic tool to screen for whole body-weight reductions, especially in real-life scenarios and during an intense preparation period. Importantly, chronically habitually low dietary intake appears to be overlooked in terms of the possible detrimental health-consequences in adolescent boxers, and therefore may require further intervention of the governing authorities, parents and coaches, to increase awareness on health-related issues originating from excessive hypohydration. Correspondingly, an intervention from a trained dietitian to improve their macronutrient and water replacement habits seems essential.
Damir Zubac
University of Zagreb, Faculty of Kinesiology
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Reliability of Urinary Dehydration Markers in Elite Youth Boxers, International Journal of Sports Physiology and Performance, March 2018, Human Kinetics,
DOI: 10.1123/ijspp.2016-0621.
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