The Effects of Crocodile Blood Supplementation on Delayed-Onset Muscle Soreness.

Delayed-onset muscle soreness (DOMS) is associated with increases in acute inflammatory and biochemical markers, muscle swelling, pain, and reduced functional performance. This study aimed to investigate the preventative effects of crocodile blood supplementation on DOMS induced by eccentric exercise. Sixteen healthy males were randomly allocated to either a crocodile blood (CB, = 8) or a placebo (PL, = 8) treatment.

Reliability of 2 Different Positioning Protocols for Dual-Energy X-ray Absorptiometry Measurement of Body Composition in Healthy Adults.

Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) is an accepted time-efficient method of body composition assessment for total body and regional fat mass (FM), lean mass (LM), and bone mineral content (BMC), but for longitudinal monitoring the measurements must be sufficiently reliable. The aim of this study was to compare the reliability of a new positioning protocol (Nana et al) with the current reference (National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey [NHANES]) protocol and investigate their within-protocol precision. Thirty healthy adults (16 females and 14 males) underwent 4 whole-body DXA scans in succession with full repositioning between scans.

The effects of a calcium-rich pre-exercise meal on biomarkers of calcium homeostasis in competitive female cyclists: a randomised crossover trial.

Unlabelled: Cycling is recognised as a sport in which there is a high incidence of poor bone health. Sweat calcium losses may contribute to this.

Purpose: To examine whether a calcium-rich pre-exercise meal attenuates exercise-induced perturbations of bone calcium homeostasis caused by maintenance of sweat calcium losses.

Dairy-based preexercise meal does not affect gut comfort or time-trial performance in female cyclists.

Some athletes avoid dairy in the meal consumed before exercise due to fears about gastrointestinal discomfort. Regular exclusion of dairy foods may unnecessarily reduce intake of high quality proteins and calcium with possible implications for body composition and bone health. This study compared the effects of meals that included (Dairy) or excluded (Control) dairy foods on gastric comfort and subsequent cycling performance.

Methodology review: using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) for the assessment of body composition in athletes and active people.

Dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) is rapidly becoming more accessible and popular as a technique to monitor body composition, especially in athletic populations. Although studies in sedentary populations have investigated the validity of DXA assessment of body composition, few studies have examined the issues of reliability in athletic populations and most studies which involve DXA measurements of body composition provide little information on their scanning protocols. This review presents a summary of the sources of error and variability in the measurement of body composition by DXA, and develops a theoretical model of best practice to standardize the conduct and analysis of a DXA scan.

Importance of Standardized DXA Protocol for Assessing Physique Changes in Athletes.

Purpose: The implications of undertaking DXA scans using best practice protocols (subjects fasted and rested) or a less precise but more practical protocol in assessing chronic changes in body composition following training and a specialized recovery technique were investigated.

Methods: Twenty-one male cyclists completed an overload training program, in which they were randomized to four sessions per week of either cold water immersion therapy or control groups. Whole-body DXA scans were undertaken with best practice protocol (Best) or random activity protocol (Random) at baseline, after 3 weeks of overload training, and after a 2-week taper.

Techniques for undertaking dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry whole-body scans to estimate body composition in tall and/or broad subjects.

Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) is becoming a popular tool to measure body composition, owing to its ease of operation and comprehensive analysis. However, some people, especially athletes, are taller and/or broader than the active scanning area of the DXA bed and must be scanned in sections. The aim of this study was to investigate the reliability of DXA measures of whole-body composition summed from 2 or 3 partial scans.

Effects of exercise sessions on DXA measurements of body composition in active people.

Purpose: Dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA) is rapidly becoming more accessible and popular as a technique to monitor body composition, especially in athletic populations. This study investigates the reliability of DXA in measuring body composition of active individuals, specifically to ascertain biological variability associated with two different types of exercise under free-living conditions in active individuals.

Methods: Well-trained individuals (27 strength-trained male subjects, 14 female cyclists, and 14 male cyclists) underwent three whole-body DXA scans over a 1-d period: in the morning after an overnight fast, approximately 5 min later after repositioning on the scanning bed, and shortly after a self-chosen exercise session (resistance training or cycling).

Effects of daily activities on dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry measurements of body composition in active people.

Purpose: Dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA) is becoming a popular tool to measure body composition in athletes, owing to its ease of operation and comprehensive analysis of body composition. This study represents the first systematic investigation of the reliability of DXA measurements of body composition in trained individuals and includes measurements of daily variability as well as the specific effect of the intake of a meal.

Methods: Physically active young adults (15 females, 16 males) underwent five whole-body DXA scans during a 2-d period: in the morning after an overnight fast, ~5 min later after repositioning on the scanning bed, ~8 h later after usual daily activities, and the next morning before and ~30 min after consumption of a simple breakfast.