Total and Regional Body Composition of NCAA Division I Collegiate Basketball Athletes

Abstract

This study aimed to examine body composition using dual X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) in male and female NCAA Division I collegiate basketball athletes. Two-hundred ten (male [M]/female [F]=88/122) basketball athletes’ total and regional fat mass, lean mass, bone mineral density, and visceral adipose tissue were measured. Athletes were classified as: point guards (M/F=27/34), shooting guards (M/F=18/27), small forwards (M/F=13/18), power forwards (M/F=21/27), and centers (M/F=9/16). ANOVA and Tukey’s HSD assessed positional differences by sex. In males, centers and power forwards had greater total fat mass (p<0.025), lean mass (p≤0.001), and visceral adipose tissue (p<0.001) than other positions. Male centers had greater arm and leg fat mass and lean mass than point guards, shooting guards, and small forwards (p≤0.049), and greater arm bone mineral density than point guards (p=0.015). In females, centers had greater total fat mass (p<0.001) vs. other positions and greater total lean mass, arm fat and lean masses, arm and leg bone mineral density, and visceral adipose tissue vs. point guards and shooting guards (p≤0.005). Female point guards had lower total bone mineral density than power forwards (p=0.008). In conclusion, these sex- and position-specific total and regional body composition measurements in collegiate basketball players provide population-specific normative data.

New Frontiers of Body Composition in Sport

“…In American football, "mirroring" positions, such as opposing offensive and defensive positions, demonstrate similar total and regional LSTM measurements, while football athletes in other "non-mirroring" positions have significant regional LSTM and FM differences [15,16]. In collegiate male basketball athletes, centers demonstrate the highest arm and leg LSTM and FM compared to all other positions except power forwards [21]. These observations suggest there may be a relationship between measures of total and regional body composition and sport-and position-specific demands (i. e., kicking, shooting, speed).…”

“…Specifi cally, off ensive and defensive linemen have demonstrated the lowest U/L LSTM ratios, indicating higher relative lower-body LSTM, while quarterbacks and punters/kickers have exhibited the highest U/L LSTM ratio [ 16 ] . Collegiate female basketball athletes also demonstrate ratio diff erences across positions [ 21 ] . The U/L LSTM ratio is highest in point guards and lowest in power forwards and centers.…”

“…Numerous reports describe the body composition of professional and collegiate male and female athletes by position within the same sport [15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26]. They indicate minimal within-sport variability in total and regional body composition in some sports such as men's hockey [18], women's softball [20], and soccer [27] with marked differences by position in other sports, including American football and basketball [7, 15-17, 21, 22, 25].…”

“…Lean mass distribution can be expressed as: (a) upper-to lower-body (U/L) ratios, compared across positions and athletes in the same position; and (b) contralateral asymmetries, informative for optimizing performance and minimizing injury [11]. Some examples of regional composition ratios, calculated from LSTM measurements obtained using DXA, are available for a handful of sports, including American football [15,16], baseball and softball [19,20], men's and women's basketball [21], men's and women's track and field [22], and equestrian [24]. Among professional American football players, the U/L of total body mass is consistent across positions, but the U/L LSTM differs by position [16].…”

Deaf and Hearing Basketball National Teams at the 2019 World Championships: Discriminant Analysis of Game-Related Statistics Between The Winning and the Defeated

“…Petway et al (2020) reported on the motor and physiological indicators in national, sub-elite, and junior basketball players, taking into account their position on the court and the match duration (divided into quarters). Much attention has also been paid to the body build and body composition of basketball players and their somatotype (Buśko et al, 2017;Gerodimos et al, 2005;Raymond-Pope et al, 2020;Viswanathan et al, 2010). Almost all studies in the scientific literature are related to tournaments for hearing competitors.…”