High femoral bone mineral content and density in male football (soccer) players

Purpose: This investigation examined the effect that long-term football (so ccer) participation may have on areal bone mineral density (BMD) and bone m ineral content (BMC) in male football players. Methods: Dual energy x-ray a bsorptiometry (DXA) scans were obtained in 33 recreational male football pl ayers active in football for the last 12 yr and 19 nonactive subjects from the same population. Both groups had comparable age (23 +/- 4 yr vs 24 +/- 3 yr), body mass (73 +/- 7 kg vs 72 +/- 11 kg), height (176 +/- 5 cm vs 176 +/- 8 cm), and calcium intake (23 +/- 10 mg.kg(-1).d(-1) vs 20 +/- 11 mg.k g(-1).d(-1) (mean +/- SD). Results: The football players showed 8% greater total lean mass (P < 0.001), 13% greater whole-body BMC (P < 0.001), and 5 units lower percentage body fat (P < 0.001) than control subjects. Lumbar s pine (L2-L4) BMC and BMD were 13% and 10% higher, respectively, in the foot ball players than in the control subjects (P < 0.05). Furthermore, football players displayed higher femoral neck BMC (24%, 18%, 23%, and 24% for the femoral neck, intertrochanteric, greater trochanter, and Ward's triangle su bregions, respectively, P < 0.05) and BMD (21%, 19%, 21%, and 27%, respecti vely, P < 0.05) than controls. BMC in the whole leg was 16-17% beater in th e football players, mainly because of enhanced BMD (9-10%) but also because of bone hypertrophy, since the area occupied by the osseous pixels was 7% higher (867 +/- 63 cm(2) vs 814 +/- 26 cm(2), P < 0.05). Leg muscle mass wa s 11% higher in the football players than in the control subjects (20,635 /- 2,073 g vs 18,331 +/- 2,301 g, P < 0.001). No differences were found bet ween the legs in either groups for BMC, BMD, and muscle mass. Left leg musc le mass was correlated with femoral neck BMC and BMD (P < 0.001), as well a s with lumbar spine (L2-L4) BMC and BMD (P < 0.001). Conclusion: Long-term football participation, starting at prepubertal age, is associated with mar kedly increased BMC and BMD at the femoral neck and lumbar spine regions.