Author(s): GRANDA, D., SURALA, O., TUROWSKI, D., MALCZEWSKA-LENCZOWSKA, J., Institution: INSTITUTE OF SPORT - NATIONAL RESEARCH INSTITUTE, Country: POLAND, Abstract-ID: 554

INTRODUCTION:
Obesity, particularly excessive visceral adipose tissue (VAT), is associated with various health risks, including cardiovascular diseases and diabetes. While BMI is a widely used and simple risk indicator, it has recognized limitations, especially in athletes, where it often overestimates obesity due to high lean body mass. Data on obesity rates among shooters remains limited. This study aimed to assess overweight and obesity prevalence based on body fat percentage compared to BMI and to evaluate VAT accumulation in male and female shooters.
METHODS:
Basic anthropometric measurements (height and weight) as well as body composition analysis was performed in 39 professional shooters (51.3% females) aged 18-45 years old (mean 26.4±6.4 years). Body composition was assessed via dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA, GE, Lunar Prodigy). VAT expressed both in grams and cm3 was calculated automatically by the CoreScan application. Cut-off points for increased risk of metabolic complications based on VAT were adopted from the study by Miazgowski et al. (2019). In the case of body fat percentage, cut-off points were adopted from Jeukendrup A & Gleeson M (2019).
RESULTS:
According to BMI, 75.0% of females had a normal body weight, 15.0% were classified as overweight, 5.0% had first-degree obesity, and 5.0% were underweight. Based on body fat percentage from DXA, a normal level was observed in 35.0%, while 35.0% were classified as overweight and 30.0% as obese. Among males, BMI indicated normal body weight in 52.6%, overweight in 21.1%, and obesity in 26.3%. In contrast, body fat percentage was within the normal range in 21.1% of males, while 21.1% were classified as overweight and 57.8% as obese. In both the female and male groups, statistically significant differences were found in the classification according to BMI vs. % body fat (p=0.003 and p=0.031, respectively). VAT content indicating an increased risk of metabolic complications was identified in one-third of the participants (35.0% of females and 33.3% of males, p = 0.821).
CONCLUSION:
Body fat percentage allowed to indicate obesity in a significantly larger percentage of shooters than BMI. These are the opposite results from most sports disciplines. Shooters seem to be a group at increased risk of obesity and its complications, as evidenced by the high percentage of people with excessive VAT accumulation. Therefore, shooters should be subject to broader monitoring of cardiovascular health parameters and provided with nutritional education.

References:
Miazgowski T, Kucharski R et al. Visceral fat reference values derived from healthy European men and women aged 20-30 years using GE Healthcare dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry. PLoS ONE 2017;12:e0180614.
Jeukendrup A, Gleeson M. Sport Nutrition-3rd Edition. Human Kinetics, 2019