Low body fat percentage (%BF) and caloric intake may be associated with hormonal disruptions and adverse health effects in athletes. PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to assess relationships between body composition (BC), dietary intake, and hormonal disruptions in female ballet dancers with self-reported oligomenorrhea. METHODS: Female ballet dancers (N=7; M_age=15.8±1.4y; M_BMI=18.8±1.5kg/m²) underwent BC testing to determine %BF and fat-free mass (FFM). Blood was drawn and analyzed for lipids (total cholesterol [TC], LDL, HDL, triglycerides [TG]), thyroid markers (thyroid-stimulating hormone [TSH], T3, T4), and adipokines (leptin [LEP], adiponectin [APN]). Five-day diet logs were recorded to determine energy (kcal) and macronutrient (CHO, PRO, fat) intake relative to body mass (kg). Pearson product correlations (r) were used to determine relationships between BC, biomarkers, and diet. Significance was set at P<0.05. RESULTS: While BC did not significantly correlate with lipid markers, FFM correlated with T₃ (r=-0.85; P<0.05), and the relationship with APN trended towards significance (r=0.93; P=0.07). Kcal/kg was positively correlated with TC (r=0.82), and CHO/kg positively correlated with TG (r=0.91) (P<0.05). Correlations between CHO/kg and both LEP (r=0.83) and APN (r=-0.93) approached significance (P<0.10), while PRO/kg negatively correlated with TSH (r=-0.91; P<0.01). Fat/kg correlated positively with TC (r=0.76; P<0.05), and correlations with LDL (r=0.59) and T₄ (r=-0.67) approached significance (P<0.10). CONCLUSION: Energy and macronutrient intake, rather than BC measures, appear to have greater associations to blood lipids levels, indicating dietary intake may play a larger role in augmenting lipid status and metabolism in this population. Additionally, increased PRO intake may play a unique role in overall metabolic status, suggested by the negative correlations with TSH. However, more research is needed to determine the influences of both energy intake and BC on menstrual status in this population. These findings warrant future investigations into dietary interventions designed to improve overall metabolism and health in ballerinas.
Funding provided by Quest Diagnostics.