Abstract
Abstract
Study aim
The objective of this study was to determine metabolic syndrome (MS) outcomes and insulin resistance (IR) among retired combat sports athletes (CSA) who practiced rapid weight loss (RWL) compared with the control group (CG).
Material and methods
The present case–control study included 56 male former elite middle-aged CSA, as well as 52 respondents in the CG who did not practice RWL during their careers. The MS outcomes referred to the waist circumference, fasting glucose, systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, triglycerides, and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol. The levels of fasting insulin and blood glucose were determined before and following the oral glucose tolerance test.
Results
Former CSA had significantly higher values of systolic blood pressure (
r
= −0.42,
p
r
= −0.42,
p
r
= −0.28,
p
= 0.004), and total cholesterol (
r
= −0.25,
p
= 0.011) compared with the matched CG. The statistically significant differences regarding the fasting insulin (
p
= 0.026) and fasting glucose (
p
= 0.023) were revealed at the final measurement in favor of the former CSA. The odds of having an MS (68 vs. 19%, respectively, odds ratio = 9.49 [95% confidence interval 3.76, 23.95],
p
Conclusion
The findings of the current study demonstrated that the MS outcomes and IR were more pronounced among former elite middle-aged CSA with a history of RWL compared with the matched male controls.