Body composition and nutritional habits in professional ballet dancers

Object of this study was the analysis of fat mass (FM), fat free mass (FFM) and nutritional habits in professional ballet dancers. Our secondary aim was to evaluate daily energy intake and to compare nutritional habits with level of daily recommended assumption (LARN) or recommended dietary allowance (RDA). Twelve ballet dancers (7 males and 5 females), aged between 23-42 were studied. All the subjects trained at least 5 hours per day (8±3 hours).We used four different techniques to asses body composition: skinfold thickness measurements (TH), bioimpedance analysis (BIA) air displacement pletismography (BOD-POD) and dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA). The latter was considered as a criterion method. FM using DXA was 6.2±2.0 kg and FFM 56.3±12.4 kg in the total population. FM was 5.2±1.1 kg and 6.9±2.3 kg in females and males using DXA, respectively. FFM in females was 44.6±4.8 kg and 64.7±8.2 kg in males. Correlation between FM derived by skinfolds Vs FM measured by DXA was significantly higher (p = 0.90) than between FM estimated by BIA (p = 0.54) and by BOD-POD (p = 0.48). Positive correlations were found between DXA FFM measurements and FFM anthropometric (p = 0.99), between DXA FFM and FFM estimated by BIA (p = 0.98) and between FFM measured by BOD-POD (p = 0.99). Total energy intake in male subjects was less than LARN or RDA recommendation (2464±256 Vs 3100±379 cal/day). On the other hand, total energy intake in female subjects was slightly higher than LARN or RDA recommendation (2439±391 Vs 2120±130 cal/day). This was probably due to a higher energy assumption from lipids in female subjects (32±7% in males Vs 36±7% in females). Our results may suggest that FM estimated by anthropometry could be preferred to BIA in this specific population, possibly because the main part of FM in this specific population is only subcutaneous.