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No negative impact of reduced leptin secretion on bone metabolism in male decathletes

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Abstract

This study investigated the effect of intense physical activities that generate high mechanical constraints on bone metabolism and serum leptin concentrations and the potential relationships among bone mineral density (BMD), bone biochemical markers and leptin variation. Thirteen male decathletes (mean age 22.4 ± 2.9 years), nationally or internationally ranked (15.5 h/week of training), were compared with 13 healthy sedentary subjects (mean age 25.9 ± 3.3 years). BMD was measured by DEXA and bone turnover was evaluated by specific markers. Leptin and calciotropic hormones levels were analysed in parallel. BMDs were higher in athletes than in controls at total body (13.9%), lumbar spine (17%), femoral neck (25%) and radius (9%), but not at the head. Athletes presented higher concentrations of osteocalcin (59.8%), cross-linked C-telopeptide of type-I collagen (41.1%) and 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin-D (37.1%). Basal leptin concentration was lower in athletes (0.94 ± 0.54 vs. 5.07 ± 1.1 ng ml−1), and this difference persisted when leptin levels were adjusted for whole body fat mass (WBFM). No difference was observed for bone-specific alkaline phosphatase or intact parathyroid hormone. Serum leptin levels were negatively correlated with various BMD values only when both the groups were pooled (n = 26). This relationship did not persist when leptin levels were adjusted for WBFM. Male athletes, who practise sports generating high mechanical constraints on the body, present a specific bone metabolism that includes high BMD, as well as high bone turnover. The blunted leptin secretion did not seem to have deleterious effect on the process of bone adaptation to high mechanical constraints.

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Acknowledgments

We are indebted to the athletes, the staff of the Department of Nuclear Medicine for excellent technical assistance and Diagnostic Systems Laboratories (DSL) for providing the leptin immunoassay kits.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Groupe de Recherche Interdisciplinaire Sur le Métabolisme Osseux, Montpellier, France

    Laurent Maïmoun

  2. Service de Médecine Nucléaire, Hôpital Lapeyronie, 191 avenue Doyen Gaston Giraud, 34000, Montpellier, France

    Laurent Maïmoun, Anne-Marie Puech, Michel Rossi & Denis Mariano-Goulart

  3. Direction Régionale et Départementale de la Jeunesse et des Sports, Montpellier, France

    Laurent Maïmoun & Olivier Coste

  4. INSERM, Montpellier, France

    Edouard Peruchon

  5. Departement de l’Information Médicale, Hôpital Arnaud de Villeneuve, Montpellier, France

    Audrey Jaussent

  6. Service d’Hormonologie du Développement et de la Reproduction, Hôpital Lapeyronie, Montpellier, France

    Françoise Paris & Charles Sultan

  7. Unité d’Endocrinologie Pédiatrique, Hôpital Arnaud de Villeneuve, Montpellier, France

    Françoise Paris & Charles Sultan

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  1. Laurent Maïmoun
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  2. Olivier Coste
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  7. Michel Rossi
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  8. Charles Sultan
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  9. Denis Mariano-Goulart
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Correspondence to Laurent Maïmoun.

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Maïmoun, L., Coste, O., Puech, AM. et al. No negative impact of reduced leptin secretion on bone metabolism in male decathletes. Eur J Appl Physiol 102, 343–351 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00421-007-0592-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00421-007-0592-7

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