Natjecatelji u olimpijskim, ali i srodnim borilačkim sportovima nastoje naglim i nekontroliranim
smanjenjem tjelesne mase doseći nižu težinsku kategoriju i ostvariti natjecateljsku prednost.
Najčešće, smanjenje ukupne tjelesne mase ostvaruje se na račun dinamičnoga smanjenja
volumena izvanstanične tekućine. Takva praksa dovodi organizam u stanje akutne dehidracije
koja pritom može izazvati brojne zdravstvene komplikacije, uključujući i smrt mladih sportaša.
Stoga se važnost problematike mjerenja stupnja hidriranosti organizma ne ogleda isključivo sa
stajališta potencijalno umanjenih funkcionalno-fizioloških kapaciteta sportaša, nego
preventivnoga djelovanja zbog ugroženosti zdravstvenoga statusa. Trenutačno, u znanstvenoj
literaturi postoji velika rasprava o metrijskim karakteristikama neinvazivnih pokazatelja
(biomarkera) korištenih pri mjerenju i interpretaciji stupnja hidriranosti organizma sportaša.
Stoga, temeljni je cilj ovoga istraživanja ispitati metrijske karakteristike višekratnih neinvazivnih
pokazatelja stupnja hidriranosti organizma kod vrhunskih boksača juniorskoga uzrasta u stvarnim
uvjetima pripremnoga kampa. U ovoj studiji prikupljeno je šezdeset devet uzoraka urina i
analizirano putem terenskih i laboratorijskih metoda paralelno s procjenom ukupnoga udjela vode
u tijelu i tjelesne mase, dan-za-dan pristupom tijekom tri uzastopna dana. Cjelokupan je unos
markonutrijenata i vode dokumentiran tijekom istraživanja. Uzorak ispitanika sačinjen je od
vrhunskih boksača juniorskoga uzrasta (n=23, dob 17.3±1.9 godina, tjelesne visine 1 .75±0.08 m,
tjelesne mase 66.8±11 .8 kg, 8.3±2.3 % udjela masti u tijelu, 7.1±0.9 iskustva u boksu), isključivo
nacionalnih prvaka Rusije, Srbije i Bosne i Hercegovine. Temeljem različitosti u
antropometrijskim karakteristikama ispitanici su podijeljeni u dvije homogene skupine
(laki/teški). Temeljna se spoznaja ove studije ogleda u opaženoj velikoj varijabilnosti i
nedosljednosti urinarnih pokazatelja stupnja hidriranosti organizma (laboratorijskih i terenskih, u
rasponu: ICC=0.38 - 0.58) unatoč stabilnoj tjelesnoj masi (ICC=0.99, CV<1 %) i primjerenom
unosu markonutrijenata i vode. Post hoc analize utvrdile su uniforman porast u vrijednostima
osmolaliteta urina (UOSM) kod obje skupine ispitanika, između prvoga i trećeg mjerenja za
11.2±12.8 % (p<0.001, η2=0.4) kod lakih boksača, i 19.9±22.7 % (p<0.001, η2=0.5) kod teških
boksača, dok su vrijednosti specifične težine urina (STU) porasle za 0.5±0.4 %, (p<0.01, η2=0.4),
isključivo kod teških boksača. Nalazi konkurentne valjanosti i medicinskih dijagnostičkih modela
pokazuju uniformno slaganje i visoku povezanost urinarnih indikatora (r=0.87; p<0.001; III
AUC=0.95, p<0.01), ali i razliku u odnosu na ukupni udio vode u tijelu (r=0.06, p=0.45, r=-0.13,
p=0.53, pojedinačno). Promotrena je univerzalno visoka stopa hipohidriranosti organizma
(STU=1.028±0.003 g•mL-1, UOSM=1036±158 mOsmol•kg-1), uniformno kod svih ispitanika, što
dovodi u pitanje valjanost interpretacije do sada postavljenih kriterija i referentnih vrijednosti
prilikom procjene deficita vode u tijelu sportaša. Ipak, usprkos porastu u vrijednostima
koncetracije urina, ukupan unos markonutrijenata (35±4 kcal•kg-1) i vode (~3.0 L) bio je stabilan
tokom provedbe studije. Predstavljeno istraživanje nije potvrdilo hipotezu o utjecaju povišene
mišićne mase na dijagnostičku točnost STU (r=0.14, p=0.51), dok metrijske karakteristike i utjecaj
ukupnih proteina u urinu iz maloga uzorka (r=0.11; p=0.59) na dijagnostičku točnost STU dan-zadan pristupom ostaju dvosmisleni. Temeljem prikazanih podataka moguće je izvesti zaključke: (i)
predstavljena studija opovrgava generalno prihvaćenu teoriju, ali primjenu osmolaliteta urina kao
zlatnoga standarda prilikom procjene ukupnoga deficita u tijelu, (ii) otvoreno kritizira korištenje
presječnih studija čiji je cilj bio utvrđivanje metrijskih karakteristika pokazatelja stupnja
hidriranosti organizma na uzorku natjecatelja iz borilačkih sportova, (iii) otvara problematiku
različitosti mehanizama ostvarenja koncentriranoga urina u odnosu na dijagnostičku točnost
procjene. Daljnje su studije potrebne da bi se detaljno razložili uzročni mehanizmi visoke
varijabilnosti opažene u vrijednostima koncentracije urina kao posljedica odgovora bubrežnoga
sustava uslijed visokointenzivnih priprema u borilačkim sportovima.Čini se kako općeprihvaćeni
neinvazivni dehidracijski biomarkeri iz urina ukazuju na druga fiziološka stanja i kompenzacijske
mehanizme osim isključivog deficita vode u tijelu. Neovisno o izboru tehnike mjerenja,
trenutačno ne postoji u potpunosti ispravan i točan pristup problematici i interpretaciji
prikupljenih podataka, što je i pokazano statističko-metodološkim pristupom ove studije.Certainly, we know that voluntary body mass loss reduction (via reduction in extracellular fluid)
continues to be a habitual practice in Olympic combat sports. This practice carries an increased
risk of adverse health-related effects, particularly for the adolescent combat athletes.
Unfortunately, the data the acute assessment of hydration status remains equivocal. Currently,
there is on-going debate within the combat sport community on how best to measure whole-body
fluid changes (e.g, hypohydration) which regularly occur in these athletes. Importantly, the
inconsistency of research findings on measurement resolution of urinary readings may preclude a
conclusive position stand within current combat sports research. Therefore, the aim of the present
study was to determine the measurement resolution of multiple non-invasive diagnostic tools in
real-life settings on a day-to-day basis. Furthermore, this study also investigated the prevalence of
hypohydration and the association between urinary indices of hydration status and other
presumably confounding factors (e.g., urine protein content, increased muscle mass, food and
fluid intake) in elite youth boxers during their weight-stable phase before competition. Sixty-nine
urine samples were collected over three days from 23 elite European adolescent boxers (17.3±1.9
years of age, 1 .75 ±0.08 m in height, 66.8±11.8 kg in body mass, 8.3±2.3 % of body mass
expressed as fat, 7.1±0.9 years of boxing experience) and analysed by field and laboratory
measures reflecting on hydration status. Data collection took place during a mutual international
training camp, prior to a major competition. Overall macronutrient and water intake were
assessed using dietary records. According to their anthropometric characteristics, boxers were
stratified into two groups: light-weight boxers (Lwb) and heavy-weight boxers (Hwb). The
effects on all dependent variables between experimental protocols were analysed using repeated
measures ANOVA to detect any systematic biases between items For post hoc analysis
Bonferroni’s test was adopted for multiple comparisons of dependent variables. The results
demonstrated urine specific gravity (USG) and urine osmolality (UOSM) inconsistency (ICC
range=0.38–0.52) for Lwb and Hwb boxers, respectively) during their weight-stable period and
regardless of the ad libitum fluid intake (~3.0 L• day-1). Post-hoc test demonstrated no differences
between time trials (F=3.02; p=0.09, η2=0.23), while for Hwb there was a significant difference
only between trials 1 and 3 as USG increased by 0.5±0.4 % (F=8.90, η2=0.49; β=0.94; p<0.001).
The UOSM readings showed significant time effect for both groups (F=13.32; p<0.001; β=0.99;
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η2=0.39), while there was no group (F=0.08, p=0.93) or interaction effect (F=1.19, p=0.29). In
Figure 2 post-hoc test showed differences in both Lwb and Hwb boxers over the course of the
study, as UOSM increased between trial 1 i 3 by 11.2±12.8 % (F=5.17; p=0.01, β=0.79, η2=0.32)
and 19.9±22.7 % (F=10.2; p=0.001, β=0.98, η2=0.48, respectively). High positive correlation
between urinary dehydration markers were observed (r=0.88, p<0.001); these correlations were
supported by tight Bland-Altman limits of agreement (-0.92 to 0.93). The variations observed in
Bland-Altman plots between both urinary indices and total body water (TBW) (i.e. the ordinate)
were greater than three standard deviations. The area under curve (AUC) demonstrated similar
outcomes for both urinary indices (0.93, p<0.001) with high sensitivity (93.5%) and specificity
(87.5%). Sixty-five percent of adolescent boxers were severely hypohydrated in spite of being in
their weight stability period. Hypohydration was universally prevalent among all athletes on both
test days with USG=1.028±0.003 g•mL-1, UOSM =1036±158 mOsmol•kg-1. A trivial association
between mean of both urinary values and mean water content was observed (r=0.06; p=0.45; r=-
013, p=0.53), whilst TPC was not associated with any urinary dehydration markers (USG, p=0.27;
UOSM, p=0.61), indicating that the inter-assay reliability of urine sampling may remain skewed,
especially for samples which have increased protein content. The present outcomes find that the
most prevalent urinary dehydration markers used to classify hydration status in competition
exhibit large variability, and may be influenced by external factors like intense exercise, or
others, resulting in increased false-positive findings, even during the weight-stable periods of
real-life competition settings. It seems that the consistency of both urinary dehydration marker
readings in combat athletes depends upon research design, experimental approach (e.g.,
laboratory conditions vs real-life settings) in particular. In opposite to the prevailing theory, urine
osmolality should not be considered a gold standard dehydration index. In conclusion, this study
implies that the physiological mechanisms underlying diagnostic accuracy of the most common
non-invasive hydration markers requires further investigation to validate the measures in elite
adolescent boxers. Albeit, there are several critical physiological and medical reasons for the
mandatory hydration evaluation of adolescent boxers throughout their season, including body
development, endocrine responses, cardiovascular risk factors