Bone health in endurance athletes v5.0
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Factors influencing bone health and the risk of stress fractures in well-trained endurance athletes: a prospective study
IRAS ID
306056
Contact name
Richard Blagrove
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Loughborough University
Duration of Study in the UK
3 years, 0 months, 4 days
Research summary
Bone stress fractures are a common injury in athletes, particularly in those participating in endurance training. Stress fractures result in prolonged periods away from training and place a high financial burden on health and medical services. Beyond the mechanical loading that the skeleton is exposed to, there are numerous other modifiable factors that influence bone turnover and the risk of developing a bone stress injury. Although many of these factors have been investigated independently in endurance athletes, there has previously not been a study that has attempted to prospectively monitor a range of factors associated with bone health status and incidence of bone-stress injuries. There is limited research that examines changes in bone health over a training year in well-trained cyclists and runners and reports whether incidence of bone-stress injury is associated with bone mineral density (BMD). Furthermore, nutritional factors and engagement with supplementary osteogenic training activities are rarely considered together as part of prospective bone health monitoring studies in endurance athletes.
The study will be a prospective cohort design with well-trained endurance runners and cyclists over a 1-year period. Participants will undergo a DXA scan and ultrasound at the start of a training macrocycle and then again at 4, 8 and 12 months later (4 scans total per participant). Participants will also take part in cardiorespiratory and strength tests at the same time points. Participants who sustain a bone-stress related injury will be matched for sex and body mass with participants who do not. Training load data will be collected throughout the study period using global positioning system devices and other injury and illness data will also be self-reported. Estimated energy and nutrient intake and energy expenditure for 5-days will also be recorded at baseline and every three months thereafter.
REC name
South West - Central Bristol Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
21/SW/0154
Date of REC Opinion
12 Jan 2022
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion