Cell integrity indicators in university athletes: comparison among playing positions in indoor football

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to compare cell integrity indicators according to the playing position in university indoor football athletes.METHODS: The sample consisted of 34 university athletes (20 female and 14 male). Dependent variables were cell integrity indicators: total body water (TBW), intracellular water (ICW), extracellular water (ECW), ECW/ICW ratio, body cell mass (BCM), ECW/BCM ratio, phase angle (PhA), resistance (R), Xc (reactance) and impedance (Z), evaluated by the electrical bioimpedance method. Independent variable was the playing position: goalkeeper (a), defender (a), winger (left and right) and pivot collected through questionnaire. Control variables were age, time of sport practice, participation in competitions per year and training load obtained by applying the anamnesis form, and body fat and fat and bone-free mass were obtained through dual emission X-ray absorptiometry (DXA). Covariance analysis (ANCOVA) was used, with post-hoc Tukey’s test, to identify difference between groups, with P<0.05.RESULTS: In the adjusted analysis, female athletes in the defense position had BCM values (31.1±2.1) higher than those in the wing position (25.8±1.1, P<0.01). In males, pivots showed higher ICW values (31.47±0.77) when compared to defenders (25.7±0.8, P=0.02). In addition, goalkeepers had higher TBW values (52.7±2.5) compared to wingers (42.3±1.2) (P=0.03).CONCLUSIONS: Cell integrity indicators may vary according to the playing position in indoor football.