Physical fitness and nutritional status in female adolescents with anorexia nervosa/Aptidao fisica e estado nutricional em adolescentes do sexo feminino com anorexia nervosa

• Published in: Revista de nutrição Vol. 33; p. 1
• Main Authors: Martínez-Sanchez, Sofia María, Martínez-García, Tomás Eugenio, Munguía-Izquierdo, Diego
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Pontificia Universidade Catolica de Campinas 01.01.2020
• Subjects: Brasil
• ISSN: 1415-5273
• DOI: 10.1590/1678-9865202033e190154

This study aimed to determine whether physical fitness is related to nutritional status in a sample of female adolescents with anorexia nervosa, to contrast the nourished and undernourished patients, and to compare the physical fitness in these patients with normative data of healthy subjects stratified by age and gender. Nutritional status was determined using the body mass index Z-score, fat mass, fat-free mass (bioelectrical impedance analysis), and the Controlling Nutritional Status score in 15 anorexic adolescents with 14.3[+ or -]1.6 years. Physical fitness was assessed using the ALPHA-Fitness Battery (handgrip strength, standing broad jump, 4x10 m shuttle run, and 20 m shuttle run tests). Handgrip strength was significantly associated with all variables of nutritional status, except with the three blood components of the Controlling Nutritional Status score. The undernourished anorexic patients showed significantly worse physical fitness than the nourished anorexic patients in all tests, except in the standing broad jump and the 4x10 m shuttle run tests. The physical fitness tests of the female anorexic adolescents showed scores significantly worse than those of the normative European female adolescent population. The observation of female adolescents with anorexia nervosa showed associations between higher physical fitness levels and better nutritional statuses. Handgrip strength and 20 m shuttle run tests may be options of additional indicators of undernutrition in anorexic female adolescents. The undernourished anorexic patients showed worse physical fitness than the nourished ones. According to normative data for healthy sex- and age-matched adolescents, physical fitness is severely impaired in anorexic female adolescents. Este estudo teve como objetivo determinar se a aptidão física está relacionada ao estado nutricional em uma amostra de adolescentes do sexo feminino com anorexia nervosa, contrastar pacientes nutridas versus desnutridas e comparar a aptidão física nesses pacientes com dados normativos de indivíduos saudáveis estratificados por idade e gênero. A força de preensão manual foi significativamente associada a todas as variáveis do estado nutricional, exceto aos três componentes sanguíneos do escore do Estado de Controle Nutricional. As pacientes anoréxicas desnutridas mostraram uma aptidão física substancialmente pior do que as pacientes anoréxicas nutridas em todos os testes, exceto nos saltos em pé em posição ampla e nos testes de corrida em 4*10 m. Os testes de aptidão física dos adolescentes anoréxicos do sexo feminino apresentaram escores consideravelmente piores do que os da população adolescente europeia normativa.